Many homeowners, planning a thorough renovation of an apartment, decide on redevelopment by arranging an opening in the load-bearing wall. Such a need may arise when you decide to increase the size of the bathroom, combine the kitchen with the living room, or turn the apartment into a studio. For residents of panel high-rise buildings, the construction of openings in load-bearing walls is not only a problem only in terms of attractive design. Redevelopment will require a competent technical approach, coordination with utilities, obtaining permits and compliance with hole punching technology. In this article, we will look at how to make and legalize an opening in a load-bearing wall.
A load-bearing wall is a wall that supports the slabs. The construction of a panel house assumes the presence of such blocks as vertical support for the slabs. Such dismantling without installing supporting mechanisms, the plates will crack from above, as a result of which cracks will go along the floor and walls of the apartment above you. If the problem is not eliminated in time, the building may collapse.
As you can see, the main walls are an extremely important element in the structure of the entire house. You can determine their location thanks to the housing plan, which is indicated in the data sheet. You can get acquainted with the scheme in the Bureau of Technical Inventory or in the ZhEK. On the apartment diagram, the main partitions will be highlighted with thick lines.
If you have not gained access to the necessary documents, you can try to determine such a wall yourself. Pay attention to the thickness - as a rule, the load-bearing slabs are wider. Almost all load-bearing blocks are located at the junction of apartments and at the junction of an apartment and a flight of stairs.
If you are not sure whether this wall is solid or ordinary, remember: expanding the opening in the load-bearing wall in any case will require a special permit, and the specialists from the Housing Inspection who will issue it will give an explanation on this issue.
Is the opening allowed
It is possible to make an opening in many cases. Often, apartment owners hear a refusal. There are several reasons for the decision:
- Obsolete supporting structures of the entire building. The fact is that every house has its own age, and if your age is over 20 years old, and major repairs have never been made, then making an opening in the load-bearing wall of the house is fraught with negative consequences.
- The door in the load-bearing wall on the floor above, below will make it impossible to redevelop your apartment. It is important to pay attention to the location of these holes - they should not be exactly one above the other.
- Another reason for the refusal is the number of storeys in the apartment. The maximum pressure is exerted on the apartments of the first and second floors, therefore the probability of obtaining permission to cut a hole is minimal here.
- Construction defects. In houses commissioned with violations of construction technology, there are discrepancies between panel seams, gaps between ceilings and blocks, and other defects. In such cases, you will receive either a categorical refusal, or requirements for additional reinforcement of the wall.
- House wall material. It is easier to obtain a hole punching permit in houses with brick walls than in panel or monolithic buildings.
Remember: before proceeding with the redevelopment, it is necessary to coordinate the opening in the load-bearing wall.
A number of documents and certificates will be required, but it is better to get them right away than to worry afterwards. If an uncoordinated redevelopment is detected, the housing inspection has every right to write you a fine of 3 thousand rubles. The fine is small, but apart from it, you will still be required to obtain permission. If, according to the results of the check, the cut-out doors in the load-bearing wall turn out to be faulty, you will be forced to lay a hole, as a result of which all your repair work will turn out to be meaningless.
An apartment with illegal changes cannot be sold officially.
Is it possible to demolish it entirely
The demolition of the capital partition is definitely not possible and not one specialist will give permission for this. Complete dismantling of the supporting structures is fraught with the collapse of the ceiling slabs.
What is required
To arrange an opening, you need:
- project documents. This item refers to the redevelopment plan made by the design engineer. To make a rework plan, you need to contact the design institute. An even better option would be to contact the design department of the same construction company that was engaged in the construction of the house. After the engineer has determined whether it is possible to rebuild the housing and in what form, he will draw up a final plan and issue a package of design documents (a resolution regarding the bearing capacity of walls and floors, a floor plan where places for demolition and construction of partitions will be marked, identification of structural elements, affecting the way of strengthening the opening);
- statement. The application is written in the housing inspectorate personally by you on a special form;
- documents confirming the ownership of the apartment. The types of such documents differ depending on the form of obtaining housing (privatization, by inheritance, by court decision, and so on). In any case, you must have a copy of the certificate of ownership of housing, certified by the BTI of the city;
- technical conclusion on the condition of the building and the possibility of arranging the opening (issued by the design institute);
- permission for redevelopment from apartment owners and owners of neighboring premises (in writing);
- an agreement with a contractor who has an SRO admission. Since the partial dismantling of the supporting structure refers to work that is not carried out by the tenants on their own, subsequently, in order to confirm the completion of the redevelopment, you will need to present an SRO permit, which your contractor must have. Without a permit, you will not receive an act of completion of construction, therefore it is better not to save on the contractor company.
As a result of obtaining all permits from the housing inspectorate, the owner is issued a Work Production Log, in which it is necessary to record all stages of the repair. Moreover, it is necessary to record the progress of work honestly and in detail, since deviations and inaccuracies in the journal are the reason for refusing to issue an act of completion of construction work to the owner.
As for the technology itself, it will depend on the type of opening - rectangular, arched. In any case, punching a hole is not recommended. It should be cut, which is done with a shockless tool - a diamond wheel. Cutting with such a tool can be carried out stationary and manually, depending on the material and volume of work. As a result of cutting, less dust is generated and the hole does not need additional processing.
When carrying out redevelopment, a new doorway in the load-bearing wall may be needed if:
- union of apartments;
- extension of the bathroom to the corridor leading to the kitchen - in this case, a new entrance through the living room is needed;
- combining a kitchen with a living room, etc.
However, the device of a new doorway not only allows the apartment to become more comfortable for living, and the non-residential premises - more functional, but also implies responsibility for the implementation of such redevelopment.
The legality of the device of the opening in the load-bearing wall
It is important to remember here that you cannot make an opening in the load-bearing walls without first agreeing on such a redevelopment ... Unauthorized damage to capital structures can lead to an accident, an accident, penalties and an order from government agencies to return the apartment to its original appearance, and at its own expense.
To agree on an opening in a load-bearing wall, two fundamental documents will be required:
- Technical conclusion (it must be ordered from the author of the project at home).
- Redevelopment project with a section on strengthening the doorway.
If the author of the project of the house is not known, it is necessary to apply for a technical conclusion at the State Unitary Enterprise MoszhilNIIproekt. This state organization was authorized by the Moscow Government to develop technical opinions for buildings built according to an individual project, which, for various reasons, have lost their legal force for various reasons.
Most often these are apartment buildings built before the 50s, whose authors cannot be identified today. Or modern monolithic houses, built according to a one-time project, the developer of which has ceased to exist.
By the way, we assist in obtaining a technical opinion from the author of the project at home, since we have many years of successful experience of cooperation with all leading research and design institutes in Moscow .
A redevelopment project is developed by any organization with a SRO certificate. For you, this can be done by our partner - a well-established design bureau that prepares design documentation in accordance with all applicable standards and rules, as a result of which the prepared redevelopment projects are successfully coordinated with the housing inspection of Moscow and the administrations of Moscow region cities.
Not knowing the intricacies of the legislation, many owners agree to an opening in load-bearing walls on the basis of only a design project. but redevelopment project and apartment design project are two completely different documents .
The design project allows you to understand what your apartment will look like after the renovation work. This project is being prepared by a designer who, relying on his taste, professional experience and knowledge, offers options for the color design of the interior, decoration methods, "arranges" furniture, etc. All this, of course, helps a lot when planning and carrying out repairs.
You just need to take into account that a design project is an unofficial document, having no legal force in the implementation of complex redevelopments... It is prepared exclusively for you and it will not be possible to agree , if an opening was made in the load-bearing wall during the repair. Therefore, the redevelopment carried out on the basis of the design project will be considered illegal, which is fraught with serious problems for the home owner.
Read about redevelopment projects.
Unlike the design project, the redevelopment project has a full-fledged legal status and it is he who is submitted to the Moscow Housing Inspection for approval, after which permission is obtained for redevelopment, and, accordingly, for the device of a new doorway.
AND do not listen to the opinion of those builders who will try to convince you to make an opening in the load-bearing wall without any agreement, saying: “We have done this a hundred times already, renovating other apartments, and nothing happened.”
Firstly, the habit of carrying out repair work without approved project documentation, most likely, indicates their illegal status, and, therefore, low qualifications and professionalism.
Secondly, punching an opening without taking into account the technical characteristics of the building and premises, and not taking into account the condition of the supporting structures, such builders risk allowing partial or complete collapse of the structure, which means they risk the health and life of you and your loved ones.
In the end, if an illegal redevelopment is detected, you will also have to pay a fine and return the layout to its original state at your own expense.
Prohibitions on the construction of openings in load-bearing walls during physical work
To create an opening, it is very risky and inconvenient to use outdated percussion equipment (jackhammer, scrap metal, sledgehammer, perforator), which has a destructive effect on the treated surface - concrete and brickwork.
The use of such a tool leads to the fact that cracks appear in the concrete, and the brick begins to crumble. This violates the strength and stability of the building's supporting structures and is fraught with tragic consequences.
The result of using percussion tools when constructing doorways:
Today, they are used to cut out a door or window opening in the wall. Moreover, the design documentation provides a clear indication of the restriction or complete prohibition of the use of traditional tools, and instead it is recommended to use diamond equipment for partial dismantling of the main walls.
In addition, it is forbidden to violate the technology for laying a cut-out wall fragment on the floor, sawing it into blocks and transporting them, because if a piece of concrete weighing several tens of kilograms falls, the interfloor overlap may be damaged.
"Knocked out" opening in a brick wall
When constructing this opening, no technology was used at all.
Usually, with the most primitive "technology," the contours of the opening are "cut" by a grinder to the depth of its deepening on both sides, and then the opening is broken by a percussion (punch, drill with punch mode, etc.) tool.
Here, there was neither one nor the other. The opening was simply "knocked out" with a sledgehammer and carefully "knocked" around the perimeter.
Also, one cannot deviate from the agreed redevelopment project, which, when installing a doorway in the wall, is supplied with an additional section dedicated to its reinforcement with a metal structure and the general procedure for carrying out work.... They suggest:
- installation;
- preliminary reinforcement of the opening, which has not yet been cut, with a cross beam made of double corners or channels;
- installation of the reinforcement frame;
- voids and gaps between the metal reinforcement elements and the wall with cement mortar.
To comply with the order of arrangement and reinforcement of the opening, before hiding the traces of the work carried out behind the plaster, the organization that developed the design documentation and carries out field supervision takes control measures to establish the compliance of the repair performed with the approved project .
When such a match is established, they are signed. This document confirms that the opening in the load-bearing wall was designed in accordance with the established rules and regulations.
Our company has all the necessary permits for the construction and reinforcement of door and window openings in load-bearing walls. By contacting us, you can be 100% sure that all activities will be carried out efficiently and in compliance with the current building and sanitary standards and regulations.
Contact information on how to contact us is provided in full on our website. .
Decide on redevelopment. This method will allow you to rationally use the territory of your apartment. However, redevelopment often affects load-bearing walls. How to be in such a situation? Can a load-bearing wall be demolished? Or, is it possible to make an opening in a load-bearing wall? We will consider the features of load-bearing walls, as well as cases when an opening can be made in them.
Is it allowed to demolish the load-bearing wall?
The stability of the house is achieved due to the presence of load-bearing walls, which are made of heavy-duty material. If one of the walls is not removed, then the strength of the entire structure will be at risk. Due to the demolition of the wall, engineering calculations will be disrupted. Conclusion: it is impossible to completely remove the load-bearing wall, this is fraught with great trouble. Making an opening in a load-bearing wall is a completely different matter. This is allowed under some circumstances. But for this, it will be necessary to first agree on the issue of redevelopment with the relevant authorities, carefully make calculations.
Features of load-bearing walls
The thing is that the load-bearing wall is subjected to heavy loads. Therefore, the service life of the whole house depends on how strong it will be.
Not in all cases it is possible to obtain permission to make an opening in a load-bearing wall! This is due to the fact that the construction of houses in all cases may be different. It is especially problematic to obtain such a permit if you live on the first or second floor. In these places, the walls are under special stress.
Some take the wrong position on this issue. They make an opening in the wall, and then, in fact, they turn to the authorities that they, they say, did not know or forgot to apply. But such people should be aware of the following. According to the latest regulations, unauthorized production of an opening in a load-bearing wall can entail heavy fines, and in the worst case, deprivation of the right to live in this apartment. But this is the maximum that you can run into. At least in this case, they will be forced to restore the wall. Even if you managed to hide the fact of redevelopment, sooner or later they will find out about it.
If you live in a brick house, it is easier to get permission to make an opening in a load-bearing wall.
So, to get the coveted permission, you need to collect the following documentation:
- Floor plan of the apartment.
- Redevelopment sketch.
- Apartment ownership certificate.
- Filling out an application in a strictly established form.
If you do get permission, you can start working.
Opening manufacturing methods and necessary tools
When it comes to making the opening, many will think of a jackhammer. But this view is wrong. Although this method has been proven over time, it is not effective in all cases. Moreover, the use of a jackhammer to make an opening in a load-bearing wall has a number of disadvantages:
- A large number of microcracks appear.
- The integrity of the wall is violated, especially if it is made of brick.
- The made opening must be additionally processed, which will entail additional costs.
- There is a lot of noise and dust in the process of work (you can't do it in secret).
- Many walls have metal fittings, which will make it difficult to work.
Today, there are a number of modern technologies that allow you to quickly and with minimal effort to make an opening in the load-bearing wall.
- Use of rope equipment. In this case, special bushings and a rope are used, on which artificial diamonds are installed. This method is effective because it does not generate dust, vibration or noise.
- Diamond drilling. Special diamond drills are used here. They can drill even holes along the entire contour of the opening. Accordingly, this method will save your costs for the subsequent processing of the walls. The use of diamond drilling allows you to maintain the integrity of the wall, both brick and reinforced concrete.
- Diamond saws. The most optimal way if you want to find the best option for making an opening in a load-bearing wall. There are two cutting methods: stationary and manual. The choice will depend on the size of the opening and the quality required.
Break not build!
To begin with, you need to carry out a number of preparatory processes. A lintel is pre-made, which will take on all the main load from the above-located wall array. This element is very important: the safety of the entire structure and yours, respectively, will directly depend on its strength. In this case, consider the following:
- wall thickness,
- the ratio of the size of the wall and the opening,
- technical condition of the wall,
- the material of which the walls are made,
- distance to adjacent walls and ceiling,
- location of floor slabs,
- the number of floors above your apartment.
In the event that the opening is made in a large wall, the floor slabs must first be supported. For example, the struts can be made from pipes or logs.
As for the material for the lintel, steel is ideal. It is the most reliable and strongest material for this purpose. As a rule, you can purchase a channel that is bolted on both sides or an I-beam. If you have opted for the installation of a channel, then M20 bolts are suitable for connecting it. The distance between them should be half a meter. The length of the jumper should be sufficient so that it does not bend under heavy loads.
Now we start making the opening. First, remove the plaster from the wall. To do this, you can first draw the outlines of the opening with chalk. Then an opening is made for mounting the lintel. These strobes are made on both sides. Next, you need to drill holes for fastening the jumpers with bolts. These niches must be well cleaned so that the channel can be easily installed in them. Remove dust by wetting the wall with water.
After making the strobes, prepare a cement mortar from M500 grade cement. The solution should be dense and thick. It should be laid in the manufactured groove, and then, install the channel and tighten it with bolts. Now the whole structure should harden well.
During operation, voids may form. How do you fix them? To do this, you can take small pieces of block / brick, which are installed on the same mortar.
Bolted connections must have washers!
After that, you can proceed directly to punching the opening. In this case, you can use any of the above methods. It should be noted that the punching of the opening must be carried out gradually. Think about how you will remove the resulting debris and how large the waste should be.
After making the opening, the slopes should be finished. In some cases, it is possible to make a reinforcement of the structure, especially if the opening is thick. For this, a metal corner is mounted in the corners, which can be welded to the lintel. These corners are also welded together with metal plates. All that remains is to plaster the slopes and proceed with the finishing.
There is another method for making a lintel from a reinforced concrete beam. In terms of its strength, it is in no way inferior to the technology described above. To install it, you must first make a through opening for the entire length of the reinforced concrete beam. She, in turn, is laid on a cement mortar. It is possible to punch the opening only when the cement has seized the beam. The subsequent process is the same as above.
If you want to use non-standard solutions for the interior design of the premises during redevelopment, you can make an arched opening in the load-bearing wall. But in this case, you will need to make a special design. To make such an opening, you will need to first prepare a profile or other material that will exactly repeat the outline of the opening. The fastening is carried out according to the same principle. The only difference is that the structure as a beam should be bolted not only to each other, but also to the wall.
Before punching an opening in a load-bearing wall, weigh the pros and cons. Remember that you must first obtain the appropriate permission.
Video
Detailed instructions for making an opening in a load-bearing wall:
How to make an opening in the load-bearing wall of a brick / panel house correctly. When overhauling a house or apartment, most people begin to think about whether it is possible to make an opening in a load-bearing wall? We will tell you everything in detail, because in fact this is not as easy as it might seem at first glance, because this type of wall carries a heavy load and making openings in load-bearing structures is not the safest thing to do.
How to correctly make an opening in the supporting structure is described in detail below, in the detailed instructions. In addition, in the photo and video you can get all the additional information you need.
If you think that you should definitely make an opening in the wall, which is a load-bearing, then you need to immediately take into account the documentation, and this is an extremely important point. According to all laws that are currently in force, redevelopment with a change in the structure of the supporting type is strictly prohibited. This will require permission from special authorities.
So, you will need:
- A statement, and it must be accompanied by a detailed plan for the planned changes in the building plan.
- The issued permit will give the opportunity to contact the design office in order to develop all the necessary technical documentation for the conceived project. The finished project will need to be approved by a number of permitting commissions - gas, fire, and housing and utilities.
- When all the project documentation is agreed upon, then it is required to finally approve everything by the controlling organization. Only after that it will be possible to proceed with the planned construction work in terms of redevelopment - cutting an opening in the supporting structure of the building.
Now let's look at examples of openings, as well as how you can trim them.
Details of the question
Variations of openings and finishes
The opening can be made in both brick and panel houses- it does not matter. It must necessarily fit into the overall interior of the room. First of all, you should choose the option that you need, and only after that you can start working. Next, let's look at what people are doing and, perhaps, you will choose the most suitable option for yourself if you have not yet decided on it. For example, a doorway can be finished with the help of extensions, or an artificial stone can be used.
Factors to ensure the safety of redevelopment
Any type of construction work that is associated with the supporting structure of a building must be correctly and accurately calculated. The fact is that the walls of buildings are capable of experiencing colossal loads, and for this reason, the design of the opening should be approached thoroughly. If you make a low-quality redevelopment, as well as violate the technology of the house, then this can lead to the fact that the house will partially or even completely collapse.
When calculating, a number of important factors should be taken into account, which will affect the final result:
- The types of materials used for the construction of the building.
- The technical condition of the building, in particular the floors.
- The thickness of the wall supporting structures.
- Load on the structural area where you plan to make the opening.
- Internal layout of the premises.
- The dimensions of the planned opening, as well as how much it will correspond to the dimensions of the walls.
When the project is calculated, and all factors are taken into account in it, it must be agreed upon with the supervisory service. You can start work on the transfer of doorways only after the project is approved.
Opening types
It is not so easy to make an opening in the load-bearing wall of a panel / brick house. The complexity of the calculation for designing the transfer of a doorway in load-bearing walls will depend on the configuration of the planned opening.
The complexity of the construction work, as well as their order of implementation, will directly depend on which option you choose:
- Standard straight type opening - it is cut into the partition from a clean slate. In the calculation, it will be necessary to take into account the existing doorway, which will take part of the load from the supporting structure. According to the design documentation, this opening should be left intact or you can lay it with bricks.
- An opening made in the form of an arch - it is much more difficult to do this, and when calculating, you will need to take into account the bending trajectory. Of particular difficulty will be the calculations for the arched opening in the brickwork, because the placement of the masonry joints will need to be taken into account.
- Partial passage transfer - here it is assumed that the jumper of the existing passage will be displaced in the direction you require. You need to cut a new section of the passage of the size that you need. The unnecessary part of the opening must be covered with bricks.
What tool do you need to use to cut?
Equipment for cutting holes
Cutting the opening in the load-bearing wall must be done with special tools. Ordinary blows with a tool such as a sledgehammer and a grinder are definitely not suitable for such a complex procedure - because of this there will be a lot of dust, replacement parts will quickly break and wear out, and excess vibration will lead to many chips and cracks on the walls.
Cutting openings can be done with several tools and methods:
Take note, because you will need one of these tools anyway to make an opening in the load-bearing wall of the house.
Opening creation - features
So, now the time has come for the most important thing, and therefore we will consider everything in stages, so that it is clearer how to do everything with our own hands.
Preparatory stage - we strengthen the future opening
A number of construction work to change the structure for load-bearing walls is carried out strictly according to the project that is approved, as well as honor the structural features of the building. The main task in the project is to be sure to preserve the integrity of the structure after a new passage is moved or made. Before starting work, the structures of the planned opening should be reinforced in advance. To do this, it is required to cut grooves around the entire perimeter of the passage with the help of a wall chaser, in order to then lay the reinforcement (channels). It should be borne in mind that the grooves should not be through - these are recesses for reinforcing elements. The section of the channel should be individually calculated taking into account the structural characteristics of the house.
Note, that the channels should be laid in the grooves, which are made with a chasing cutter, on both sides of the side partition. To exactly match the place of the bookmark, markings should be made on the wall for the planned passage in advance. On it you will drill through holes, and transfer the drawing to the second side of the walls.
Channels that will be used to strengthen the structure should be pre-cut to the required length, taking into account the height and width of the planned opening. You will need two pairs for the sides of the opening, and two pairs for the bottom and top. On each pair, it is required to make holes in advance through which you will fasten the channels with the help of self-anchors or studs. The distance between the holes should be calculated by yourself.
Next, you need to install the side pairs in the grooves one by one. Through the holes made in the pairs of channels, it is required to drill a partition for fastening hardware. Pull the vapors together with the fastening element. It is important that everything is well tightened, and therefore use electrical tools or at least materials at hand. After the vertical channels are installed, the operation must be repeated, but for horizontal mountings. The screeds should be welded on both sides of the future opening, and then you will have a preliminary strengthening of the opening ready.
The main task is to cut the load-bearing walls
After the preparatory stage is completed and the walls are strengthened, you can start punching a new opening. The complexity of the work will largely depend only on the material for making the walls. Brickwork is easiest to clean because it is done row by row.
With a concrete wall during dismantling work, there will be more difficulties, because there are reinforcement inside:
And now let's look at what needs to be done at the very end.
The final stage is to strengthen the structure
The opening cut in the load-bearing wall requires final reinforcement using general construction and welding works.
The work is carried out in several steps:
- Finish with welding all parts of the channels that were not accessible prior to dismantling.
- Pairs of channels from different sides must be connected using transverse steel plates with a width of no more than 5 cm and a thickness of no less than 0.4 cm.
- A metal mesh should be welded onto the channel, and plaster will be applied over it.
- When the work is finished, the cut-through "changes" are required to be fixed and put into operation.
- To complete the work with the documents, the selection committee will draw up an act, and the document must be certified by the BTI, the foremen (who performed the work) and the organization that took the object into operation.
Now you know how to make an opening, and its cost will depend on how large it is, as well as on the finishing materials. You can do everything yourself to keep costs down.