In general, such a job involves temporarily supporting the ceiling,
removing the wall in question, and installing a suitable header and
support for the ends of that header. For your specific case, I don't
think anyone can give you definitive answers without looking at the
house. The actual destruction and construction (hopefully in that
order) are not necessarily more than a non-beginner can handle. But
to evaluate the situation, and spec out the solution, I think you
want someone experienced and trusted to give you some answers. I bet
that if you call a contractor, he would feel comfortable evaluating
and doing the job based on his experience and "standard" building
practices in your area. I doubt he would call in a structural
engineer unless the authorities require it. But the key here is
finding someone whose judgement you trust. I have seen contractors
who just fire up the old sawzall without giving a second
thought. You don't want one of those guys. I think step one is to
find someone you trust to evaluate the job. Maybe a structural
engineer, but not necessarily. Then you can make your decisions from there.
-Steve Trovato
strovato@optonline.net
At 06:12 PM 12/21/2008, Jim Stone wrote:
>My wife would like to enlarge the doorway between our dining room and kitchen.
>Unfortunately, the wall in question is load bearing. The wall runs
>perpendicular to the floor joists in the attic and runs the length of the
>house.
>
>The house was built in 1907, if that matters. I wouldn't be removing the wall
>completely; the ceilings are 9 feet high and the current door opening is 7' by
>about 32"; she'd like to enlarge it to about 9' to match one on the other
>wall, so there would be 2' off wall above the opening. For what its worth,
>there is currently a 9' opening in the same wall between the adjacent living
>room and the rest of the house.
>
>So, does this sound like something that requires a structural engineer and
>needs to be done by a professional, or could I do it myself? I would
>certainly never remove a load bearing wall myself (did that by mistake with a
>friend and know the consequences), but the wall would stay; the door way would
>just be a whole lot wider.
>
>Thanks.
>
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