DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Im new to this, so I hope what Ive writen can be understood. I am renovating a property. On the ground floor there is an old pantry, one wall is brick and the other side is plaster stud. I want to remove the brick wall but there are three joists which are almost certainly using the wall for support. The studd wall is not load bearing and I intend to Build an inside brick wall here to complete the kitchen area. I had intended to extend the joists onto the new brick wall by bolting/sandwiching them, thereby transfering the load about 1mtr to the new wall. On closer inspection under the floor boards I have found that right at the spot I want to extend the joists they change direction, so they cannot be extended because the other joists are running across them. Could I use joist hangers on the cross joists, extend the joists I want to and hang them in the hangers. Has anyone any ideas please.
Alf

You can't transfer extra load onto an existing joist without increasing its size Alf. The upstairs joists were put in to carry the imposed load from upstairs furniture and foot traffic, this is how the sizes are worked out. See our project on floor joist spans. To ask them to carry new joists and in turn more traffic could be dangerous. You need to work out how thick the joist needs to be to carry the load of all the new joists and their imposed load.

Thanks for that doc, if I had someone in to look at the problem for me, do I need a structual engineer or a surveyor. Im not sure who I would have to call in, I know it will cost, but I want to get the job done.