Structural Wall?

[Cash]

Limey Lurker,

Yep, and I'm also "initiated". Have a look at a good text book and you will see for example if you have a 8" x 2" floor joists and you want to insert a 'hole' to accommodate a stairway you will find that you will need to cut some of the aforesaid floor joists for that and you will have to support those 'cut' ends.

So, what you then do to support that is to introduce an 8" x 3" joist (the trimmer) between the 'uncut joists on either side of the opening either by A) using a tusk tenon or B) using a joist hanger and then support the ends of the previously cut 8" x 2" joists (the trimmed joists) using either methods A or B to the trimmer.

And in the context of the OP, if that no-load bearing brick wall *was* resting on top of a trimmer joist, then that will more than carry the weight - as will the standard joists

Bloody hell, now it's time for a cuppa! :-)

Cash

[dennis]

Who's?

I have also taken down internal walls, without supervision, but I could tell the difference between the load bearing and none load bearing walls.

I agree with some of that, but there are also idiots that don't seek advice.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Perhaps you don't realise what you've written. It's at the top of this post.

Just by looking at it?

That's certainly true.

[Ian White]

Thanks - that would have been my guess, but it's better to see it spelled out by a professional.

[dennis]

Oh I know what I wrote. Its quoted above. You may notice that it says "they" and doesn't specify an individual.

In that case yes.

[Man at B&Q]

A buttress is load bearing.

Isn't it more that common usage has come to interpret "load bearing" as supporting something above rather than supporting something to the side?

MBQ

[Man at B&Q]

All of the upstairs walls in our 1973 house are brick or block construction, regardless of what is above or below them, or alignment in relation to the joists. Some are obviously more "load bearing" than others. Some are just built up off a large piece of timber running across the floorboards, to which the skirting is nailed. It makes for very good sound insulation and it's always easy to get a good fixing for hanging pictures, etc.

MBQ

[Hugo Nebula]

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:18:09 GMT, a certain chimpanzee, "The Medway Handyman" randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

You're not from Liverpool by any chance are you? I've not heard anyone from outside Merseyside use Fazakerley (or any approximation) as a substitute for 'exactly'.

[The Natural Philosopher]

it may be common usage, but it aint correct.

Load bearing means bearing loads from other parts of the structure than itself.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

But can be taken to imply it. Allegedly. Given you appear to have some restrictions as to what a handyman can be allowed to do.

You must have X-ray vision, then. As well as the ability to do lightening calculations. My structural engineer did a full inspection and worked out the loadings.

[The Natural Philosopher]

I remember once a consultant engineer being called in to go through a noise problem on a circuit I was working on. he appeared one day and I said 'who are you?' ' I've come to investigate the noise problem on the tuner' 'Oh, its in the tuner head - the bit I didn't design' 'Thanks but I'll be the judge of that'.

Two weeks later he reappeared and said 'yes it was in the tuner, I calculated all the noise figures and it is nowhere else'

'Two weeks?' I said, removed the tuner, stuck a 50 ohm load in and a sig generator ' Look, No noise If you had waited half an hour I could have shown you that the first time'. . Sometimes consultancy is a very slow way to understand things.

Prat.

[The Medway Handyman]

Thankfully I am pretty much as far away as possible. Born in east London. Google reveals there is a Fazakerley High School in Liverpool, so I spose thats where it comes from.

I'd pronounce it 'Fer' rather than Far. No idea where I've picked it up from.

[The Medway Handyman]

I wondered if Dennis was having a pop, but he is rambling more than usual & I couldn't be arsed to work it out.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Obviously you had an employer who didn't trust your judgement.

In my case I employed the structural engineer who I did trust. And had no reason to change that trust afterwards.

[ARWadsworth]

It also has a prison.

Adam

[dennis]

There are restrictions on what a handyman can do.

Maybe he needed to in your case?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I doubt there's any official definition of a handyman anymore than a builder. And I'm sure they vary in capabilities equally.

In terms of this group it's advisable to take professional advice in major works such as those. Not everyone has your obvious panoramic knowledge of building design. And I've seen a lot of properties fall down where some clown decides a wall ain't loadbearing...

>

[Hugo Nebula]

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:07:50 -0700 (PDT), a certain chimpanzee, "Man at B&Q" randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

In the sense that load = a force acting on an object, then yes, a buttress is load bearing. However, I did want to point out that a structural member does more than react to gravitational forces.

[Hugo Nebula]

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:46:53 GMT, a certain chimpanzee, "The Medway Handyman" randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

It's a district of North Liverpool.

[Hugo Nebula]

On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:19:19 GMT, a certain chimpanzee, "ARWadsworth" randomly hit the keyboard and produced:

And a large Council estate (which is pretty much the same thing).