With its expertise, OMPT brings to life all your remodelling ideas that require an opening in a load-bearing wall. Our team of professionals advises you at every stage of your project. Here is an example of works carried out in the apartment of our client in Peymeinade, where we partially demolished a masonry load-bearing wall to open up the space.
The technical study, a mandatory first step for a co-owned property
For a property in a co-ownership, the co-owners' approval is required for this type of work. The project must be backed by an engineering report prepared by a structural engineering office (BET). The aim is to confirm the technical feasibility of the project and to define how it should be carried out so as to avoid damaging the building. A load-bearing wall plays a vital role in the stability of a building, and unsuitable or poorly executed work could cause irreversible damage and endanger its occupants.
In our client's case, the study recommended reinforcement with a steel portal frame, made up of two vertical columns and a horizontal beam.
Always carefully managed sites
Whatever job our clients entrust to us, we always work with the greatest care and in complete safety. We therefore always start by protecting the premises, including the common areas, to minimise dirt. To do this, we cover surfaces with plastic sheeting and hardboard (Isorel) panels.
As a safety measure, we never start demolishing a load-bearing wall without first propping it with timber planks and builder's props.
Load-bearing wall opening works carried out in Peymeinade
On this job, we cut through the wall to open up a bay. To limit vibrations, we always use an electric chainsaw and a special diamond tool. Once the cutting was done, we removed all the rubble.
To fix the UPE 140 columns to the floor, we created non-shrink mortar footings. We then fixed each column to a jamb of the opening using M12 threaded rods and chemical anchors. The 3.55-metre-long HEB 180 beam was then welded and bolted to the columns.
Finally, we applied an anti-rust paint to the whole steel structure to protect it against rust over the long term. And to make sure our client was fully satisfied, we handed over a perfectly clean site.
