Removing Walls

[j_p]

My partner and I are looking at getting my first property within the next 6 mnths and have been trying to follow the market in my area. Last week we found an old weatherboard house that we think has a lot of potential and we can pick up fairly cheap on a reasonable block.
If we bought this property we figure we could put the money we save into renovations...

There are two big questions, in terms of structure etc would be answered by a building inspection.

The other is removing walls to make it more open and make use of space more effectively. I'm wondering if anyone has done this, I assume it depends if the walls are structual or not, if they ARE does anyone have an experience with costs and difficulties associated?

We figure we are happy to spend about $15k-20k to make it worth the time and effort of living in a half finished house.

Thanks

 

[Craig-G]

Bit cheeky... but I am interested in this post so seeing it has been a week without a response I thought I would give it a bump to the top of the list. Surely someone on here has had experience with structural walls???

Cheers - Craig

 

[evand]

I took a structural wall or 2 out myself (with the help of a carpenter mate) years ago with a hanging beam in the roof space across the top of where the wall is removed.

What i did is get a long length of wood i think 300mm x 50mm and lay it on its side across a couple of top plates of adjacent walls.

The beam was also laying across where the wall was taken out. I then nailed small metal brackets hanging from the 300mm x 50mm beam to the ceiling joists (or maybe top plate) of where the wall was now missing.

the idea is the beam is sitting on and supported by adjacent walls and the area where the wal is taken out is supported by the beam with hanging brackets.

Hope you can follow this, maybe someone else can describe it better if they know the process, but its very easy to do and only cost me a few hundred dollars and a days work.

 

[depreciator]

I guess the reason it went unanswered is that it's one of those 'how long is a piece of sting' questions.
As Evand said, taking a wall out is not a big deal - especially in a weatherboard house. The cost depends on the size of the wall and what is happening up in the ceiling. Walls come down easily and a big change can be made quickly and pretty cheaply. But 'making good' the ceiling, wall junctions, floor etc always takes much longer.
Scott

 

[Aaron Sice]

just get a chippie out - he/she will explain it for you in great detail, and it isnt very expensive or hard to do. our biggest cost, including labour, was the beam itself - a 150UB14.0.

now i have seen it done, i could do it myself very easily indeed.

 

[vbplease]

The very least I would do is get a registered builder to have a look. Every council is different and may require approval - your registered builder will confirm this.

If you get your mates over on a weekend with a carton, how do you know that 150UB, or the wall which is supporting your new UB is adequate? And how do you know the wall you just took out is not a bracing wall?

Heaven forbid there is some sort of collapse and a registered builder did not perform the work, your insurance company wouldn't be interested.

 

[evand]

If you understand the process you can see its very easy and very strong.

The beam on edge across a couple of top plates will not be problem.

Scott, yes i forgot about the floorboards and a bit of gyprock work. Pretty cheap tho.

The problem with most DIYers is they dont try to understand what they are doing before they actually do the job.

Get up in the roof with a light and just sit there, look at it and think about it for an hour or so. Try to understand it.

Do the job first in your head before you touch a tool. (that applies to any job)

That's the trick with DIY and its why most people do a dodgy job or stuff it up and have to get someone in to fix it. I would never start a job if i couldnt do it completely in my head first. Any job.

The very least I would do is get a registered builder to have a look. Every council is different and may require approval - your registered builder will confirm this.

If you get your mates over on a weekend with a carton, how do you know that 150UB, or the wall which is supporting your new UB is adequate? And how do you know the wall you just took out is not a bracing wall?

Heaven forbid there is some sort of collapse and a registered builder did not perform the work, your insurance company wouldn't be interested.

 

[Aaron Sice]

i think "requiring" a reg'd builder is a bit of an overkill - reg'd builders are only required when works exceed $12,000.

my bloke was an ex-chippie from Richmond just on an ABN. work is great.

 

[Cartoon]

suprizes no one asked how long the span is?
depend on the length will decided what exactly needs to be done.

so how long is it?

its not a council concern for internals walls, they have nothing to do with it. the spec for the internal wall to be remmoved and supported is ADR and/or AS

 

[vbplease]

There are way too many unanswered questions.. the span is just one of them.

If its load bearing, temporary propping would be required - how many what centers?
What size support beam?
What type of connection?
Can the adjacent walls carry the new support beam?
Is the wall to be removed a bracing wall?

Not using a registered builder would be madness.. regarding your own safety and your home's insurance policy.

 

[Aaron Sice]

but the law is VERY VERY VERY clear - a reg'd builder is not required up to and including $12,000 worth of work.

that is the law - if you operate inside it, you have nothing to fear.

 

[wylie]

And from my reading of the question, the span is an unknown at the moment, because there has not been a house purchased as yet.

 

[vbplease]

The building act 1993 says what modifications can and can't be made without a permit.

The Building Act 1993 (the Act) requires that building work must be subject to the issue of a building permit prior to that work commencing. The Act prescribes a penalty of 100 penalty units for any work done without a permit.
The building permit ensures that certain practitioners are registered and carry insurance, that adequate documentation is prepared to correctly construct the building, an independent review of that documentation occurs, key stages of the work are independently inspected and the completed building is independently assessed as being suitable for occupation. There is certainty of compliance for owner builders and building insurers before building commences, and ease in preparing compliance reports, which may be required
at sale of the property.

Exemptions from the building permit system include:

Alterations to a building if the building work; will not adversely affect the structural soundness of the building and will not increase or decrease the floor area or height of the building, is not underpinning or replacement of footings and does not include the removal or alteration of any element of the building that is contributing to the support of any other element of the building; will not adversely affect the safety of the public or occupiers of the building;

Further to this, a modification that would alter the structural soundness should require a registered professional engineer to do the design.

 

[fernfurn]

If the wall is supporting, you can take a huge opening out of it easier than removing the whole wall. We took 4mts out of one wall, opening it up to a hallway and making a massive difference to the light and feel of the house. It needs uprights at each end and a supporting beam across the top, then patch up around it. My son is a builder and he used a mate to help get the supporting beam up. It was an old house so we cut it quite high and then put in a decorative wood panel 30cm high consisting top and bottom with pattern cut out slats between. Looked fantastic

 

[pulse]

Structural work even inside a house generally needs a DA and council approval and therefore either an owner builder or licensed builder... then again just make sure it is done properly and you shouldn't have any worries about who does it.

Pulse

 

[evand]

What ever happened to just cutting a hole in the wall and getting up in the roof and banging a bit of wood up there.

 

[depreciator]

That's the trick with DIY and its why most people do a dodgy job or stuff it up and have to get someone in to fix it. I would never start a job if i couldnt do it completely in my head first. Any job.

This made me smile. I do this thinking bit so thoroughly - usually when I'm going to sleep - that sometimes I come downstairs in the morning and almost expect to see the job I was thinking about all finished.
Scott

 

[evand]

LOL...that's why you're good with your hands Scott. Most people don't do it.

I usually grab a beer and something to sit on and just look at it for an hour or longer (depending on the job) and try to understand it. How it was done in the first place, what could go wrong, how i would do it if something went wrong.

I stripped out and renoed my complete bathroom with this method. Carpentry, plumbing, drainage, waterproofing, electrical (my trade), tiling, bath (that was a total pain) & shower install. Never did any of it before then.
Saved about $8k-$9k but took forever so my wife wasn't too impressed with the delay.

This made me smile. I do this thinking bit so thoroughly - usually when I'm going to sleep - that sometimes I come downstairs in the morning and almost expect to see the job I was thinking about all finished.
Scott

 

[depreciator]

I have to do a bathroom. I'm trying not to think about it.

 

[wylie]

I stripped out and renoed my complete bathroom with this method. Carpentry, plumbing, drainage, waterproofing, electrical (my trade), tiling, bath (that was a total pain) & shower install. Never did any of it before then. Saved about $8k-$9k but took forever so my wife wasn't too impressed with the delay.

At least you (probably) didn't do what my hubby did..... took out the only toilet in our house on a Sunday night when I was eight months pregnant and told me that he would get the new one installed next weekend..... gee thanks .