We have a Victorian detached house and want to remove the downstairs wall between the sitting room and dining room. The wall is very solid brick. There is a stud partition wall above it between two bedrooms. We have checked and the wall does not seem to be load bearing - the upstairs floorboards run at right angles to the wall and the joists are parallel to the wall.Would the wall perform any other strucutural purpose that would mean we should install an RSJ? Or is it same to remove?
Already Tried: just internet searches so far.
Hi. I can help you with this.Before we get started I’d like to point out that a Professional Engineer’s standard of care typically includes a site visit to assess field conditions and get an overall understanding of the structure. This can obviously not be accomplished through the internet. The information provided here is meant for informational purposes only (general sizing and budgeting) and is based on the information provided by you. The information should be verified by a professional engineer who can visit the site to ensure that potentially important information has not been overlooked or omittedLet me know if you still need help with this and we can talk about it.
Hi
I had a feeling the answer might be to get a structural engineer to look at it. We have had internal walls removed before, from a previous victorian house, and did have an engineer look at it. One wall was not load-bearing so didn't need any support but the other was and we had drawings etc done and an RSJ installed.
I suppose our question is whether the fact that the joists run parallel to the wall means that it is not load bearing? And whether the wall might be performing some other structural function? We can't really see what this might be.
Thanks, Emma
Based on the information you've provided, it is likely not a load bearing wall, but I'm not comfortable telling you to remove a solid brick interior wall (interior brick walls are not common so it goes me some pause) without having a structural engineer check it out.If you've found my answer helpful, please click the green "accept" button. I'll be happy to answer additional questions on the topic. If you could provide feedback, I would appreciate it