# Forum Home Renovation Demolition  Is it load bearing?

## andyperth

This has probably been answered before but with the number of brick/ concrete slab unit blocks in perth im sure it will be a popular thread. I own a two bdr unit in Perth and I am keen to work out if an internal wall is load bearing.  
My unit is a mid 80s ground floor with one unit above. the perimeter walls are 'double brick' and the material between my unit and the above unit is a solid concrete slab. The wall in question is an L shaped 'single brick' wall separating the lounge and bathroom. one side of the L has a door the other side does not.  
I have included a photo to try and help describe the goal. If i move the door from the left wall to the right wall I can bring the bench out closer to the corner of the wall and increase the kitchen space. I have done many different labor intensive jobs over the years and Will have no problem doing this job I just don't want to bring the building down in the process. My best guess is that this wall is not load bearing as the concrete slab rests on all four double brick perimeter walls. The bulk of the wall will remain and the steel door frame will be 400mm from the ceiling.  
Obviously I will get all required approval and engineer cert first. I am in the process of getting the building plans to check out what is structural. Basically I just want advice and any knowledge from people who have done similar things so when I proceed I have a clearer understanding of what is involved. Thanks

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## cherub65

No one here could answer this correctly, without inspection by some one qualified you would only be guessing. A lot of internal walls are load bearing as this reduced the amount of steel and concrete.
And is also a main reason for duplicating floor plans from one level to the next

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## Bedford

:What he said:  but also you'll probably need Body Corporate/Owners Corporation approval before you can do anything.

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## barney118

> but also you'll probably need Body Corporate/Owners Corporation approval before you can do anything.

   :What he said:  you will most likely have issues with body corporate.

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## davidajelliott

Just my 2 cents , The Body Corp where I live seem only to be interested if i try to change the outward appearance of the town house other than that it doesn't seem to matter; like i said just my two cents

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## andyperth

I am the only person who has issues when it comes to strata meetings haha. everyone else just says do what you want. cherub65 I see what you are saying and the units are duplicated. I thought this was just a lazy designer or a money saving technique having one design for 14 units. Is there any trick to tell if a wall is load bearing or will it be a case of reading the blueprints. If I hire a builder to do the job how will they know if it is load bearing?  
I am aware of all the legal requirements. I have strata permission as long as i have council consent. I don't want to pay for the application until I am sure it will not be rejected. I would rather not pay for a builder if I don't have to and im not going to waste a builders time asking for a free quote with no intention of hiring him.  
Rephrase the original question: Assuming the wall is load bearing can I add a door. how do I go about this. are there any tips or tricks. Thanks for the reply's so far. I will do a wright up on the process i use and a photo journal to help others understand the process in the future

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## cherub65

It is a way of saving money but like timber concrete will span certain distances depending on depth , amount of steel and strength. Internal walls can be used to support the load thus reducing cost.
A meeting with a structural engineer will give you the answer not a builder

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## Bloss

They will try to look at the plans held at council - which should show what's what - you could do that to start with to give you an idea.

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