load bearing wall

[rhys allan]

I wish to remove and relocate a L.B wall that supports the hips of the roof. currently the roof is supported off a stud wall down onto five piers.
These piers have sunk slightly and I want to take the load off these piers and to apply the load onto a 100mm concrete slab supported by double brick foundations. The slab is a newer part of a reno under taken when the house was extended some time ago. This slab is right next to the wall, Meaning the new supports will only be 150mm approx away from the old wall, but all load will now be onto the slab.

I was hoping to use a 200mm Universal Beam or similar supported at each end by 100mm SHS or similar legs, Fit the new beam and remove the old wall is this going to be o.k . The beam length is about 7.6 mtrs across the width of the house. Doing this will allow me open up the rear of the house, allowing better use of the the floor space.

cheers Rhys

[ex-chippie]

Hi Rhys,

You need to engage an architect/draftsperson at the least, and no, your guess for a 200ub is not adequate over a 7600 span (for a tiled roof).
When load bearing walls are to be removed, the last thing anybody should be doing is guessing what might be ok, thats how people get hurt!!!!!

Regards, Jason.

[Gingermick]

Forget the architect, you need an engineer. And drafties wont be able to sign off to certify that your wall will be safe.
7600 is a fair span. a rather fair span

[Dirty Doogie]

UM Yeah - I just checked some tables - You're gonna need a compound flange beam - or a 450 mm deep taper flange beam to span 7600 - and if your are going to put any doors or sliding panels under it then you'll have to go for something stiffer. And you'll have to do some fancy footings for your suppoprting posts also.

Sounds like a big job.

[Dirty Doogie]

You may also have a problem with your ceiling joists as they may rest on the top plate of the wall you are removing.

[rhys allan]

Hi Rhys,

You need to engage an architect/draftsperson at the least, and no, your guess for a 200ub is not adequate over a 7600 span (for a tiled roof).
When load bearing walls are to be removed, the last thing anybody should be doing is guessing what might be ok, thats how people get hurt!!!!!

Regards, Jason.

I was mearly getting advice, if i was to be guessing i would be ripping into it. A neighbour did a similar reno but as mine is more compilcated i wanted more info, as this is a forum for the people that are'nt quite up to play, we rely on people with the right know how. I now know which way to approach and who to approach about whether it is worth my while doing such reno's. Thanks for your concern about getting hurt.

[Batpig]

Dear Rhys,

Gingermick is spot on about going to a Structural Engineer because that's all an Architect or a Draftsman are going to do anyway. In defense of ex-chippie, there is a lot to consider - not just deflection and strength, but also "slenderness and lateral buckling". Reference to these latter considerations may only appear as easily-overlooked notations at the bottom of any published span tables, but they are very important nonetheless. Also,the thing has to be buildable, as in have enough room across the flanges for the installation of nailing plates, bolts, etc. But don't get me wrong - you're probably just trying to get a feel for the detailing and connectability of everything, and rough sizes are very handy for that.

Look, just a thought... That's going to be a big beam, no matter what. Even if a 200 did the job, I think that 7.6m might still be longer than what the steel guys will send out on the normal truck (correct me if I'm wrong Lads), and it's also going to weigh probably about 200kg... So it's not exactly a "Saturday Arvo Carton with the Mates" sort of job. Now if you got a Builder to do it instead, he'd have his own Engineer that he would usually work with, and this would have the extra advantage that his particular Engineer would most likely have a good working knowledge of House-type Engineering (which is a tricky-little specialty all of it's own!)

The sort of Builder that you need is one that specialises in House Lifting and Restumping. But if you do go directly to an Engineer yourself, the small (or even better still, the One-Man shows) are your best chance for getting the specialised House-Framing experience and Certificate that you need at the right price.

Last word: Have a think about any other steelwork that you might also need to have designed so that you don't end up having to get them out more than once...

Best Wishes,
Batpig.