Removing non bearing wall - procedure?

[n3jc]

Hi, I have a question, I hope you help me.

The brick wall in attached file is 15 cm wide and it is non-bearing. We have this wall in ground floor and in floor aboove it. Lets say we want to completely remove that wall in the ground floor. But this wall support self weight of the wall above him (so it is a bearing wall after all in that sense).
In my opinion the easiest way to do that is to remove the wall on the upper floor first and then do the same in the ground floor. After that we can make a concrete/wood beam and a new light non bearing wall on it. But what if we don’t want to remove the wall in the upper floor? How to do that? Whats the process/procedure?
See attached file.

Tnx for answers.

 

[jayrod12]

Does the wall pass through the floor system or does the floor system interrupt the two walls.

 

[msquared48]

You could also shore the upper brick wall and floor structure to either side of the lower brick wall, remove the lower wall, and install a supporting beam for the upper wall.

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)

 

[n3jc]

@jayrod12 - Wall pass through the floor system (floor is made of wood beams parallel to the non-bearing wall so I suspect there is no wood beam between).

@msquared48 - How? can you elaborate? attach a sketch?

 

[jayrod12]

I believe your answer rendered Mike's suggestion obsolete.

You could install needle beams through the second floor brick wall to shore it up, then remove the lower wall and install a new support beam.

But that seems like a lot of unnecessary work. You are probably better off to remove it entirely and rebuild as required with a lightweight wall.

Are you sure the wall isn't providing lateral support to the building?

 

[n3jc]

No, Im not - its an old building. Wall is only 15 cm wide at most... It goes through both stories but sill... I dont think its providing much stiffness. Removing it completely may be a problem with horizontal forces (earthquake)... I think it would be better to remove only a part of it...

 

[jayrod12]

Well then you better figure out if you can remove any of it. Have the analysis done, and determine what, if any, portion of wall can be removed successfully.

Until that analysis has been completed, there's not much point in determining the removal process.

 

[msquared48]

jayrod. I was thinking needle beams too, all going to the shoring.

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)

 

[jayrod12]

I figured you may have been. It depended on the construction details, which require proper description of the problem.

all in all, the feasibility of removal needs to be determined first, before they consider how.

 

[msquared48]

Yup...

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)