Want more light? The solution is to enlarge existing openings or create a new one. However, this type of work needs particular care. The project requires administrative permissions, and the technical complexity means qualified, experienced professionals must be involved. Here is our advice for a successful project.
By adding a window, enlarging an opening or turning it into a French window, your room will gain light, but also warmth, and become more practical to move around in. Here is one of our latest jobs, in a detached house in Vallauris, enlarging a large glazed opening by cutting into the façade wall. As on all our sites, we protected the premises with self-adhesive sheeting and hardboard panels. We also covered the furniture with plastic sheeting to protect it from knocks.
The next phase was to reinforce the temporary vertical propping to support the ceiling and the load-bearing walls. We did this with props and timber planks. We then began demolishing the wall, a delicate procedure done little by little, taking care to strengthen the propping around it to limit vibration. We started by cutting pockets around the opening to receive the steel parts. Then reinforced concrete footings were built in the floor to spread the load of the future steel columns. UPN200 columns were installed in the pockets at each end of the opening, together with a double UPN 180 beam using a twin-beam clamping (moisage) technique. Once the steel reinforcement was in place, the wall could be demolished completely to give the opening for the large glazed door.
To protect the whole steel structure, we applied anti-rust paint, which gives it a long life. Finally, we cleaned the site thoroughly to hand our client back a room in perfect condition.
