Hello,
a few months ago, my husband and I bought a house. A load-bearing exterior wall was modified by a company (although without an invoice) to create an opening, and an additional door with concrete lintels was installed. So far, so good. We are satisfied. Recently, an acquaintance told me that this was a structural alteration and that a structural engineer should have been involved and the building authority should have been notified. That made me very concerned. Is it possible that something could still happen, for example, the ceiling collapsing? Can this be inspected and verified retroactively?
Thank you very much in advance for your answers.
a few months ago, my husband and I bought a house. A load-bearing exterior wall was modified by a company (although without an invoice) to create an opening, and an additional door with concrete lintels was installed. So far, so good. We are satisfied. Recently, an acquaintance told me that this was a structural alteration and that a structural engineer should have been involved and the building authority should have been notified. That made me very concerned. Is it possible that something could still happen, for example, the ceiling collapsing? Can this be inspected and verified retroactively?
Thank you very much in advance for your answers.
B
Bauexperte17 Apr 2011 11:51Hello,
*Sigh,* this is the classic “referees and football fans” topic – there will always be people who think they know better than others, even if it is only hearsay. Even though you had the opening made “without fuss,” the company responsible, according to you, installed reinforced concrete lintels. If your friend were right, then half of Heinsberg and the surrounding area would have collapsed by now; there, at most, 30% of the houses are built by professional construction companies, while the rest are essentially built through “neighbors helping neighbors.” 😀
Most likely, no answer here will truly reassure you; I recommend hiring a building expert (e.g., a structural engineer or certified building surveyor) to inspect and approve the work. Then, you will likely feel more at ease again.
Kind regards
maxi11 schrieb:
A few months ago, my husband and I bought a house. A structural exterior wall was modified by a company (although without an invoice), where they created an opening and installed an additional door with reinforced concrete lintels. So far, so good. We are satisfied. However, recently a friend told me that this was a structural alteration and that an engineer should have been hired and the building authority notified. That made me feel really uneasy. Is it possible that something could still happen now, for example, the ceiling collapsing? Can this be checked retrospectively?
*Sigh,* this is the classic “referees and football fans” topic – there will always be people who think they know better than others, even if it is only hearsay. Even though you had the opening made “without fuss,” the company responsible, according to you, installed reinforced concrete lintels. If your friend were right, then half of Heinsberg and the surrounding area would have collapsed by now; there, at most, 30% of the houses are built by professional construction companies, while the rest are essentially built through “neighbors helping neighbors.” 😀
Most likely, no answer here will truly reassure you; I recommend hiring a building expert (e.g., a structural engineer or certified building surveyor) to inspect and approve the work. Then, you will likely feel more at ease again.
Kind regards