Breaking through the old outside wall

neeb

I am thinking about re-arranging the downstairs layout. We have an extension so the wall between the kitchen and conservatory is actually the old outside wall of the 2 story house.

It would be nicer to take the whole thing away but would it be lots cheaper to do an arch. Wall is about 8 foot long.

brendankelly

If it is an old stone house get someone that knows what they are doing. Otherwise someone could get killed.

FesterBeatty

...is there a question here?

DOCARCH

Whatever you do, you will need a structural engineer to assess.

Building a 'real' arch would actually be quite expensive and complicated, especially in an existing struture.

Better and cheaper to form a rectangular ope in the external wall (which will involve the installation of a steel beam/lintel specified by a structural engineer), and then, if you still like the idea of an arch, form the arch in timber stud and plasterboard under.

neeb

I suppose the question is: is there a massive difference between a 4 foot beam and an 8 foot one.

Arch - just a term, I would be looking for as flat and square as possible.

House is 10 years old, standard blocks etc.

Slig

Perfectably dooable, simple enough job for most builders, requiring several acro jacks, couple of short lenghts of steel, a good kango and lots of dust sheets.
The 8ft span is fairly standard and can easily be supported by a pre-cast concrete or steel lintel available from most builders providers. Of course you should get approval from a structural engineer but it really isnt a complicated job at all so dont be put off by the thoughts of it.

mickdw

Is this single story extension just being done now? If so, you may well have problems with water/dampness from the old gable wall over the new conservatory roof as this gable wont have the required cavity trays built in.

neeb

mickdw wrote: »

Is this single story extension just being done now? If so, you may well have problems with water/dampness from the old gable wall over the new conservatory roof as this gable wont have the required cavity trays built in.

Conservatory is there about 8 years and is single story. It has a shallow pitched roof (pitched on 3 sides if you know what I mean, not sure of the terms)and joins the side of the house with a lead lined gully. I would think its not the best job in the world (boom times). No sign of damp yet but the wall is still there. Would we expect damp if the wall was removed? I was not considering that we might have to redo the roof but I guess I need to look into that too.

Thanks!

paddy147

neeb wrote: »

I suppose the question is: is there a massive difference between a 4 foot beam and an 8 foot one.

Arch - just a term, I would be looking for as flat and square as possible.

House is 10 years old, standard blocks etc.

Adjustable scaffold jack bars and scaffold boards along with a hilti or kangoo will do the job.OR,for a very precise cut then use a large ConSaw and concrete disc.

Than a big RSJ or reinforced concrete lintel fitted and then block/plaster it in.

Job done and simples.:)

Most competant builders will know exactly what to do and how to do it

Also,as the poster of post 6 above has said,cover EVERYTHING in dust covers and move any movable objects out of the area,as there will be alot of dust and bits of concrete chippings flying everywhere when the builder gets going.

Slig

neeb wrote: »

Conservatory is there about 8 years and is single story. It has a shallow pitched roof (pitched on 3 sides if you know what I mean, not sure of the terms)and joins the side of the house with a lead lined gully. I would think its not the best job in the world (boom times). No sign of damp yet but the wall is still there. Would we expect damp if the wall was removed? I was not considering that we might have to redo the roof but I guess I need to look into that too.

Thanks!

"If its not broke, dont fix it."
Seriously its a pretty simple job to enlarge an existing opening especially if its only going to be 8ft. If cracks appear after the work is done and that results in dampness or moisture ingress then that will need to be investigated but if you get a structural engineer to size the lintel and the builder carries out the work professionally(ensuring the structure is adequately supported doring the works, providing adequate seating for the lintel on both sides & consulting your engineer if they encounter any problems) then that should not happen.

There is no need to re-roof the extension, underpin the foundations or apply for planning permission.