A load-bearing wall or a main wall is a structure that carries not only its own weight, but also the weight of all higher structures located on it. There are also non-bearing walls. They are otherwise called self-supporting. These include all interior partitions that do not experience any load other than their own weight. The outer walls of the house are usually load-bearing. They have a ceiling and a roof, if it is a one-story house, or the next floors.
Characteristic of the main wall
The main wall is an element that has an increased thickness compared to interior partitions. The partition can be made of light and thin materials. And the thickness of the main wall is needed in order to withstand heavy physical exertion.
Classification
There are external and internal capital walls. External elements include elements that separate the interior of the building from the street. The internal walls include the walls inside the building, which are involved inload distribution from higher elements. Also, in addition to walls, there is another type of load-bearing structures - columns. They are erected in order to more evenly distribute the load on the walls. They are usually used in rooms with a large area, where it is necessary to support the ceiling and take up minimal space. In modern construction, this element is often used.
Main walls can be divided into groups according to the material of manufacture:
- Monolithic concrete walls. They have maximum strength and high technological complexity during construction. Poorly retain heat due to low thermal insulation ability. Used in high-rise construction.
- Brick walls. They have high strength and high labor costs during construction. They are used in the construction of both high-rise and low-rise and one-story structures.
- Wooden walls. They have sufficient mechanical strength and low labor costs for construction. They have very high thermal insulation performance. They are used when creating multi-storey and single-storey structures.
- Monolithic walls made of expanded clay, wood concrete, slag concrete. They have sufficient strength. Show high rates of thermal insulation. They have average indicators in terms of labor intensity and speed of construction. They are used in low-rise construction.
- Block walls made of aerated concrete and foam concrete. They have low bearing capacity. In view of this, it is recommended to reinforce them with a reinforced belt before mounting rafters and ceilings on them. Used in constructionlow-rise structures.
Requirements
There are a large number of requirements for the main walls, regardless of the material of manufacture:
- The main wall is a reliable construction. It must be strong and durable. It should also be located on a stable base, as it is the support of the building. It is she who bears all the weight from the ceiling and roof.
- Walls must meet all safety requirements, in particular, comply with fire safety standards. Otherwise, there is a great risk of wall fire and, as a result, the rapid destruction of the entire structure by fire.
- Walls should provide sound insulation. If this factor is not taken into account, then in the future, residents will experience a lot of inconvenience due to street noise.
- When building external main walls, it is necessary to take into account the thermal insulation properties of the material. If the thermal insulation is insufficient, then the heat will quickly leave the building. Accordingly, heating costs will increase dramatically.
Characteristics of internal bearing walls
The location and size of the main walls can vary greatly. If everything is more or less clear with the external ones, then a lot of questions arise about the internal ones.
If the room is located in a brick building, then all walls more than 38 centimeters thick will be capital. Often these are all external and internal walls that run along the length of the building. The transverse walls between apartments, as well as those separating the staircase, are also considered to be capital. One-brick walls and gypsum partitions are not load-bearing.
In panel buildings, the load is distributed over a large number of walls. The bearings in such buildings include all of the above, as well as monolithic walls with a thickness of 14, 18 and 20 centimeters. They are usually located perpendicular to the facades. In such houses there are walls with a thickness of 8, 10 and 12 centimeters. They do not have load-bearing properties and are gypsum concrete partitions.
Remodeling interior walls
Very often, tenants of apartment buildings seek to redevelop. And, as a result, they begin to look for these same load-bearing elements in their apartment. To figure out which walls are capital in the room, and which are just partitions, you just need to familiarize yourself with the plan of the house or floor on which the property is located. Everything is clearly and in detail painted there.
If for some reason this is not in the plan, it is best to contact specialists. They will conduct all the necessary research and not only determine where and which walls are located, but also help in drawing up paperwork for redevelopment.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that initially it is necessary to collect all the necessary permits and technical conclusions. Only after that you can start making changes to the supporting structures of your apartment. Under no circumstances should you do the opposite. If you first demolish the main wall or make an opening in it, and then onlythink about legalizing the alteration, then you will get a lot of problems.
In brick and panel houses, redevelopment has its own characteristics. It is much easier to make it in a brick building than in a panel one. Especially if it is not about demolishing the entire wall, but about creating an opening. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that it will be necessary to order expensive calculations for its strengthening with a detailed description of all nodes.
If we consider redevelopment in a panel building, then it is extremely difficult to implement it. Although, in practice, this is possible for the owners of apartments on the upper floors. On the top floor of panel houses, demolition of individual load-bearing walls is allowed under certain conditions.
It is interesting that in a frame monolithic building there may not be a single main wall at all.
Consequences of unauthorized demolition of the main wall in the apartment
The smallest problem is that you will not be able to carry out any legal procedure: neither to sell, nor to inherit, nor to re-register an apartment with a non-legal redevelopment. The most dangerous - ceilings can collapse and bury everyone who will be inside at that moment. If such an apartment is located in the lower part of the building, then, most likely, all the apartments located above it will collapse.
Any redevelopment must be agreed with the relevant authorities. However, such an event will be expensive and take a long time due to the large number of approvals. A capital wall is not an element that can be removed or redone at will.
