Removal of a Load Bearing Wall

Whether you want to transform your existing home, or plan to redesign a new home before you move in, you may be considering your options. One of those would be knocking down a wall that separates rooms to transform the space. Extensions can be costly, which is why removing a wall is often the preferred choice. You could change dark rooms into fresh and inviting spaces, without the headache and cost of extending.

If you have remodelling plans that include removing or altering a wall, you must determine whether the wall is load-bearing or non-load-bearing. A load bearing wall is one which supports other elements of the building, such as the roof, wall above and floor Joists. However, before you start any renovations, you need to be sure of the building regulations related to knocking down load-bearing walls.

It is always vital to get expert advice from a structural engineer when removing a wall, and a detailed survey and estimate will give you a clear indication of the work required. This would be provided in the form of a structural report.

As a general rule, you don’t need planning permission for removing internal walls. But, if you are renovating a listed building, then you need consent for any external or internal work. However, you may need your council to approve the work if it is confirmed that a wall is indeed load-bearing.

Any part of a load-bearing wall that is removed must be replaced with suitable structural support, such as a beam and/or column to bear the same load that was supported by the wall. The first thing to understand is how the wall above will be supported before the load bearing wall is removed. This depends on how, if at all, any ceiling joists are supported by the wall and which way they run. There are various methods of supporting the structure so therefore a builder would need to inspect the job beforehand and provide you with a schedule of work in conjunction with the structural engineer's report.

Typically, a beam, either wood or metal, will be installed in the area where the wall was removed to carry the weight. There are several factors to consider when sizing beams, such as deflection, shear, deadweight vs. live weight, and roof loads. The beam should be designed to cater for the loads that the wall was originally taking. This beam then needs to be supported on two other supports (typically walls) that are capable of taking the loads to foundations. Any new beam should normally have at least 150mm bearing (overlap onto the existing wall) on each side of the opening and the existing wall beneath the bearings are likely to need to be strengthened to prevent crushing of them. This may require the installation of an area of dense concrete (cast in-situ or pre-cast), known as a padstones to spread the load. The size of padstones will vary depending on the circumstances of the case in hand.

If the beam is steel then it should normally be protected against fire so that it will have 30 minutes resistance to fire (if measured in a standard test). There are different ways that this may be achieved, but most common is the use of two or more layers of properly fixed plasterboard - the thickness of which will depend on the manufacturer's specification.

If an exposed timber beam is preferred then a calculation is generally required to demonstrate how much inherent fire resistance it has - dependent on it's size and species of timber. A concrete beam, which would normally have steel reinforcement inside it, would generally has adequate fire resistance properties, providing the steel inside is adequately covered by the concrete.

A builder will then work with a fabricator to produce and deliver this specification and ensure it sits firmly on the brickwork to transfer the load down. When the joist is fitted, a building inspector will complete an inspection and ensure that it complies with the diagrams. The joist would need to be plastered, painted, and boarded with fire-board.

Once all required work is completed, the inspector can give you a Building Approval Certificate. With all building work, the owner of the property (or land) in question is ultimately responsible for complying with the relevant planning rules and building regulations (regardless of the need to apply for planning permission and/or building regulations approval or not).

Load bearing walls are fundamental to the structure of the house and careful consideration needs to be given before they can be altered or removed. Removing a load bearing wall may create structural problems in a home, including sagging ceilings, unlevelled floors, drywall cracks, and sticking doors. Removal of load bearing walls without properly supporting the load they’re carrying may occasionally result in a structural collapse and even injury. Alteration or removal of load bearing walls requires building regulations consent. Any structural design required will need to be submitted to assessed by the Local Authority and it is recommend that works do not start until the works are approved Most home improvement projects that involve any substantial alterations will be covered by the building regulations.

Therefore, failure to comply with the relevant rules may result in the owner being liable for any remedial action (which could go as far as demolition and/or restoration). The general advice is to always discuss your proposals with the relevant local planning authority and building control service before starting work.

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