Something a little more practical is on the cards today to wake you up on a Monday morning! A large percentage of the jobs that we undertake require that walls be removed – many of such walls are not original but were added (often illogically) at a later date. Whilst it is easy to ascertain, broadly speaking, whether a wall is a ‘supporting wall’ one must still be careful not to remove it without consulting an expert first.
A non-supporting wall can, over time, assume some of the weight from the floor above – not to say it is holding the above floor up but instead has simple inherited a percentage of the stress. If one is to remove such a wall there can be knock on effects to the floors above and below (such as the cracking of brittle finishes). If in doubt in such a situation it is well worth getting a structural engineer involved to ensure that you have taken all the necessary steps with regard to protecting your home as well as the properties around you!
Here’s an image of our of our most recent projects where we have removed a wall!