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Making an opening in a load bearing wall is perfect if you want to adapt the living space in your home. The wall you wall you want to demolish however, may be load bearing and supporting brickwork above. This may be a brick load or even the floor joists so a few precautions ought to be adhered to. In a typical layout of an abode with two reception rooms, rear and front, the rear room joists usually run from the external walls, rest on the intermediate wall dividing dining room and living room, and then another set of timbers would run from the intermediate dividing wall to the front elevation external wall.

Should you find that the wall you want to remove is in fact load bearing then it will need to be supported before any structural adjustments can be carried out. This will usually be done (domestically) by using steel upright supports and strong timber needles. Alterations can be made in a similar fashion on larger commercial projects, however, stronger supports may be required by using super props. For this article though, we will assume that any structural alteration is to a domestic dwelling.

Some loads may not be from masonry by the way, they could be from timber partitions above the wall you want to take out. In the same fashion the load must be supported both before and after any alteration is taken out. You ought to make every check to establish what load the wall is carrying.

Permanent support will be required after your alterations have been temporarily propped and this will commonly be in the form or either a concrete lintel or steel RSJ. There are a number of different beams on the market, each serving their own purposes so it will be necessary to use the correct support for the job. A structural engineer will be able to make the necessary calculations for you. Don’t just guess what you think will be right!

I should also mention at this present time that any structural work you plan taking out will need to be checked by your local building control officer. You can ring your local authority for more info on this and to request an application form for carrying out the works.

You will want to set everything out clearly to ensure you know exactly what you are removing and to know where your new lintel will sit. You will want the new RSJ or concrete or steel lintel to rest on a minimum of 150mm bearings so make provisions for this when marking out. You can use a hammer and bolster to chop back the plaster covering the brick. An angle grinder can be used to make a straight line where the opening will run to or the traditional method of hammer and bolster.

When you have made the opening make sure the site is clean and free from any debris and get ready to fit the steel RSJ or lintel. It is wise to set up trestles and platform beforehand to ensure easy manipulation of getting the RSJ in place as they can be very heavy according to size etc. This will be either a 2 or 3 man job depending on the size of RSJ you are inserting into the wall. It is also wise to put any noggins or fixings in the RSJ, prior to bedding it. The timber noggins you put in will be used to fix your plasterboard, etc to. The RSJ will sit on concrete pad stones to ensure the load is distributed correctly. Pack up the lintel with slate afterwards to ensure it is tight to the brickwork above.

Now that the concrete or steel lintel or RSJ is in place you will want to complete the rest of the works. You can take the props away the day aftwards to give the sand and cement enough time to harden and in doing so, fill in any holes you made for the props with bricks and point up and pack up with slate if necessary. All you need to do now is make good the plaster work afterwards. Make sure the building inspector has inspected all works etc, before making good commences.