# Forum Home Renovation Demolition  Wall removal question

## quentin5000

Hey fellas! 
I have a quick question and am hoping someone with a bit more experience can help me. 
i am looking at removing about 15 percent of a wall which separates my kitchen from my living room. The house is single brick with plasterboarding on the inside. The wall in question is just made of plaster board with a wooden frame (no brick). This is why I am assuming it is not structural and I could just smash the part of it down that I want removed.  
Before I do but is it better if I consult with someone first though. Would l need to hire a structural engineer or builder to assess it? If so anyone got a rough ballpark figure what that would cost in the Perth metro area. 
Regards, 
Quentin

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## Bedford

> This is why I am assuming it is not structural and I could just smash the part of it down that I want removed.  
> Before I do but is it better if I consult with someone first though.

  Yes, I think you should at least get a builder to have a look, you've made no mention of roof structure which could determine loads, but there could also be ceiling joists joined or over spanned affected by the removal.

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## stevoh741

In QLD all walls are timber and plasterboard including load bearing

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## Stan 101

> The wall in question is just made of plaster  board with a wooden frame (no brick). This is why I am assuming it is  not structural and I could just smash the part of it down that I want  removed.

  WA have a lot of pitched roofs. You haven't mentioned the approximate age of the house. That would help. Also is there a flat ceiling or is it raked?
You may well be right in the wall being non loadbearing but you are best off to get a carpenter to have a look before you rip anything down. 
Cheers,     

> In QLD all walls are timber and plasterboard including load bearing

  North of Bundaberg, blockwork starts to become more common. Rockhampton use a 110mm loadbearing core filled 'Rock Block' a great deal for internal and external wall. By Mackay construction of 190mm block to timber(and steel) is about 50% / 50%. Townsville is about 85% block and Cairns north is well over 95% block internal and external.  
cheers,

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## Bloss

> This is why I am assuming it is not structural and I could just smash the part of it down that I want removed.

  You'll need some pro advice. The wall type will not tell you whether it is load-bearing - the roof type and layout will. Trussed roofs will generally place loads on external walls, but if there is an extension or a design a little more complex they can place loads on internal  walls too. A conventional or 'cut-in' roof - pretty much all houses prior to 1960s, but quite a few built since then too, will have many internal walls load-bearing as well as the external walls.

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## quentin5000

Hey everyone, 
Wow that was some quick repsonses. I am very appreciative of all input above. Sorry I omitted so much. 
Here are the details I should have included. 
The house is in Cloverdale its a 3x1 single brick veneer house built in 1962.
The ceilings are flat and the roof is pitched. 
Funny enough last night I wenti into my roof at 1:00 am because my smoke alarm went off so I checked my whole house to make sure nothing was on fire! I noticed that in the middle of the wall there are jarrah wood beams which extent beyond the wall and are connected to the apex of the house. This to me more or less means that part of this wall is load bearing. I guess it would be best to speak to a builder then... 
Cheers 
Quentin

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## warnie100

internal walls on most brick veneer homes are not load bearing accept the external ones if this makes sense

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## droog

Only if built with trusses. 
Brick veneer provides no support for the roof, the load bears on the frame of the house so brickveneer / wetherboards makes no difference. 
If built without trusses almost impossible to have no internal walls not bearing loads, regardless of exterior cladding. 
Regards Dave

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## Bloss

> internal walls on most brick veneer homes are not load bearing accept the external ones if this makes sense

  Nah - as droog has said and I mentioned above too the nature of the skin tells you nothing about the structure - a brick veneer house or a full brick house or a colorbond or fibro or weatherboard house can have trussed or non-trussed roofs and even a trussed roof can have one or more walls as load bearing. 
But droog is not right about a non-trussed roof - there are a number of designs and constructions methods that can allow no loads on internal walls (including most flat roofs for example). 
The only way to tell is to look at the top of the wall your are intending to remove or cut into - and know what is you are seeing when you do so!

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