Is there a lintel in my arch?

[Charly]

Hello! 

 

I want to square-off the archway as shown in the picture below, marked-up in red.

 

I've chopped away some of the artex to reveal some concrete which has the original black plaster around it I believe.

 

By looking at the photos, do you think there is a lintel or some sort of support to hold up the walls above? Can I go ahead and square the arch off? Is there a way I can find out if there is a lintel in there?

 

- The wall with the arch is a supporting wall I believe as has foundations below it, solid walls above it and has joists resting on it in the attic.

 

Any help would be massively appreciated.

 

Many thanks - Charley

 

[Russell griffiths]

Get a hammer and smash it into the curved bit, I will bet my right one it’s metal mesh with plaster over it, or plasterboard cut to a curve plastered over. 

So in effect the arch is a dummy and performs no structural function. 

 

Go on dare ya. 

[Declan52]

Don't be as rough as @Russell griffiths and wack it with a hammer. A drill and a masonry bit will tell you what's there. If it's hard going it's concrete. If it bursts through in seconds its plasterboard.

[Charly]

Thank you, I had already waked it with a hammer  and seems pretty solid I'll put a drill through it tomorrow... thanks again

[Moonshine]

17 minutes ago, Charly said:

Thank you, I had already waked it with a hammer  and seems pretty solid I'll put a drill through it tomorrow... thanks again

 

That looks solid to me!

[Russell griffiths]

@Declan52  you chicken, 

just had a thought @Charly is your house poured concrete, ash type construction. 

As there’s no way I can see that arch being structural it’s far too flat to be structural brickwork, but it could be one of those flyash concrete type mixes where they poured them between shuttering. 

 

Take me off more plaster where a lintel may be. 

Edited December 2, 2019 by Jeremy Harris
Fixed wrong user reference

[Russell griffiths]

Did they cover those solid builds with a bitumen paint before plaster, is that what we can see???

 

as it does look a bit more solid the more I look. 

 

Hope you not going to make me cut my right one off if I’m wrong. 

[Russell griffiths]

Im intrigued now, can you not do it tonight @Charly

Edited December 2, 2019 by Jeremy Harris
Fixed wrong user reference

[Ed Davies]

Note, @Charlie, @Charley and @Charly are distinct accounts. ?

[Jeremy Harris]

Thanks @Ed Davies, I've now fixed all the call outs above to other members with a similar username.

[joe90]

2 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

As there’s no way I can see that arch being structural it’s far too flat to be structural brickwork

 

Not sure that’s right, see 

 

[Brickie]

14 hours ago, joe90 said:

 

Not sure that’s right, see 

 

Be very surprised to see an internal elliptical arch anywhere other than a stately home. 

[scottishjohn]

If its not got a lintel --it should have  ,and as you say its load bearing 

then you need to know 

[Charly]

Thanks for all the help, 

 

@Russell griffiths the house is victorian, I assumed the black was some kind of older plaster, it appears on other walls just in areas like it's been used to patch?

 

@Declan52 I've drilled into it in a couple of places around 40mm and just seems to be solid concrete?

Pics below - do you reckon ok to remove curved arch bits???

 

Thanks 

 

 

[Declan52]

I think your going to have to chip of the plaster in the circle section So you can see exactly what is there. 

Can you lift the what ever is on the floor in the room above to see what direction the joists go. This will let you know if the wall is load bearing. The wall might even continue upwards.

 

[Charly]

Thanks @Declan52 I'll chop that away tomorrow. The joists run across that wall and the wall continues up into the first floor and again in the attic the joints rest/overlap on that wall. Cheers

[Declan52]

So it's carrying a lot of weight so don't go swinging the sledge hammer just yet.