# Forum Home Renovation Demolition  Removing load bearing parts of wall to open up kitchen/living area

## tifflee

Ok so my house has a mickey mouse extension built onto it as you will see in the pictures and I want to make some changes and need some pointers. 
There is an opening between the kitchen/living area that used to be the window and doorway to the backyard but I want to open that up completely,  the red lines indicate how open I want it (the line of the left is where the kitchen wall is).   
The extension has a partition in the centre which doesn't separate the room completely it has about a doorways width either side of it (bit random) but I plan to remove that and rebuild a full partition which means I need to put a doorway in to gain access to the other side, the picture will make it a bit clearer.   
That beam on the right was/is part of the car port which they just incorporated into the extension..... anyhow I wanted the existing doorway (to the carport area) bricked up and then a new one put in (red lines) which leads to/from the kitchen area making this a completely separate room.  
Now with me wanting this doorway putting in would it be easier/possible to have a beam running all the way over from the kitchen side to support for this as well or would there be an overlap between the beam and lintel? 
Just to save anyone making a comment about the wiring <insert random observation here>  yes I am aware.

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## Bloss

Everything is doable given time and money. This is a major structural change and IMO you need to get someone with professional experience to give you solid advice on what size beam might be needed and what is involved in getting it in placed in what sequence - which as you would know has to be done before you knock out that double brick wall which is load bearing (holding up the ceiling at least and part of the roof load too). 
Not to much to go by, but from those couple of pics it looks like you would fully support (using acro props and suitable plates) on the kitchen side then remove the brick work, frame up for the new openings and get the beam in place. Steel will give you more height to play with, but if you are only after door height then LVL would be fine. Unless you really want to keep the brick look I'd simply frame up the existing garage door and sheet over the whole wall area giving the same finish. On the garage side just finish neatly . . . it's a garage.

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## tifflee

Yeah I wasn't going to rule out speaking to an engineer  I just wanted to be as informed as possible before doing so. 
This is the other side ....

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## METRIX

Hi Tiff, 
This kind of opening is usually straight forward for the experienced to remove, but when you come to double brick construction it's generally not a DIY job, looking at the pic, is that a Steel beam running across the two openings ? 
If so, it looks a bit large for the size of the openings underneath it, hard to see from the photos, is it resting on any brickwork ? this may be an advantage as you may be able to open it up using the existing beam as support.
I would suggest you have an Engineer look at this one and give you the right advice to achieve what you want.

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## tifflee

That's a wooden beam on the right and the supports the roof over the carport area, that wall beneath it is part of the shoddy extension and non load bearing.

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## Bloss

> Hi Tiff, 
> This kind of opening is usually straight forward for the experienced to remove, but when you come to double brick construction it's generally not a DIY job, looking at the pic, is that a Steel beam running across the two openings ? 
> If so, it looks a bit large for the size of the openings underneath it, hard to see from the photos, is it resting on any brickwork ? this may be an advantage as you may be able to open it up using the existing beam as support.
> I would suggest you have an Engineer look at this one and give you the right advice to achieve what you want.

   :What he said:   :2thumbsup:

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## rebuildr86

im confused, in the first pic you say you want to open up the area between the 2 red lines, then the second pic you want a door to the same area which has been opened up??
Explain? what am I misunderstanding?

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## rebuildr86

id just stop what your doing and live in it like that, personally that has the most character of any house ive ever seen!! I want it haha

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## tifflee

What's confusing? The second picture showing where I wanted a new doorway is outside of the area I wanted to 'open up' in the first picture? 
The 'semi' partition separating either side of the room I was going to redo as a full partition hence the need for the new doorway to access the other side. 
Not sure about character but it certainly has the most bodges I have ever seen.

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## rebuildr86

no i see now, you never had a pic of the green half-wall in th original post leaving me thinking there was a planned doorway between two completely open rooms haha. But i know no one is that dumb so i asked what i was misunderstanding. I assure you, it was quite confusing to read. When an idea is in your head, its very difficult to illustrate to others over the web.

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## tifflee

Yeah very true and even then the idea may only make sense it that persons head... 
Ive still not actually progressed much with it, ive had a few people suggest i just demolish the house and subdivide the plot!

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## rebuildr86

Nahh go on, give it a try. 
Wear a hard hat, hire some posts and support the ceiling inside the kitchen area on a timber beam perpendicular to the roof joists, just next to the doorframe. 
Drill 2 big ass holes from the extension side of the wall through to the kitchen side once course of bricks above the planned doorframe height . This is where the lintel will live. 
In the kitchen side draw a line connecting those two wholes this is your cut line. Drill a hole in the mortar where the lintel will be under each of the bricks.
Then on the kitchen side grind open a space for support jacks like these to be inserted under the bricks. Wall Support Hire | Rent Strong Boy Wall Supports | Coates Hire
Before inserting the supports grind a clean line across the plaster so that when you remove bricks there will be no plastering required. (clean edges are always easier)
Cut it and then cut the vertical lines as well.
Load the posts with the weight of the wall and roof.
Then from the other side (in the dodgy extension area) do the actual cut do the horizontal first being careful not to hit the post supports, and then the vertical cuts.
Remove the top row of bricks gently with a small jack-hammer and a chisel bit and grind in the lintel channels to the side.
Get some right angle lintel from your local steel supplier and prepare to move on to the lintel installation.
Hammer in the lintel with the vertical face in the extension area. This will be covered by whatever you use to cover the brickwall.
Install teh doorframe and brick one course on top of the frame and tuckpoint the join between those and the lintel.
DONE

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## usedbydate

another comment of Loadbearing, what is the load bearing component  , the steel support over , the vertical supporting brickwork, and another area is the support for the brickwork   what is the supporting structure   a concrete floor  how thick,  is it reinforced,  whats the foundation material under rock  san  mud??? its not just simply removing  something   look at the whole picture    then decide what is what and what can be change,   in NSW you would require formal written  approval from the Council  or a building certifier to do structural works and internal alterations , no comment on WA laws

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