Project Description
Project Location: Epsom
Project summary
The brief was to create external opening between the rear lounge and rear home extension to facilitate increased living space. A rear home extension existed, but was carved into two smaller rooms. The outcome of the works was to provide a wider living space to present better views through a 12ft bi folding door onto the garden
Scope of works
Removal of internal load bearing wall between rear lounge and existing rear extension.
Removal of non-load bearing partition wall at rear extension.
Installation of structural supporting RSJ steel beam to internal load bearing support
Installation of structural supporting RSJ steel universal beam to rear extension wall to facilitate 3650mm wide bi fold doors.
Methodology
As part of our steel beam design service we prepare the structural calculations to specify the correct steel beam sizes to install for the client.
The next phase is removal of the load bearing rear wall and installation of temporary structural supports using heavy duty acrow props.
Installation of a 1No steel beams installed. Spec of 203 x 203 x 46 Universal beam (UB). This support beam was chosen as the wall above the ground floor was a single skin constructed of solid break and the span of the beam was 4m.
Structural props remain in place to support the steel beam. These supports are loaded onto the existing concrete subfloor and existing rear wall foundations, providing good stability for the props during the curing process.
This allows the curing process of the concrete pad stone supports to settle with minimum shrinkage and movement across the span of the beam.
Above the RSJ steel beam, we dry pack the small gaps up to the first floor support with a semi dry, strong 2:1 cement mixture. This is compacted into the gaps between the beam and the first floor.
After curing for 24hrs, the support props can be removed surrounding the support beam, leaving the two acrow props in place under the support beam for a further 3 days.
After the curing process all acrow props can be removed and the beam bares the weight of the first floor.
Internally, the RSJ steel beams are then lined with fire retardant board and the internal reveals are plaster skimmed.
The 2nd steel beam is then installed with 1No 203 x 102 x 23 Universal Beam 23.
The same process of structural support, installation of concrete pad stones, curing stage, fire proofing the steel beam is then repeated – If the process ain’t broke – why fix it??
Installation of the bi fold doors is then completed to add the finishing touches to the space.
Result
Removal of the internal load bearing wall and installation of the 2 No steel beams facilitated increase living space for the family. The removal of the rear extension wall has facilitated greater views onto the rear garden.
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