Hello. In previous articles I described the features hidden electrical wiring in apartment buildings residential buildings, namely, the conversation was about gating walls. You can let me down summary these articles: crushing load-bearing walls is not recommended apartment buildings. A simple and logical question arises: how to determine which walls are load-bearing and which are not? This is especially important when purchasing new apartment. The destruction of load-bearing walls can be an unpleasant surprise when moving to a new apartment.
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Why determine load-bearing walls in an apartment (office)
The answers to the questions “Why determine load-bearing walls” or “Which load-bearing wall” do not matter at all if you are not planning serious repairs associated with redevelopment and/or laying new hidden electrical wiring. Both redevelopment and electrical installation involve affecting the structures of the premises and, according to the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, require approvals and permits if these structures are load-bearing.
Legally, the question is as clear as possible. Violation of the supporting structures of a house (building) can compromise its strength and lead to its destruction (partial or complete).
In practice, some construction companies, without fear, they tear down and hammer into walls, admonishing customers that “we do this all the time.” This is not an argument at all, because responsibility for illegal redevelopment and destruction of structures lies with the home owner.
How to independently determine a load-bearing wall
There are a few practical advice, how to determine whether a load-bearing wall is or not.
Brick residential building
The thickness of load-bearing walls in a brick house starts from 38 cm. All other walls, 12 cm (one brick), 25 cm (two bricks), 8-12 cm ( lightweight concrete), are partitions.
Load-bearing walls in Khrushchev and Stalin buildings
The design of houses of the “Stalinka” and “Khrushchev” type is demonstrated in the photo.
- 3 longitudinal walls they are load-bearing;
- Between them there are load-bearing diaphragms, they keep the load-bearing walls from falling;
- Flights of stairs are supported on load-bearing walls.
All other walls are partitions.
How to determine load-bearing walls in a house: Khrushchev
On the floor plan it will look like this.
Apartment plan Serial apartment building made of panels
We measure the thickness of the wall.
In serial panel houses, the thickness of load-bearing walls is 12, 14, 18, 20 cm. The thickness of partitions in panel houses, that is, walls erected after the construction (assembly) of the house, ranges from 8-10 cm.
Conclusion 1. If the thickness of the wall (without the plaster layer) is less than 10 cm, there is a very high probability that it is not a load-bearing wall, but a partition.
Important! Design panel house is supported by load-bearing walls, and the destruction of a load-bearing wall violates the integrity of the structure of the entire house.
Find out the series of your house and see the architectural layout
Panel apartment buildings serial and each house belongs to a specific series. On the Internet you can find fairly complete sites with descriptions and photos of serial panel houses. By house series, you can easily find the authors of the project and the design of your house. The design of the house (apartment) clearly shows the load-bearing walls (they are shaded and/or thicker than the others). An alternative to the project may be communication with the BTI or the management company of your home.
Multi-apartment monolithic building
In new buildings it is a monolith, it is easy to determine load-bearing walls. Load-bearing walls are visible visually. Rovnaya concrete wall, a load-bearing partition made of blocks.
In habitable monolithic houses, somewhat more complicated. A partition is definitely a wall less than 20 cm thick. However, a wall thicker than 20 cm can be either a partition or a load-bearing structure. In this case, only the architectural section of the working design will help determine whether the wall is load-bearing or not. He must have management company. Load-bearing walls will be shaded.
What work is prohibited for load-bearing walls?
In conclusion, there are a few do’s and don’ts for load-bearing walls:
- It is impossible to completely demolish a load-bearing wall in any building () and it is impossible to obtain legal approval for such demolition.
- move a load-bearing wall;
- make an opening in a load-bearing wall without approval and design;
- It is forbidden (in Moscow) to make any furrows for electrical wiring, as well as water and heating pipes. (PPM No. 508)
- Can! Drill load-bearing walls for hanging furniture and appliances, and you can also make through holes in load-bearing walls for passing water pipes, embedded electrical cables, and ventilation.
Conclusion
As you can see, it is quite possible to determine the load-bearing walls in your apartment yourself.
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, maintaining the integrity of the entire structure from the roof to the foundation.
If the redevelopment is carried out incorrectly, or the load-bearing wall is demolished or damaged, this will lead to big problems- from cracks in the structure to its collapse.
AiF.ru tells how to determine that a wall is load-bearing.
There are several ways to find out specifications walls:
How to carry out a safe redevelopment?
Only professionals can carry out safe redevelopment of an apartment or house. Regardless of the scale of the reconstruction, it is necessary to invite specialists from the BTI and the Moscow Housing Inspectorate, who, after engineering survey They will give 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 made to the housing layout relative to the original BTI plan must be agreed upon with the Moscow Housing Inspectorate. This is required by the housing legislation of the Russian Federation and Moscow.
With absence permitting documents 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 face a fine 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 to either legalize the redevelopment or return the apartment to its original condition.
Wall thickness must be measured in " pure form", that is, do not take into account the thickness of the pasted wallpaper and plaster. Sometimes, in order to take a measurement, it is necessary to drill a through hole in the wall.
If you decide to remodel your apartment to combine rooms, you must first understand whether the walls affected are load-bearing. Doorways in load-bearing walls must be coordinated with the supervisory authorities for the redevelopment project with the preparation of a technical report from the author of the house project.
The demolition of a load-bearing wall or part of it is strictly prohibited, since it violates the power structure of the building and threatens cracks or even collapses due to improper redistribution of loads.
At the same time, the dismantling of non-load-bearing interior partitions does not threaten the safety of the house and its residents, and therefore can, in most cases, be agreed upon with the Moscow Housing Inspectorate based on a simple redevelopment sketch.
Based on the above, we see that Without clarifying for yourself whether the wall is load-bearing or not, it is better not to start redevelopment . However, this does not stop many owners. Thus, on various Internet portals for design and repair, there are many examples of redevelopments, where designers “do what they want” with load-bearing walls, without taking into account all the consequences of such repairs.
As a result, the customer receives an illegal redevelopment, the neighbors receive cracks in the ceiling, and the inspector who, based on their complaint, visits the “bad” apartment is a reason to issue an order to return the premises to their original or agreed upon state.
Below we have tried to provide information with which you will most likely be able to determine which walls are load-bearing and which are not in your apartment, and, depending on this, carry out repairs in the future without violating the law and building codes.
Load-bearing walls in a panel house
Panel standard houses various series - the most common type of housing in Moscow. This type Multi-apartment residential buildings, unfortunately, do not allow many planning solutions to be implemented. The fact is that most of the interior walls in panel houses are load-bearing, and the construction of openings in them can be hampered by many circumstances, such as the floor of the apartment, the general design of a given series, or the condition of the house.
Panel house P-3 series, photo:
So, how to understand which walls are load-bearing? panel house? The easiest way is to measure the thickness of the desired wall.
- For partitions, this parameter is usually from 80 to 100 mm
- The thickness of load-bearing walls ranges from 140 to 200 mm
- Interior partitions in 90% of panel houses are gypsum concrete panels 80 mm thick
- Internal load-bearing walls are reinforced concrete panels with a thickness of 140, 160, 180 and 200 mm. In some old series of panel houses, there are also 120mm load-bearing walls
Accordingly, this means that if the wall thickness is less than 120mm, then it is a non-load-bearing partition, and if it is more, then it is a load-bearing wall.
It should be noted that the thickness of the wall must be measured in its “pure form”, that is, not taking into account finishing layers (plaster, wallpaper), but for the purity of measurements plaster layer it is necessary either to remove it in several places, or to pre-measure and subsequently subtract it from the wall thickness.
In “borderline” cases, it is better to rely on the opinion of the engineers of the design institute - the author of the house in your series, where you or the intermediaries you have chosen will apply for a technical report on the redevelopment. In any case, it is the technical specifications that will give the final answer on the redevelopment of load-bearing walls.
Example: technical conclusion of the State Unitary Enterprise MNIITEP, an institute that is the author of 90 percent of panel houses in Moscow.
Load-bearing walls in brick houses
Load-bearing walls in monolithic houses
For monolithic houses the most accurate way to determine a load-bearing wall is to ask the management company architectural plan floors. Due to the diversity of individual constructive solutions, without the appropriate documentation it can be quite difficult to determine whether a particular wall is load-bearing. IN monolithic buildings you can find both load-bearing walls and columns, pylons (columns rectangular section). Monolithic frame houses may not have load-bearing walls at all.
Non-load bearing brick partitions in a monolithic house:
Thickness interior walls and pylons in monolithic houses are usually 200, 250 and 300 mm, therefore, if the wall affected by the redevelopment is less than 200 mm, then this is an ordinary partition. But in some cases, the partition can be more than 200 mm (if it is made of foam blocks).
Load-bearing wall (Fig. 1)- the main load-bearing and enclosing vertical structure of a building, which rests on and transfers the load from the floors and the own weight of the wall to the foundation, separating adjacent rooms in the building and protecting them from impact external environment.
Self-supporting wall (Fig. 2)– external enclosing vertical structure protecting interior spaces building from the influence of the external environment, resting and transferring the load from its own weight to the foundation.
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| Fig.2. Self-supporting wall (outer wall rests on the foundation, and the ceiling is adjacent to the wall) |
Curtain wall (Fig. 3)- an external wall resting on the ceiling within one floor with a floor height of no more than 6 m. (at a higher floor height, these walls are considered self-supporting) and protect the building from the outside from the influence of the external environment.
Partition- an internal vertical enclosing curtain wall resting on the ceiling and separating adjacent rooms in the building.
In buildings with self-supporting and non-load-bearing external walls, loads from coatings, ceilings, etc. transferred to the frame or transverse structures of buildings.
In a house, the walls that stand on the foundation and on which the ceilings rest will be carriers.
And walls standing on a foundation without the ceiling resting on them will be self-supporting.
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| Fig.3. Curtain wall (external wall rests on the floor slab) |
Walls of different structural purposes carry different loads. To ensure the necessary load-bearing capacity for different walls choose a certain wall thickness and the strength of the materials used.
For example, internal and external load-bearing walls of buildings made of aerated concrete blocks with a height of up to 3 floors inclusive, it is recommended to be made from blocks of compressive strength classes not lower than B2.5, with glue or mortar of a grade not lower than M75; at a height of up to 2 floors inclusive - not lower than B2 with glue or mortar of a grade not lower than M50.
For self-supporting walls of buildings up to 3 floors high, the class of blocks must be at least B2.
Redevelopment of an apartment involves either the construction of additional walls or the destruction of existing ones. Most often, during this, the walls are destroyed, thereby increasing the living space. This cardinal decision simply necessary, since this is the only way to expand the home, make it more comfortable; also, with the help of redevelopment, many connect the kitchen with the living room or enlarge the bedroom due to the loggia. The only problem during renovation is how to determine the load-bearing walls in the house correctly. This information is important, and therefore you need to familiarize yourself with it, which is what we will do in the article.
What is a load-bearing wall?
First, find out what a load-bearing wall is and where it is located. Load-bearing walls perform an important task - they maintain the integrity of the entire structure. Columns and beams sometimes act as load-bearing elements, but this does not change their purpose. Since all elements of the roof and ceiling structure rest on the wall, it is important to know during redevelopment how to determine the load-bearing wall in the house.
If you demolish it, it can lead to bad consequences, starting with cracks appearing on the house and ending with complete destruction of the structure. Unlike those carrying ordinary interior walls They hold only their own weight and also perform a separating function. To renovation work passed safely and correctly, you should contact specialists for help. Only they know how to determine whether a wall is load-bearing or not.
Do not forget about the special permit for redevelopment, which is issued by specialists from the technical inventory bureau. It will indicate which walls can be destroyed and modified, and which are prohibited.
Methods for determining load-bearing walls
There are several ways to determine whether a house has a load-bearing wall or not. Accurate and easy to do is to study the structural plan of a house. This document is in the capital construction department. Also, do not forget about the existence technical passport. If the apartment owner knows how to read construction drawings, it will not be difficult for him to determine the load-bearing wall in the house.
Load-bearing walls are often determined by their thickness and location. When measuring, you must first remove the wallpaper, clean the surface from old plaster. Only after this can measurements begin. The parameters of load-bearing walls are different for all houses, for example:
- The load-bearing walls in a brick house are thirty-eight centimeters thick. The more bricks laid, the greater the thickness.
- In panel houses the situation is slightly different. Here, all walls exceeding fourteen centimeters are load-bearing. In such a house, redevelopment is difficult and almost impossible. After all, most of the walls in a panel house are load-bearing.
- In monolithic houses, walls thicker than twenty centimeters are load-bearing. In houses, it is quite difficult to determine the load-bearing wall thickness. Therefore, it is easier to take a general floor plan from the developer.
All form the basis of the building, being supporting.
Openings
Once the load-bearing walls in the apartment are determined, certain restrictions associated with redevelopment will appear. It is impossible to completely demolish a load-bearing wall. It is better to make an opening or niche in it - this is a safer option. The number of openings in load-bearing walls is limited.
If it is necessary to make an opening in such a design, it is better to seek help from professionals. Carrying out such work on your own is dangerous, and without special permits and papers with the redevelopment done, such an apartment will become a burden.
There are situations when partial demolition of a load-bearing wall is necessary. In this case, you cannot do without an engineer. Even a small window or door opening requires appropriate permits and licenses.
Only true professionals in their field will be able to not only make an opening in a load-bearing wall, but also increase its strength. This will help avoid its destruction. A metal or reinforced concrete lintel is used to support the wall.
Load-bearing walls in a panel house
Most panel houses have a standard code for the project according to which they were built. Therefore, before you begin redevelopment, you need to know how to determine the load-bearing wall in a panel house.
To find load-bearing walls in a panel house, you can use the database of these structures. It makes it possible to see the layout of apartments from each series and choose your home using the code. Another way is to measure the walls. The thickness of self-supporting walls in a panel house ranges from 80 millimeters to 1 meter, while the thickness of load-bearing walls ranges from 140 to 200 mm. The higher the indicator, the greater the likelihood that it is a load-bearing wall. It is important to remember that demolishing it in a panel house will lead to the destruction of the building.
How to find out if the load-bearing material is made of brick?
To find out how to determine a load-bearing wall in a brick house, you need to add the thickness of the vertical mortar joint to the size of the brick. That is, the thickness depends on how many bricks are supplied. Brick walls can be 120, 250, 380 mm thick, and so on, plus finishing layers.
Bearers brick walls have a thickness of three hundred eighty millimeters or more. If itself bearing structures made of gypsum concrete panels and bricks, then in this case interior partitions will be 250 mm. Thus, load-bearing walls in brick houses have a thickness of 380 mm. If during measurements the thickness is less than 380 mm, then such a wall is an ordinary partition. Find brick houses series is more difficult than panel ones, since there are much fewer of them.
Load-bearing walls in Khrushchev
All Khrushchev buildings were built according to the same type. They have three load-bearing walls and additional transverse ones, which serve as support for the load-bearing ones and prevent them from tipping over. This list also includes the transverse walls of the staircase. They hold not only load-bearing structures, but also flights of stairs, thus, also become load-bearing.
How to determine a load-bearing wall in brick apartment? Can it be dismantled or not? The slabs that are located between floors are supported by load-bearing or transverse reinforced concrete walls and beams.
If speak about modern buildings, then studio apartments are very popular. In such rooms, many manage without redevelopment, simply dividing the space with furniture. To from ordinary apartment to make smart housing, you need to completely or partially dismantle the walls, leaving only the box. However, such global changes will negatively affect the integrity of the building, especially if it is old.
How to find a load-bearing wall in a monolithic house?
Are you interested in how to determine whether a wall is load-bearing or not in a monolithic house? These buildings have a variety of architectural and design features. They combine conventional load-bearing walls, columns, beams and rectangular columns. The thickness of load-bearing walls is 200-300 mm, and the thickness of columns in monolithic houses is an order of magnitude higher. All walls having a thickness of less than 200 mm are considered partitions.
When we're talking about about new buildings, it is easy to determine the load-bearing structures simply by examining them. They are clearly visible because they are made of reinforced concrete. Holes sealed with mortar can also be seen on the load-bearing walls.
What can you do with a load-bearing wall?
As is already known, the structure is the basis of the building and holds the main load; it must be handled carefully and carefully. Before determining whether a wall is load-bearing or not, it is worth finding out what actions are prohibited in relation to it:
- It cannot be completely demolished, as this will affect the stability of the entire structure.
- It is prohibited to move it to another place.
- It is prohibited to install wiring or conduct communications in it.
Despite these prohibitions, a load-bearing wall is not untouchable; you can make a doorway in it, create an arch or partition between rooms, or drill through it.
How to coordinate redevelopment
Before carrying out redevelopment, it is necessary to obtain permission from the relevant authorities. Since residents do not always correctly determine the type of wall covering or dismantle the load-bearing wall, these approvals are mandatory. Therefore, the question of how to determine a load-bearing wall can play a bad joke with residents.
Do not neglect the rules, otherwise the construction will become illegal and the owner will be fined. It follows from this that it is better to spend time on official authorities and obtain all permissions than to suffer from mistakes made.
If you are deciding whether to redevelop a room or not, you should remember that even a harmless error in calculations when performing this work can provoke serious problems. By doing this, you risk your life and the lives of other household members.
Since it is not always possible to determine the type of load-bearing wall, it is better to use the services of a specialist. However, having decided to do the work yourself and knowing how to determine where the load-bearing walls are, be extremely careful and vigilant, because you already know what this entails possible deviation in calculations or reasoning regarding the type of wall covering and its nature.