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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Geelong, Victoria
    Posts
    281

    Default What lintel size

    I am removing a wall in our house (scary I know). The house is timber and weatherboard from the early 20s, so about 95 years old. The wall is definitely not supporting any of the ceiling or roof structure. In the drawing below, the wall I am removing is labelled A.

    houseplan-part.jpg
    The ceiling level is different in the sunroom and lounge room and there is a 100mm step down in the floor level as well. I have checked in the roof space and there is a very large hardwood beam over the line marked B which is supporting the rafters and ceiling structure. There are no struts running back from the rafters onto Wall A. There were also no piers under this area, although I have added some extra support to remove excessive bounce from the floor.
    I have carefully removed most of the wall and what I have found confirms that the wall is not supporting anything above. So what I need is a lintel across the top of the space to support roughly 1m of plaster wall that will remain above it. The distance is 3220mm and the existing wall frame is 100mm hardwood. I have been looking at span tables, but can't find anything to correspond to this situation.
    Would 140 x 45 hardwood be enough, or does it need to be bigger. How about two 140 x 45s bolted together?
    Any advice would be appreciated.
    (Have tried to get four local builders to quote - one too busy, two never show up and one doesn't answer his phone).
    Thanks - Bruce

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2018
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    938

    Default

    Maybe this might help
    https://learnframing.com/wood-beam-calculator/
    Good luck

  4. #3
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Woodstock (Cowra)
    Age
    74
    Posts
    3,369

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by verawood View Post
    Maybe this might help
    https://learnframing.com/wood-beam-calculator/
    Good luck
    The link is not valid for Australia, it CANNOT be used.

    Use MGP 10 190x45 on your description is loaded to 53% of its capacity with a maximum 5mm deflection
    or
    190 x 45 KD hardwood is loaded to 45% of capacity with max 4mm deflection
    or
    200 x 50 green hardwood is loaded to 71% of capacity with 7mm deflection
    or
    170 x 35 LVL 14 is loaded to 57% of capacity with max 6mm deflection
    The person who never made a mistake never made anything

    Cheers
    Ray

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Geelong, Victoria
    Posts
    281

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by rwbuild View Post
    Use MGP 10 190x45 on your description is loaded to 53% of its capacity with a maximum 5mm deflectionor 190 x 45 KD hardwood is loaded to 45% of capacity with max 4mm deflectionor200 x 50 green hardwood is loaded to 71% of capacity with 7mm deflectionor170 x 35 LVL 14 is loaded to 57% of capacity with max 6mm deflection
    Thanks for the options - exactly what I need. I like the idea of hardwood, maintaining some of the integrity of the initial structure, but I guess it will come down to what I can get locally and the relative cost. I am pretty sure all those options will be available in my local timber yard.
    Bruce

  6. #5
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Woodstock (Cowra)
    Age
    74
    Posts
    3,369

    Default

    Caveat:I am relying on your description of loads, etc, if other factors are present that you have missed/overlooked I cannot take any responsibility for any failure of the lintel you use, trusting you take this caveat in good faith.
    The person who never made a mistake never made anything

    Cheers
    Ray

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Geelong, Victoria
    Posts
    281

    Default

    Caveat accepted.

    When we bought the house in 2010 the company that did the building inspection made a comment about the possibility of adding extra ties in the roof framing. Later when I wanted to take the bounce out of the floor I had a structural engineer have a look and he said exactly the same thing. So I talked it over with an old builder who was doing some work for me and he said that the same could be said for most houses of this era. The good builders of the time did not have complicated tables and standards to work from but were an excellent judge of what was needed. He pointed to the roof and said ‘it has not moved a fraction in the 90 years since the day it was built.’

    Bruce

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