Would it be ok to remove bricks from my sleeper walls so I can get from one side of my house to the other ? This would make cable laying and pipe insulation much easier than pulling up floor boards in different parts of the room.
I don't want to risk affecting structural integrity just a big enough gap to crawl into the next "run" fro want of a better description
Freefall
Should be possible. In order to get a big enough gap to crawl through, though, you're likely to leave at least one floor joist unsupported if you just remove the wall - so you may have to use a lintel, which would reduce the headroom by 150mm or so. How high are the walls?
=============================== There should be gaps (missing bricks) there already to provide a ventilation cross-flow. With care you can use these existing gaps to feed both pipework and cables. The joists which are supported by the sleeper walls are at 14" centres approximately so unless you're very thin you probably won't be able to open up any gaps without damaging the support for the joists. I had to rebuild parts of my sleeper walls a few years ago when I fitted new floors. They had been damaged over the years by various plumbers and electricians who left the floors very creaky in places.
Cic.
In one house I lived in that had the sleeper walls you describe I smashed some of the wall down to allow access and rebuilt two new small joist supports both sides of the hole so there was still access. Basically just a couple of brick pillars for the now unsupported joist.
Adam
Another option is to remove enough wall to get through then support the now unsupported joist by using noggins to both its neighbours.
NT
Another option is to remove enough wall to get through then support the now unsupported joist by using noggins to both its neighbours.
NT
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