Extension query - structural

sleepyholland

Can anyone take a guess from the photos of this house as to whether the internal walls in the kitchen extension are necessary structurally?

What are the options in terms of removing these walls and installing alternative support. (beams etc) Is it cost prohibitive or structurally complicated?

I've seen a few houses now with these kind of extensions and have been wondering how difficult it is to open them up.

Thanks.

http://tinyurl.com/pn5xfps

JimmyMW

sleepyholland wrote: »

Can anyone take a guess from the photos of this house as to whether the internal walls in the kitchen extension are necessary structurally?

What are the options in terms of removing these walls and installing alternative support. (beams etc) Is it cost prohibitive or structurally complicated?

I've seen a few houses now with these kind of extensions and have been wondering how difficult it is to open them up.

Thanks.

http://tinyurl.com/pn5xfps

I believe that structural advice is not allowed here, therefore you would need a structural engineer to check out the house. However i assume you are looking to buy the house and you just want to gauge the costs involved in removing these walls, just from the photos the thicker wall painted in white seams to be the original wall of the house, therefore it is most likely supporting the wall above, and as for the thinner of the two walls its impossible to know from the photos.

sleepyholland

thanks for the reply and advice JimmyMW -

I'm not looking to undertake this work, merely considering viewing a couple of different houses with these kind of extensions and wondering if hypothetically there is an affordable way of replacing supporting walls like this one with some type of roof beam.

Just trying to establish what the options are. Thanks.

cpoh1

I think you need to allow for structural steel and re enforcement as a default with any of these jobs (without giving structural advice). Once you err on the side of caution and allow for the costs then you should be fine. The difference price wise typically with re-enforcement works is lower than you think.

sleepyholland

thanks cpoh1, for the non-structural 'materials' advice!

DOCARCH

Mod Note: O.k....enough of the 'hypothetical'/'non-structural' structural advice. You need to get a structural engineer to assess in each situation. As JimmyMW says, structural advice is not allowed here. Have a read of the forum charter.