Timber above front door, can it be cut into?

[kevinsmbuk]

I am currently adding exterior lighting to the front of my house and the cabling you can see in the pic below will be connected to another exterior light which will be powered from a switch in the porch.

Looking at the picture below the current windows are being removed as well as the front door to the middle. New brickwork will be built either half the width of the current windows and a composite door fitted with two side panels.

I want to know if the timber above the door and window can be cut/chased into for my lighting cabling, this will then be chased in to the wall (which is to be built) and go out to the front where the light needs to be placed. The room is single storey pitched tiled roof.

The further pic below (sorry it's laughable I know! done on my phone...) just shows you where the brickwork will be going and the cable drop and exit where the cross is.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

That bit of timber is unlikely to be structural but something will be supporting the walls above (unless you're timber framed)- have you got one of those endoscope cameras so you can have a look in the ceiling space at the wall & see if there's a lump of metal above that timber.

That little nib you're proposing will be a pain unless you use a wall starter kit & even then it may give you probems with the door hung on it or slamming against it. You'd (IMHO) be better off leaving the aperture as it is & fitting door/window set sized for it. You can still have your light switch on the return to the right of the window either way (chased down and in)- means you don't have to touch the timber.

 

[catlad]

I can't see your images

 

[noseall]

Looks like an in-fill timber to me. Yeah, cut it.

 

[kevinsmbuk]

That bit of timber is unlikely to be structural but something will be supporting the walls above (unless you're timber framed)- have you got one of those endoscope cameras so you can have a look in the ceiling space at the wall & see if there's a lump of metal above that timber.

That little nib you're proposing will be a pain unless you use a wall starter kit & even then it may give you probems with the door hung on it or slamming against it. You'd (IMHO) be better off leaving the aperture as it is & fitting door/window set sized for it. You can still have your light switch on the return to the right of the window either way (chased down and in)- means you don't have to touch the timber.

Thanks for your reply. I didn't think it would be anything structural.

I'm afraid the door is already ready to be fitted with the side panels we are just waiting for a bricky to build the opening to the correct width for the new door and side panels. Unfortunately keeping it the same width looks completely naff hence why we have reduced the opening, will probably render after to hide where the brickwork will be toothed in.

At the moment all the wiring is done and the 2 gang switch is behind me in this pic. It is already running the downlights in the porch, the 2nd switch will run the outside lights. All cabling runs through the ceiling void. It's a pitched tiled roof single storey so no upstairs walls to support, just the roof. Walls are brick. 1960s house.

When you say it could cause problems cutting a nib there, in what way do you mean? It would be directly above the new brick wall.

Thanks for your help

 

[kevinsmbuk]

Looks like an in-fill timber to me. Yeah, cut it.

That's what I thought, being single storey pitched tiled roof would there be a lintel behind it? Making it facing timber??

 

[noseall]

being single storey pitched tiled roof

Oh...I didn't know that. Do the ceiling joists go onto that timber or do they go in the other direction?

Or is there a 'purlin' supporting the rafters..?

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Thanks for your reply. I didn't think it would be anything structural.

I'm afraid the door is already ready to be fitted ........

When you say it could cause problems cutting a nib there, in what way do you mean? It would be directly above the new brick wall.

Thanks for your help

Not cutting a nib in- your new bit of wall (in your sketch about 1.5 bricks wide). Unless it is properly tied into the existing brickwork (and ideally packed at the top so it has some vertical load on it) it will flap about a bit- you'll be caulking the join between it & the house wall forever especially if it is on the slam side of the door rather than the hinge side

 

[kevinsmbuk]

Oh...I didn't know that. Do the ceiling joists go onto that timber or do they go in the other direction?

Or is there a 'purlin' supporting the rafters..?

I probably also should have mentioned that the roof was originally a flat roof and it was converted (probably in 70s) to a pitched tiled roof. So when I had to create an access hole in the ceiling to bring wiring thought it consisted of plasterboard, timber batons (which I think the previous owner done to fix pb to) then hardboard (about 6mm) then the original flat roof so like tongue and Grove floorboards with felt above.

I'm answer to your question there doesn't seem to be celling joists, so assuming there is purlins.

 

[kevinsmbuk]

Not cutting a nib in- your new bit of wall (in your sketch about 1.5 bricks wide). Unless it is properly tied into the existing brickwork (and ideally packed at the top so it has some vertical load on it) it will flap about a bit- you'll be caulking the join between it & the house wall forever especially if it is on the slam side of the door rather than the hinge side

I see what you mean, on the outside they will tooth out in on the inside out will have a tie in kit?

You still think that would happen even if the chase in the brick work would be in the centre of the pillar?

I may not even need to go that far , assume once wall is built they will dot and dab plasterboard to the inside that might give me enough clearance for wirin ?

 

[oldbutnotdead]

The chase won't do any harm & if the new bit is toothed/tied in properly it should be OK...