On 05/04/2019 12:39, Dan S. MacAbre wrote:

I doubt it,

Yup, contrary to popular belief, stud walls can be load bearing.

but I want to saw a big hole in one, so I need to ask.Â* Our
stairs go up the middle of the house, at 90 degrees to all the beams.
There is a breeze block wall on one side, and a stud wall on the other,
which continues down into the kitchen.Â* I'd like to open up the space
under the stairs a bit by removing a big chunk of the stud wall.Â* In the
void, above this wall is a larger-than-the-others beam at 90 degrees to
all the others, and fastened to another very large one in the region of
the top of the stairs by a metal bracket.Â* The beams in one upstairs
room are similarly fastened to this first large beam, so they are
aligned with all the others.Â* I'm assuming that the paramount (I think
it is called) board, and the vertical bits of wood that hold it in place
(about an inch and a half square section) are not supporting this large
beam; but before I start sawing through it all, I'd like to hear some
opinions :-)

Photo would help.

However inch and a half square sounds unlikely to be structural.
Normally it would be 4x2 or better.

I know this description probably doesn't help at all, but is it ever the
case that a paramount board stud wall can support a beam going across
the top of it?Â* I mean, if it ever got wet, it would be catastrophic :-)

The board would provide none of the structural strength, in a structural
stud wall, its the uprights that do the work normally.

A straight run of stairs will normally be adequately supported at the
top and bottom. However they might also provide a pulin style timber at
mid span to add rigidity. (stairs that "wind" (i.e. turn a corner) will
need proper support at the turn.


--
Cheers,

John.

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