EXPERT ADVICE
It’s amazing the difference that removing or creating an opening in an existing wall can make to a home — especially when the trend is for open-plan living. But tempting though it may be to go ahead gung ho, the first vital step is to understand that any wall can be load bearing — even if it is made up of studwork and feels flimsy.
When I began renovating a house, the previous owners had assured me a dividing wall in the sitting room was “definitely not load bearing” as they’d had it installed themselves underneath one of the historic timber beams of the house that appeared to be holding the load instead. But when I pulled off the gypsum plasterboard and removed the insulation, it started to look like the studwork was doing more work than it was intended to.
The old timber beam above appeared well supported by timber uprights on one side of the wall, but closer inspection from the other side revealed hidden gaps between the uprights and the beam. Historic woodworm had disintegrated parts of the beam, too, and careless power tool usage in the
