Whether it's to save space, open a room or install a window, there are many reasons to knock down a load-bearing wall, but the reason to abstain is unique.
Indeed, such a partition supports the entire frame and the loads of the house, such as the frame, the gable or the structure of the building.
In short, a load-bearing wall guarantees the stability of your home.
Removing it is not impossible, but this operation requires the intervention of various professionals and above all a lot of caution and know-how.
Drastic administrative obligations
It is armed with patience and with a well-prepared project that you will have to fight to obtain the authorization to break your load-bearing wall. Indeed, if you are a co-owner, you must first check that the co-ownership regulations of your building authorize you to touch this element of the building and under what conditions. You will then have to call on a masonry company, an architect and the Technical Studies Office (BET) to put together a file with the various quotes. This must be submitted to the condominium manager, before being submitted to the co-owners' agreement during a vote at a general meeting.
Be careful, if the load-bearing wall is party, a contradictory inventory with the neighbor will have to complete your file, because the work could cause several inconveniences, in particular cracks.
The owners of a single-family house will be exempt from the condominium agreement.
However, when it comes to opening a facade wall, to create a window or a door for example, it will be necessary to make a prior declaration of work at the town hall.
In some cases, a building permit may even be required.
Each opening has its own technique
In practice, a load-bearing wall is cut according to a very specific method.
It all depends on the width of the desired opening.
The simplest technique is that of the joist on box springs.
It is suitable for small openings, up to a maximum of one meter wide.
It consists of making a shoring between the floor and the ceiling and distributing the load of the props on metal joists.
The wall is then supported with beams to prevent collapse.
The portal technique is recommended for openings up to 2.50 m.
This operation aims to create a jamb, that is to say two vertical beams, fixed to the ground by footings and on which the load will rest.
A horizontal joist is then fixed.
Finally, for heavier structures and load-bearing walls whose thickness exceeds 30 cm, the two half-beam method is used, which takes place in three stages.
First, we proceed to vertical slits in order to insert the posts of the jamb, also fixed on the soles.
Then, we make a horizontal groove of about half the thickness of the wall, before proceeding in the same way but on the other side of the partition.
Complex to implement, the demolition of a load-bearing wall must therefore be entrusted to professionals, in particular to an architect who will be the only one authorized to verify the feasibility of the project and to ensure the replacement of the supporting elements, as well as to a specialized demolition company.
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Carrier or not carrier?
To find out if your wall is load-bearing or not, check its dimensions.
A load-bearing wall is at least 15 cm thick.
Below, it is a simple partition.
An old method is also to bang on the various walls of the house.
If the noise is muffled, it is surely a load-bearing wall, if it is hollow, it is probably a partition.
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