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We’ve all done it: walked around a house with a view to buying and said, “So, we can just knock that wall down and break through there, no problem.” But how easy is it to actually remove an internal wall?

It is not always a simple case of setting aside a weekend and arming yourself with a sledgehammer. Some internal walls are loadbearing, meaning that their removal will have a big effect on the overall structural stability of the building — and it is not always easy to tell which walls these are.

Stud Walls

Stud partition walls are usually the easiest and least disruptive to remove. They are made up of a timber frame covered with plasterboard, or sometimes of lath and plaster. ‘Plates’ are secured to the floor and ceiling, with the ‘studs’ being the vertical supports between the two plates. ‘Noggings’ are the horizontal sections of timber nailed between the studs to give added stability to the structure. This type of wall is rarely supporting — but investigate first.

‘Laths’ are strips of wood that are nailed to studs and noggings. The gaps between the laths means plaster seeps between and behind the laths to secure it to the wall.

Partition Walls

Commonly around four inches thick, partition walls are most often constructed of brick or block — or studwork with brick infill. They are messier to remove than stud partition walls, leaving you with surrounding walls that will need replastering and a floor area beneath that will need refinishing. Studwork walls with a brick infill are commonly semi-loadbearing, carrying the weight of a similar wall on the floor above.

Supporting walls

Most supporting walls are of brick or block construction, and usually nine inches thick. Removing a supporting wall requires the advice of a structural engineer or architect, plus specialist equipment, such as scaffolding and RSJs.

Is it Loadbearing?

The most crucial thing to do before starting any demolition work in your home is to determine whether or not the wall on your hit list is loadbearing. Even some seemingly pointless stud walls have been known to be loadbearing, so investigate thoroughly before planning work, and definitely before starting it.

A loadbearing wall is one that takes the weight of something above it, be it the floor, roof or the top half of the same wall you are working on.

The safest option is always to seek the advice of a structural engineer or your architect when it comes to knocking down walls. There are, however, a few simple ways to test whether or not the wall in question is likely to be loadbearing. Walls that carry the first floor joists can easily be recognised by checking the floorboards — floorboards are laid across the joists, meaning that they lie parallel with the loadbearing wall. If your home has more than two storeys, you will need to check at each level.

In addition, have a look at which way roof braces run in relation to the walls. Braces run across loadbearing walls and parallel to non-loadbearing walls.

Non-loadbearing walls are usually only the height of one storey, which means that if the floorboards run underneath the wall, it is not likely to be supporting anything.

Finally, the way in which the wall is constructed is a good indication of whether or not it is loadbearing. Solid brick or block walls are usually loadbearing, as are some stud partition walls with brick infill, whereas stud walls, be they lath and plaster or those with plasterboard, are rarely found to be loadbearing.

Further reading:

• Removing Walls: DIY Advice
• How to Build Studwork Walls
• Extending Interiors to the Outdoors