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bossyu · Feb 16, 2007, 10:03 AM

Hello ,

I am current having difficulty researching how to connect two bachelor apartments into a two-bedroom unit.The wall between them is a concrete wall and I do not know if this is a supporting wall. My questions:
1. How do I know if the wall is a supporting wall?
2. Is it feasible to tear down a supporting wall and reinforce another part of the building?
3. Is it feasible to partially tear down the wall (ie. Make a door in it) and not reinforce anything?
4. Where could I research these topics?

Thanks very much

Nosnosna · Feb 16, 2007, 10:16 AM

1) It almost certainly is a supporting wall. There is no reason not to use a long wall of that type in a load-bearing capacity, as it needs to be there anyway, and if it is not load-bearing, that means that the load must be born by other structures elsewhere, limiting the size of the spaces.
2) No. A load-bearing wall bears a load at its location. To reinforce elsewhere does nothing to affect what this wall needs to hold.
3) Possibly. That depends on the construction of the wall, the load it bears, and the strength of the materials.
4) You would need to speak to a professional about this... someone who knows the building codes and the materials used in the structure. You won't be able to do this as a do-it-yourself project.

bossyu · Feb 16, 2007, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by bossyu

Hello ,

I am current having difficulty researching how to connect two bachelor appartments into a two-bedroom unit.The wall between them is a concrete wall and I do not know if this is a supporting wall. My questions:
1. How do I know if the wall is a supporting wall?
2. Is it feasible to tear down a supporting wall and reinforce another part of the building?
3. Is it feasible to partially tear down the wall (ie. make a door in it) and not reinforce anything?
4. Where could I research these topics?

Thanks very much

Another question:
Is it feasible to break the wall and put a supporting beam at the same location?

Nosnosna · Feb 16, 2007, 10:42 AM

Possible, but tricky, and usually not advisable.

The load on the wall has to be supported at all times. This would mean putting temporary jacks in place. This is not a trivial problem: Not all points on the ceiling and floor are suitable for support in this way, and the load may not be supportable except directly in line with the wall. Once the jacks are in place and the existing wall is removed, the new support structure must be put into place, and must be done so in such a way that the load is fully supported, and not allowed to settle onto the support as this could damage the structure.