plaster beam above stairs

patrickspicture

hi, this is a curiosity question that would be great if some knows the answer.
we bought a house a year or so ago and there is a beam running over the bottom stairs. i have to duck to get under it but have gotten use to it. it only runs along the ceiling the width of the stairs and then the length of the stairs to the wall. I didn't and don't think it supports anything and was just installed to run the coving all the way around the hallway.
I ripped the coving down today and drilled a 3/8" hole in expecting it to be hollow but it was solid. the weird thing is that it is full of what i guess is plaster, i used a wood drill bit with a cheap hand drill and if it was made of any solid material it would not of gone threw as far or as easy as it did.

i am going to leave it cause it is to much trouble to take down but if anyone knows why it was done or if there is a reason it would be grest to find out.

thank you.

looksee

Photo? Would make it easier to hazard a guess!

patrickspicture

Thanks for the reply,
can put one up tomorrow when there is light.
It is a 4x6" ish bit of wall hanging from the ceiling. I expected it to be a stud partition or if supports, something to hard for a little drill to go threw. Drilled in 4cm with no problem and no hollow area. The house is only 20 years old.

mickdw

Would it be an I beam. If so, it would only have a solid steel bar down its center so you could easily drill to about 50 mm before hitting the structural bit.
You could try drilling up from bottom. You should hit solid steel over full width of beam that way - once you get past the finishes.

It's highly unlikely it's there for no reason so be careful.
In addition, in a house built in mid 90s, building regulations require that there is adequate head clearance which if hitting your head, you don't have unless you are very tall.

patrickspicture

It is to low and isn't in regulation, our house survey said that, but all the neighbors houses I have been in have. Will try drilling a small hole up tomorrow and see if I hit anything.
I had originally wanted to take it down if it was simple but it isn't so it is staying. Only posting here because it is a mystery why they put them in the houses.

mickdw

Photos please. It will all make sense then I'd say.

patrickspicture

I attached photos, haven't tried drilling a hole in the bottom yet.

patrickspicture

Here is a photo of the back

mickdw

Very odd to be fair.
I thought it might be running wall to wall as a support beam but seems not.

patrickspicture

I decided to put a few more holes in it and I found 1 stud and there rest hollow. Bad luck on my part to pick the spot to drill that someone dumped a load of plaster. Seems it is only there to run coving around the room.