When deciding on the redevelopment of the room, there are restrictions on the production of some construction work with loaded structures in order to avoid causing irreparable damage to the structure. A structural element of a building that perceives and transmits pressure from floors located above or below is called load-bearing or under load. The integrity of the supporting element is critical to the entire facility. Work is carried out with the permission of the supervisory authorities and subject to the approval of the project.
Reconstruction, as defined by the housing code, is possible only if there is an approved construction project.
What is a load-bearing wall in a room: purpose
Such a wall is understood as a vertical element of the structure, which provides protection of the internal space from climatic conditions, provides thermal insulation, sound insulation, and transfers the pressure of the overlying floors to the foundation.
How to determine yourself
If there is construction documentation, then, with the ability to read it, there are no difficulties, partitions are highlighted in the project documentation. Information is also available in the technical passport of the owners of privatized premises, if there is building knowledge, this is enough.
In the absence of project documentation, it is still possible to determine whether the wall is loaded, guided by the following tips:
- Typically, these are considered external or external structures.
- Separating adjacent apartments should also be considered under pressure.
- Parts of the room, on which the ends of the floor slabs lie, are considered loaded.
- Dividing partitions common to the apartment and flight of stairs.
It is necessary to highlight the moments in the presence of which it is easy to understand whether a part of the building is under pressure for multi-storey buildings with different architectural solutions.
What walls in panel houses are load-bearing
A series of typical panel houses were built according to standard standard designs for the whole country. The technical passport, held by the owner, provides information regarding the series of the house. Knowledge of the building series and the Internet will make it easy to find schemes on the websites of the customer or developer. Here are the dimensions of all parts of this series of multi-apartment residential buildings. To understand which partitions (except for their own weight) carry the weight of other components of the structure, this information is enough.
If there is no project documentation, as well as information on the Internet, it can be taken as an axiom that walls with a thickness of one hundred and twenty millimeters are loaded. The thickness should be measured without plaster and finish layers. In case of damage or demolition of a part of the premises of an apartment building, the destruction of the structure is possible. Redevelopment in an apartment building without the permission of the architect of the city and municipal authorities is not allowed.
Define in a brick house
In a brick room, all external walls take the weight of the upper floors, as well as partitions between adjacent apartments and dividing an apartment with a flight of stairs.
Walls more than or equal to thirty-eight centimeters thick support floors in a brick apartment building.
The outer walls of a brick house are needed for the construction of floors, they experience the load of the floors of the building located on top.
In "Khrushchev" and "Stalinka" the longitudinal walls are intended for mounting floor slabs on them, the transverse ones are partitions.
How to understand where the load-bearing wall is in a monolithic house
The most difficult thing to understand is whether a part of the house is under load, in buildings made of cast concrete. Various architectural solutions are used here, and not always even external structures made of monolithic concrete perform the functions of loaded ones. In such structures under load there may be columns and pylons.
To avoid a mistake, in monolithic concrete houses, a wall thicker than or equal to two hundred millimeters should be considered under load.
To avoid mistakes, before redevelopment in a monolithic building, you must familiarize yourself with the project documentation. Project documentation can be requested from the management company.
In frame structures having a structure of metal structures, the weight of the overlying floors is perceived and transmitted by metal structures, and the walls of the blocks can be thicker than two hundred millimeters.
How to distinguish the walls of the partition from the carrier in your apartment: tips
- In brick houses, partitions from three hundred and eighty millimeters thick are considered elements that determine the integrity of the object.
- In buildings made of panels, where the walls are one hundred and forty millimeters or more thick, they are loaded elements.
- In rooms made of monolithic concrete, two hundred or more millimeters of thickness means the recognition of a pressure-receiving structure.
- If the ends of the floor slabs lie on the wall, it belongs to the load-bearing structures.
- The partition between adjacent apartments belongs to the loaded part.
- Being common to the flight of stairs and the apartment also transmits pressure from above.
To start changing the layout of the apartment, you need to determine which structural parts of the room will undergo deformation or transfer. Then, with the help of specialists, decide whether structures important for the safety of the structure will be affected.
This is most relevant in prefabricated houses, where the demolition of one part of the house can lead to irreversible, sometimes tragic consequences. Prior to the start of the reconstruction, preliminary coordination with the municipal authorities, departments of architecture is required. It should be understood that an unauthorized change in the layout in a multi-storey residential building will lead to consequences in the form of:
- refusal to register changes;
- the impossibility to subsequently make any transaction with an apartment subjected to redevelopment, even if elements of a multi-storey building that are critical for the integrity are not affected.
In any case, redevelopment will have to be drawn up in the relevant authorities. In the process of reconstruction, it may be necessary to transfer communications, so it is better to immediately contact the specialists before carrying out construction and installation work. Unauthorized redevelopment with the removal of a structure that transfers the load from top to bottom will be impossible or very difficult.
Useful video
A load-bearing wall is a wall on which elements located on the upper floors of an apartment building rest. It takes on the load of beams, slabs, ordinary partitions and balconies, keeping the integrity of the entire structure from the roof to the foundation.
If the redevelopment is carried out incorrectly, the load-bearing wall is demolished or damaged, then this will be fraught with big problems - from cracks in the structure to its collapse.
AiF.ru tells how to determine that the wall is load-bearing.
There are several ways to find out the technical characteristics of the walls:
How to carry out a safe redesign?
Safe redevelopment of an apartment or house can only be carried out by professionals. Regardless of the scale of the reconstruction, it is necessary to invite specialists from the BTI and Moszhilisnpektsiya, who, after an engineering survey, will issue you an official permit for redevelopment, indicating all the walls that can or cannot be demolished.
What punishment awaits a person for unauthorized redevelopment?
Any changes that are made to the housing layout in relation to the original BTI plan must be agreed with the Moscow Housing Inspectorate. This is required by the housing legislation of the Russian Federation and Moscow.
In the absence of permits, redevelopment is considered unauthorized, and therefore illegal. In this case, according to Art. 7.21 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, you will be fined for illegal redevelopment in the amount of 2 to 2.5 thousand rubles. For legal entities, it is much larger - from 350 thousand to 1 million rubles.
In addition to a fine, for illegal redevelopment of an apartment, the violator is issued an order, according to which the violator will be obliged either to legalize the redevelopment, or to return the state of the apartment to its original state.
The thickness of the wall must be measured in its “pure form”, that is, the thickness of the pasted wallpaper and plaster should not be taken into account. Sometimes, in order to make a measurement, you need to drill a through hole in the wall.
Those who decide to do construction or redevelopment in an already erected building should know what a load-bearing wall is and what threatens its destruction. The purpose of the load-bearing wall is the ability to take on loads from other parts of the building, ceilings and roofs. In order not to face the danger of destruction of the building, before starting work, you need to determine which walls are load-bearing and carry out all the planned activities without touching these structures.
What's the Difference
Walls are the main structural part of a building, but not all of them are able to withstand the load coming from floors and roofs. For this purpose, each building is equipped with load-bearing walls. To divide the space in the built house, partitions help, which can only withstand the load from their own weight. Such walls are called self-supporting. The purpose of each non-bearing wall is to act as a space delimiter, if necessary, simply allocate a separate room.
Simply put, load-bearing walls are structures on which something rests. In each building, load-bearing and non-bearing walls play an important role, but if the load-bearing is a reliable support, a high-quality frame of the building, then it is not a load-bearing partition, which, if desired, can be demolished during redevelopment without causing damage to the building. All walls are divided into load-bearing, self-supporting and non-bearing. Already by the name it becomes clear which of them are being built in order to take on the main load.
Such a partition can be built from:
- brick,
- aerated concrete.
As self-supporting walls in panel houses, I install monolithic slabs. Such non-load-bearing walls can be used to create an additional passage by cutting openings into them and installing doors.
To correctly recognize which walls are load-bearing means to successfully carry out redevelopment without violating building codes and rules, without risking creating a situation, the end result of which will be the destruction of the building. , means to change the distribution of the load, and this will lead to a skew of the building, collapse of the ceiling and cracking of the remaining capital structures.
They provide security not only for the apartment in which repairs are underway or redevelopment is planned. The safety of dwellings located on the lower floors depends on their quality and integrity. The main difference between load-bearing structures and self-supporting structures is. Knowing the differences is not enough, you need to be able to correctly determine which wall is load-bearing.
It is necessary to know exactly which walls can be demolished during redevelopment, and which should remain intact, at what thickness it is permissible to make an opening in the wall, and when it is too dangerous to perform such work.
There are certain requirements that I impose on load-bearing walls:
- Strength and stability.
- Compliance with all fire safety standards.
- High level of heat, hydro, sound insulation.
Another feature of the load-bearing wall, thanks to which such structures differ, is the uniform distribution of the horizontal load exerted by the floor slabs. An important criterion for strength, reliability and stability is the thickness of the bearing wall. This value is set for brick, solid and panel interior walls.
Strict adherence to established standards makes it easier to determine the load-bearing wall in any building or room.
Definition
Having learned what a load-bearing wall is, you can understand how important the construction of this structure is in strict accordance with all existing norms and rules. Such walls are a natural continuation of the building itself, the beginning of which is the foundation. To avoid great difficulties and troubles in the process of redevelopment, you need to know how to determine the load-bearing wall in the apartment. In most cases, it is enough to carefully study the technical documentation and determine the location of the load-bearing walls on the building plan. However, it happens that there is no plan and you have to independently establish the quality and purpose of the erected structures.
The peculiarity of the construction of panel buildings is that in a monolithic house, reinforced concrete panels are used as a supporting structure. Their thickness is from 100 to 200 mm. The role of interior partitions are structures made of gypsum concrete panels, and their thickness does not exceed 80-100 mm. Thus, by measuring the thickness of the wall, it is possible to recognize the load-bearing wall, which is strictly forbidden to be demolished in such a building. Failure to comply with the established rules will lead to inevitable deflection and collapse of the floor.
One of the most important indicators is the thickness of the bearing walls in brick houses. To distinguish a load-bearing wall, you need to know its thickness, but it is better to have a building plan on which all load-bearing structures are marked. Self-supporting walls in an apartment, as a rule, are much thinner than capital structures. The thickness of the walls that take the load from their own weight varies from 5 cm to 400 mm. Such a partition can be built of drywall, but more often it is a wall built of brick (half-brick masonry).
An experienced craftsman will tell you how to find out whether it is a load-bearing wall or not in a brick house, but the size of the structure will also help to understand this. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that the thickness of the brick wall is a multiple of this brick parameter, plus the thickness of the adhesive layer and finishing material. Thus, it is possible to find out which wall is in front of the builders. The thickness of the partition does not exceed 380 mm, and for a load-bearing wall, this size is minimal. The greatest thickness of the bearing wall in a brick house reaches 640 mm. The peculiarity of this structure is that it is possible to make an opening in such walls. This is justified by the ability to provide additional reinforcement to maintain a uniform distribution of the horizontal load.
To distinguish which walls can be demolished and which are strictly prohibited, their parameters will help:
- from 80 to 380 mm - an interior partition that can be demolished if necessary;
- from 380 to 510 mm - an internal load-bearing wall to be demolished, subject to high-quality strengthening;
- from 510 to 640 mm - external load-bearing wall.
Brick houses were built according to a constructive plan, the distinguishing feature of which is the presence of 3 longitudinal load-bearing walls (green on the plan) and transverse walls, called stiffening diaphragms (highlighted in blue).
The owners of apartments whose windows overlooked the front side of the house had the opportunity to build an extension or even make an additional window. You can get more detailed answers to all existing questions by watching the video.
When starting to carry out work on the redevelopment of housing, you need to carefully study the plan of the apartment, which indicates the dimensions and purpose of the walls, if there is no opportunity to familiarize yourself with the documentation, then you should not make responsible decisions without measuring the thickness of the walls.
If you have a need for redevelopment repairs, then you need to know where the load-bearing or non-load-bearing walls are in your apartment and which ones can be affected.
It is rather difficult to determine the location of the walls for a non-specialist by the method of assessing according to the BTI plan, visual assumption, tapping, measuring their thickness. It is possible to guess more precisely, but it is impossible to get an exact answer.
1. BTI documents
Basically, there is an opinion that everything you need about an apartment can be seen from the BTI documents. These documents are for apartments of two types
1. Floor plan + explication
2. BTI technical passport
So, the floor plan, in principle, is not suitable for analyzing the structures of an apartment. It's just a drawing of your apartment and that's it.
But the BTI Technical Passport may be somewhat more useful, but only useful if you are interested in the area of \u200b\u200bthe premises.
In addition, you can find out in it what material the building was built from, in what year and other technical details, but regarding the type of walls, you will not find answers in this document.
2. Tapping
Also, the method is very ambiguous. For example, in panel houses there are non-bearing partitions made of concrete ( that is, the walls are "very strong"), and they also have fittings.
3. Thickness measurement
The wall in the apartment is never "bare". Usually there is some layer of plaster on the wall. One centimeter is a standard case, but sometimes more. Therefore, by measuring its thickness, you can make a mistake by 2-4 cm and assume that the wall is load-bearing, but in fact it may not be load-bearing. Therefore, it is necessary to measure the thickness of the wall "in pure" form, without plaster layers.
The only "more or less" adequate way to determine the structure of the wall is to open it.
That is, a hole is made in the wall, the thickness of the wall is measured without plaster layers, and immediately there is an understanding of what the wall consists of.
We will also comment on why according to the BTI plan it is difficult to determine where the load-bearing and where is the non-bearing wall and give a few examples.
Try to determine from them where the bearing and where the non-bearing walls. At the very end of the article, these walls will be described in the attached pictures.
Only typical series are presented here, according to which "more or less" with some probability something can be understood and assumed.
For old houses or houses of individual series, the situation is much more confusing, even a redevelopment specialist who has worked for many years there cannot always unambiguously determine the type of structures even from experience. You can "estimate" the probability, but definitely say no.
So, below are BTI plans for typical houses, try to determine where are the bearing and where are the non-bearing walls:
You can see scanned apartment plans in prefabricated houses, on some of them the load-bearing walls are marked with wider lines, on the other, all the walls are shown with the same thickness, which may give a wrong idea of their purpose. The wall between the living room and the kitchen in prefabricated houses, as a rule, is a carrier, while on the plans of the BTI it will not be possible to clearly understand this.
The fact is that BTI engineers only measure the premises, that is, their area, and the thickness, purpose and material of the interior walls are not of interest to them.
(And to reflect on a scale of 1:200 a load-bearing wall 14 cm or 16 cm thick, from a non-bearing partition 12 cm thick, is not even technically possible)
It may be enough for a specialist to know which apartment series is in front of him in order to understand the purpose of the wall, but for non-specialists, for certainty, you need to refer to the developer’s plan, on which bearing walls are marked with hatching or axes, and non-bearing partitions are indicated by thinner lines.
Sometimes you can also meet the technical passport of the apartment from the developer, where all the designs are described, but this is a rarity.
Since redevelopment will require the development of a redevelopment project, you can redirect your question to specialists who will figure out in which wall openings can be arranged.
We often encounter situations when an owner comes to us with, for example, an opening already made in a load-bearing wall. Moreover, the builders who "did it a hundred times" they assured him that the wall is not load-bearing and can be completely demolished, but they just do "smaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" and the wall turns out to be a carrier and we start working with an already rather complex object in which the opening is not an acceptable size, not in an acceptable location and not yet properly reinforced or without reinforcement at all.
Our company has been coordinating redevelopments in apartments and non-residential premises for ten years now, and therefore we can easily determine whether the wall is load-bearing.
Call us, we will be happy to advise you on your object.
Answers for the location of load-bearing walls and non-bearing partitions in the pictures below:
Capital repairs, reconstruction and modernization of the building or only part of it require clarification of certain information. In order not to violate the integral structure and safety of a residential building, it is important to find out which walls in the apartment are load-bearing. This can be done in several ways at once. The information received should not be ignored, since it allows you to competently plan work, as well as ensure the safety of all residents of an apartment building after all the planned work has been completed.
To define such a thing as a load-bearing wall in a two-room apartment (as well as other rooms), you can look into a special floor plan of the room. It is here that it will be indicated which wall in the room is the carrier. It is she who will have to take on all the weight, the load of all floor slabs, beams, structures that are located above.
For each housing, even before its construction, a detailed plan of the apartment is drawn up - the load-bearing walls are immediately visible here. Do not ignore the fact of their presence and make a decision on the modernization or reconstruction of this design.
How to find out which wall in the apartment is load-bearing?
If for some reason it was not possible to find a floor plan of the premises, then obvious signs can also be used to determine. There are several. You can find out which walls in the apartment are load-bearing by the thickness of the material used, the support of beams and floor slabs, as well as by the location of the structure.
Thickness
It is the load-bearing wall in a one-room apartment (as well as in other rooms) that is thicker than the rest. This is done so that the load-bearing wall in a three-room apartment, another housing, an office can withstand the serious loads that fall on it from all the structural elements of the building that are located above. How to determine load-bearing walls in a panel house or a brick, block structure? To do this, it is enough to measure the thickness of each overlap. Bearing wall in a four-room apartment or any other room:
- Brick - from 38 cm. This is far from the limit, the thickness of the brick floor can be more, but not less than the specified value.
- Reinforced concrete panels - 14–20 cm. This is enough to withstand the huge load of all the structures above.
- How to determine the load-bearing wall in an apartment in a monolithic house? Here, any structure whose thickness exceeds 20–30 cm will be considered the main one.
Location
How to find out if the wall in the apartment is load-bearing? To do this, pay attention to its position. Surface of interest to us:
- External - they are all self-supporting.
- Overlapping between two adjacent living quarters.
- Overlapping, which goes to the landing.
How to determine the bearing walls in a brick house? It is enough to use the proposed one, accept the fact that there can be several main overlaps.
Supporting beams and slabs
The plates rest on the walls with a short side. In other words, the load-bearing wall in a four-room apartment or in another room should be perpendicular to the beam or floor slabs.
To understand whether it is possible to demolish a load-bearing wall in an apartment, you should refer to the regulatory documentation. It strictly forbids touching such structures, so as not to damage the integrity of the structure, not to start deformation processes. Experienced builders know exactly how to demolish a load-bearing wall in an apartment and not provoke deformation of the entire building. Most often, they still will not do this, and they will work carefully with the rest of the partitions. Before any such action, it is necessary to obtain permission from the BTI.
Bearing wall in a two-room Khrushchev apartment
Bearing walls in Khrushchev in a two-room apartment can be found in several ways:
- The first option is to study all the technical plans, diagrams that are attached to the apartment.
- Second option. If there is no technical documentation, you can find out which walls in an apartment or office are load-bearing by external signs. Often they become an overlap between two different apartments. In other cases (in the vast majority), the rest can be demolished and the space opened up. However, in a two-room apartment, a common wall between different rooms can also be the main (inviolable), this is especially true for spacious rooms.
- How to find out which walls in the apartment are load-bearing, except for those that were indicated earlier? You can’t exactly touch those structures that separate the flight of stairs from the space of living rooms.
In Khrushchev, the layout of the room was carried out so that the outer wall - the one connected to the balcony, was not the main one. It can be demolished and the space combined with a loggia. Bearing walls in Khrushchev in a two-room apartment were also not installed in the bathrooms, even in separate ones. That is why, during redevelopment, such premises can be combined. The same is often carried out with the kitchen space adjacent to the sanitary unit.
A detailed plan of the apartment bearing walls allows you to find, but not always a document at hand. You can find out which walls in the apartments have become load-bearing in a proven way. Often it is not possible to measure the thickness of the partitions with a simple ruler. You can use a drill. If one standard drill is not enough to create a through hole, then we are talking about the main partition.
What walls can be demolished in the apartment?
To clarify whether it is possible to demolish the load-bearing wall in the apartment, it should be in a special regulatory authority. It is strictly forbidden to carry out such work without the knowledge of the controlling authority!
If, nevertheless, the walls were demolished, then this process should be legalized. Otherwise, you can earn a fine. Some cases exclude the possibility of demolition, and therefore the inspection authorities may require the restoration of the partition.
It is the regulatory authorities that should address the question: how to demolish a load-bearing wall in an apartment? In the vast majority of cases, such a procedure is strictly prohibited. In a panel house, as well as in Khrushchev, you can part with partitions between the kitchen and the bathroom, as well as between the bathroom and the toilet, but only after obtaining permission. Other structures are not allowed to be touched. It is important to understand what a load-bearing wall in an apartment means. This is a structure that does not involve its demolition.
If the wall has been partially dismantled (an arch or a small passage can be made connecting two apartments to each other, etc.), it is important to strengthen the structure. The plan of the apartment clearly defines the load-bearing walls, and therefore it will not be difficult to find one with a document.
How is a load-bearing wall indicated on an apartment plan?
The upcoming repair, reconstruction or even the purchase, sale of an apartment will require the use of technical documentation. The plan of the apartment created by the builders clearly indicates the load-bearing walls. Often on diagrams, load-bearing structures are marked with a bold, double or just a thick line, which will differ significantly from others.
Important! When figuring out how load-bearing walls are indicated on the apartment plan, it is important to contact a BTI specialist for clarification. Not always all the main partitions are indicated by thick lines. This most often applies to those that are located between two apartments or along the entire parameter of the room. Similar partitions may also be present inside it.
In an effort to find out how load-bearing walls are indicated on the apartment plan, you should contact the regulatory authorities. Some cases require calling a specialist at home to get the most accurate and complete answer.
How to find out which wall is chosen in the apartment as a carrier, you can use the following documents:
- BTI technical passport. It is this document that is more detailed, since it can carry clarifications regarding the main structures, as well as clarifications about the year of construction and the selected materials for such work. It also indicates not only which walls in the apartment are designated as carriers, but also the parameters of the room.
- Step by step plan. It is not always this document that is able to clarify the situation to the end. The presented drawing often does not have explanations, extracts, clarifications. The plan is simply presented here, and its accuracy will depend largely on the master who compiled it. How to determine the load-bearing wall in the apartment in this case? Use for clarification should be the information that will be provided above - measure the thickness, find out how the beams are supported, the location of the partition.
How to find out if the wall chosen for demolition in the apartment is definitely load-bearing? Invite a specialist from BTI if there is no plan. You can go to an appointment with him if you have a plan in hand.
Much simpler everything is presented by modern developers. The plan often shows which walls in the apartment are load-bearing. Often the document is presented in color. Here the design of interest to the owner is indicated in red. The developer himself is often ready to tell what a load-bearing wall in an apartment means, what function it performs. Some modern layouts are presented in a free style - without a single partition. The secret is that there are no internal load-bearing walls in the room, and therefore the reconstruction is easy to carry out.
Bearing wall in one-room apartments
How to find out which walls in the apartment are bearing, if the housing has only one room? The most simple configuration does not involve a large number of main partitions. Often a load-bearing wall in a one-room apartment is one that:
- Connects two different apartments - adjacent panel.
- Separates the living space from the stairs.
- Goes out into the street. If the room is angular, it may have two or more external walls, which will be load-bearing.
How to determine the load-bearing walls in a panel house? Often they are no different from those indicated in the block, brick structure.
Bearing wall in two-room apartments
The owners of multi-room housing are interested in how to find out if the load-bearing wall is in the apartment or not. It is important to answer this question, since owners often try to increase usable space in their own housing precisely by demolishing partitions. Serious redevelopment of living space will require clarification. How to find out where the load-bearing walls in a kopeck piece are in the apartment?
With such housing, not everything is as simple as with odnushki. The load-bearing wall in a two-room apartment is often not alone. She is:
- Connects different apartments - becomes an adjacent partition. How many neighboring separate living quarters, so many walls.
- It can delimit the space of the kitchen and other rooms.
- Often becomes an outer wall.
If the rooms inside the apartment are spacious, there may also be load-bearing walls between them, but often this is still not the case. That is why it is possible to re-plan the interior space of residential premises, to connect them with a corridor, but not with technical premises. An experienced master who undertakes redevelopment knows exactly how to determine the load-bearing walls in a brick house, monolith or block building.
Bearing wall in three-room apartments
If redevelopment is required in the process of work, a floor plan will be required. It is important to know how to determine the load-bearing wall in the apartment so as not to disturb the core of the entire building. Often a three-ruble note is a typical layout of rooms:
- One small one is located separately, and two spacious ones are not far from each other.
- The premises can be dispersed in different parts of the house.
- There are options that provide for complete isolation of rooms from each other.
- Bathrooms are located nearby, and not far from the kitchen area.
- There may be one or two balconies. Some Czech projects include a single large balcony for two rooms.
Since there are always a lot of rooms, the load-bearing wall in a three-room apartment is always not alone. This is necessarily the one that serves as an overlap between two apartments, a landing and goes out onto the street. Some types of layouts also provide for the main structures between the bathroom, kitchen, and bedrooms.
Bearing wall in four-room apartments
If redevelopment is to be done, it is important not to touch the main partition. How to find out where the load-bearing walls are located in the apartment? Use the plan, determine the thickness of the structures. In a panel house, it reaches 14–20 cm, in a brick house - from 38 cm, and in a monolithic house they may not be at all. In such rooms, the main panels may be inter-apartment, interior and those that connect the staircase and the living space.
Often, instead of walls in a monolithic house, pylons and columns are used, which can cope with a serious load.
It is also important for owners to take into account the years of construction of buildings. In Soviet times, all buildings were typical, and therefore, in the absence of a plan, you can look into the neighbor's. But since the beginning of the nineties, individual projects have been used to create residential complexes, and therefore it is impossible to do without measuring the thickness of the walls. It is important to clean them from a layer of plaster and other materials before such work.
How to find out if the walls in the apartment are load-bearing?
To do this, wizards can use various methods:
- Tapping - the sound of a thick ceiling is much quieter than a simple partition. However, the masters will not rely only on their own hearing.
- Drilling. How to determine load-bearing walls in a panel house, brick or monolithic without a plan? Just measure the thickness. The easiest option is to drill through the wall. A standard drill should be enough to go through a simple partition.
- Material - brick was often used for laying, reinforced concrete wall cinder block, wood, foam block is not used for such purposes, especially in high-rise buildings.
What does it mean: load-bearing walls in an apartment?
How to find out which walls in the apartment are load-bearing? Use the plan or above suggested options to determine. It is impossible to demolish the found central panels, because they:
They take on almost the entire load of the higher floors.
Responsible for the integrity of the building. Without such panels, any load can be fatal.
Ensure the safety of all living people. Without partitions to carry the load, even the strongest building can easily collapse like a house of cards.
An independent decision on the need to demolish a structure that takes on the load is unacceptable. There are no single parameters for determining inviolable panels - much will depend on the parameters of the material used, the height of the buildings, the year of its construction and the layout of the interior.
Is it possible to demolish a load-bearing wall in an apartment?
Having found technical documentation or otherwise determined the location of the load-bearing wall, the property owner will wonder if it is possible to demolish them. BTI categorically prohibits such work, and this applies not only to the main panels, but also to those that connect the living space to each other. It is strictly forbidden to touch the load-bearing walls.
You can remove the interfering wall, but only in some situations:
- If an equally strong supporting structure is installed that can replace the panel. This option is suitable for Khrushchev and brick houses, but not all. To make a final decision, you need to inspect and study the technical documentation.
- Only partially - to make a passage, an opening, an arch, but to strengthen the remaining elements and only after receiving the appropriate permission from the regulatory authorities.
- In a panel and monolithic house, you can’t touch the walls at all. In rare cases, the BTI allows removing partitions between the bathroom and the toilet.
If a person owns two adjacent apartments, he also cannot remove the partition between them. This will invariably weaken the ceiling. If a doorway is made here, it must be substantially reinforced with special structures.
Do not neglect the need for measurements. You should also not miss the opportunity to receive comments from BTI specialists. Only a professional can say exactly what object the owner is dealing with. After assessing the condition of the property, a ban on its reconstruction or recommendations for work will be given. They are documented.
Having learned which walls in the apartment are load-bearing, do not forget about elementary security. Even the fact that such a panel has been demolished at a neighbor does not give the right to clean it in his own apartment. The gradual removal of partitions increases the level of danger, and therefore it is dangerous to live in a house without load-bearing structures. It is not worth risking your own and other people's lives. For clarification and obtaining permits, you can always contact the BTI.