what should i do with this wall?

[capitalist]

This brick feature wall kinda dates the unit i'm in and i want to know what people think i should do with it?
It divides the kitchen and lounge area and i'm thinking whether i should:

1) paint it
2) render/gyprock it
3) cut some of it out and square it off (marked in red), and maybe then render/gyprock it.

I'm on the top floor of a 3 storey walk-up and i can access the roof space to see that it's not load bearing... at least i'm pretty sure it's a trussed roof.
If i cut it out, maybe i should follow the red line i've marked, so i don't have to move the electrical stuff too much?

Any suggestions?

...i couldn't figure out how to put the photo in but here's a link:
brick wall

 

[Glenn]

Hi Capitalist,

You must be a true capitalist.....getting other people to think about, and use any building knowledge to provide you with a solution....I salute you

Mate, I would leave it exactly as it is, rent the place to a member of the community group that inspired such wonderful architecture and spend the $ on puchasing my next prop.

Glenn

 

[Aceyducey]

Capitalist,

As you sound unsure of how structural this wall is, get in a professional for a check. Better safe than sorry.

Otherwise I'd say it depends on the amount of work you want to do. Personally I'd rip out bits of the wall, but I'm a glutton for punishment

Cheers,

Aceyducey

 

[XBenX]

4/. Get the engineer out (few hundred $$$ - but most of the time the strata mgr will want a report letting them know what you are planning is safe anyway...) Then get rid of the whole wall and go open plan.

 

[layer181]

Rip it all out and put up two nice polish timber beams and a timber post as support.Not expensive and will add a bit of class.For your future update just paint them to the trendy color of that time
Cheers layer181

 

[Jas]

Check with strata that you can remove parts of the wall (in units more are strucatual as there is a lot of weight to hold up). But if you can, do - that look is soooo oooold.

I have seen units where people from the 60s/70s have just built their own brick walls to make the place more 'up-to-date'. If that's the case here, you should have no worries ripping it out.

Jas

 

[capitalist]

Thanks for the tip Glen. The unit's in a blocked named "Rio Grande" and it seems that if you build something with arches, you can give it a Spanish name.

That's what i was thinking Acey: rip out the red bits and then render the rest.

You're right guys, i should get a builder out to quote me on removing the wall, and then he can also tell me if it's weight bearing or not.
I've got a pic
here taken from inside the roof of the brick arch's right side corner.
From what i can tell it's a trussed roof with double brick cavity interior walls. From this pic it looks like the joists are sitting above the brickwork and no weight is on them? You'll also notice the gyprock sits above the height of the brickwork where it's glued/nailed to the joists.

Please tell me i can knock this arch down without the roof caving in on me?

I could do the open plan like you say XBenX, but then i'd have to shift some wiring and the pantry will also have to be moved to where the wall oven goes: leaving little benchspace... but it's something i'll consider depending on what the sparky says (how much $).

 

[rossv]

Hi capitalist,


......looks ok to knock down...maybe.....

give me another couple of photos in the roof space,
l want to see more of the overall structure


rossv

 

[capitalist]

picture of roof

Hi Ross, have a look here for a pic of the general roof structure.
Please tell me it looks ok to knock down...

 

[Jas]

You're game ross.

I wouldn't say whether a wall was ok or not without having a personal looksee.

I would hate to be wrong...

Jas

 

[rossv]

Hiya capitalist,

Grab a sledge hammer....Grab a cold 'un ..........

the roof won't fall in


rossv

 

[rossv]

Hi Jas,

so would I, but it's clearly non load bearing


rossv

 

[Carolyn]

Hi capitalist

It also depends on what price bracket unit we are talking about - and what it's worth spending the money doing. Both from a c.g and rent return perspective (i hate not having spell check, i'm lost without it so excuse any spelling erorz pleese)

So depending on what cost unit we are talking I would either go
a) full blown open plan idea and ditch the wall
b) just lose the lovely arch work, square off, render and paint.

Carolyn

 

[XBenX]

Originally posted by Carolyn
Hi capitalist

So depending on what cost unit we are talking I would either go
a) full blown open plan idea and ditch the wall
b) just lose the lovely arch work, square off, render and paint.

Carolyn

Very good point

 

[Kristine..]

G'day Capitalist

You know the old song 'Everything Old is New Again'?

The features most commented on at Myrtle Cottage were the archways!

People loved them. The arches added elegance to an otherwise egalatarian space.

I had the plasterer add in small curves where other walls had previously been removed. This softened the squared off look and the spaces flowed into each other is a more restful manner.

Better Feng Shui, too!

Rendering over the brickwork is all that I would do. You can get bags of mortar mix from the hardware store, then do a few thin layers letting it dry between coats until you get a smooth finish. If you want a 'hard plastered' look, go over the top layer with plaster compound or plaster-paper the last mortar surface for a really smooth look, and paint over that.

Comments regarding cost v benefit are important to consider.

If all this costs you $500, will that money attract a better tenant (ie long term) who will pay, say $10 per week more?

If you 'knock down' and have to rewire etc, and it costs you $1,500, how much more rent will you need to receive to recover the costs?

Open plan is OK, but not in all situations. Not everybody wants visitors to see their kitchen, dishes in the rack, notes on the fridge.

Most people want a little privacy, and to keep cooking smells in one place.

I'd leave it exactly as it structurally is but render and paint to modernise.

Cheers

Kristine

 

[capitalist]

Cheers rossv, i'll be getting the sledgey onto it as soon as the sparky has a look and i'll post some pics later.

Thanks Carolyn, your advice is heeded and here are some figures for you:
- the unit was bought in Surfers Paradise for $127k in April 2001 and was let for $225 pw fully furnished.
- currently worth about $240k as is, and about $280k after reno.
- rental after reno should be about $300 pw.

So depending on what cost unit we are talking I would either go
a) full blown open plan idea and ditch the wall
b) just lose the lovely arch work, square off, render and paint.

The place will be a rental in about 6 months, so i'm not that interested in spending too much $ at this point.
I think i'll go for option a) at the moment as i can always go full open plan and rip out the pantry in the future.

I appreciate your comments about the arches Kristine but i'm not sure about rendering them as they are.
If i was going to leave the arches i think i'd also leave the bare brickwork to go for the rustic look.
The thing about the unit is that it also has arches in the lounge room and also on the balcony.
The building is styled kinda Spanish Mission but i'm not sure about that kitchen archway! I'll definitely leave the ledge though to help divide the rooms a bit and hide any mess.