How to widen a hole in a brick wall. Is it possible to increase the window opening in the apartment? Ways to expand the window

To understand how to make a doorway in a brick wall or just widen it, you need to understand the structure of the masonry and the principles of mounting the lintel above the door frame. Also, do not forget that you may have an ordinary partition in front of you, but it may also be a load-bearing wall, and here the process becomes more complicated.

This is what we will talk about, and in addition to the material, we will watch the video in this article.

Door and window openings

In the partition

• In principle, from a technical point of view, there is not much difference in such actions as expanding or creating a new seat, since moving a doorway in a brick wall is, first of all, inserting and fixing a jumper at the top.
  This function is the most important for both partitions and load-bearing walls, and dismantling is much easier. But, first of all, you need to draw the place of the opening or its expansion.

• As a rule, a thick bar is installed in such holes on the partitions as a crossbar, and if you need to expand it, then all the same, just like when creating a new opening, you need a new jumper.
  Therefore, first of all, mark out a place for such a beam and cut it out with a grinder (a building brick cuts a diamond-coated disc well). Then insert the bolt there and fix it tightly so that its ends have absolutely no play.
• The ends of the jumper should protrude beyond the edges of the opening by at least 10 cm in each direction.. As a beam, you can use a wooden beam or a metal profile, and the rigidity of fixing the ends of the crossbar will be responsible for the reliability of fastening.
  Lay possible gaps with stones, broken bricks and throw cement-sand mortar to make a monolith - this instruction is unchanged for both partitions and load-bearing walls.

• To make the opening neat, the vertical lines also need to be cut with a grinder, as shown in the photo above.
  Of course, a disc with a diameter of 250 mm is best suited for this, but not every home has such a powerful angle grinder - the most common is a grinder with a 180 mm disc, but you can use this one.
• Standard or double silicate brick M 150 has a bed width of 120 mm, so if the partition is made in half a stone, then even a large disk will not cut through it.
  But if the masonry is made of a full-bodied single brick in a quarter-stone, then a 230 or 250 mm disk will pass through it, and a little more than half by 180 mm. For dismantling, this option is not a problem - the brick will still break and the contour will be relatively even.

• When the crossbar is inserted and firmly fixed, you can begin to dismantle the masonry and you need to start with one brick, clearing the seams around it as much as possible. Then you simply break this brick with your own hands with a hammer and a chisel or a perforator.
  It is also possible, to facilitate dismantling, to drill 5-10 holes through the brick (it is easy to do this with a perforator) and after that the stone will split much better.

Advice. With a diamond-coated disc, a lot of dust is generated, which settles for a long time after that.
To reduce its amount, wet the cut area with plenty of water, and position the angle grinder on vertical lines so that it throws dust into the floor, and not into the ceiling.

In a load bearing wall

• If you don’t know what kind of masonry on the load-bearing wall and the opening should be done initially (do not expand), then go through the wall with a crown cutter for concrete and diameter, while trying to take the crown as much as possible so that your hand crawls there, or you can even highlight it with a flashlight .
  So you can find out the number of bricks that you have to go through, after all, then a heater, and then another half-brick. You yourself understand that the visible front of work is much lighter than the incomprehensible, that is, invisible.

• The beginning of dismantling is the same as on the partition - draw an opening, cut out a place for the crossbar and fix it firmly. Then you choose an opening on one side of the wall and make metal supports for the crossbar, as you can see in the photo above.
  At the same time, do not forget that the price of negligence or neglect of safety regulations in this case - human health or even life - an unsupported floor may fall.
• The brickwork of the doorway is dismantled on both sides of the wall so that the supports are on both sides and the structure is not weakened. After the opening is ready, the metal supports are interconnected with metal strips for rigidity.

Advice. In order for the opening to coincide on both sides of the load-bearing wall, you need to drill through it at the cut points (at the corners and several holes along the lines).
In this case, the perforator must be strictly perpendicular to the wall.

• Well, if you are interested in how to properly lay a doorway with a brick, then on both sides, after 2-5 rows, drill pieces of reinforcement into the end of the wall to make a dressing. After such an operation, the masonry will turn out to be complete, and after plastering or puttying, no one will know that there was an opening there before. (see also )

Conclusion

Now you know how to lay a doorway with a brick or vice versa, how to cut it out in such a wall. You can not doubt your abilities, and feel free to get to work - if you follow the recommendations, you will succeed. But for a multi-storey building, you will need coordination with the relevant organizations for dismantling.

Redevelopment in our time has become a common form of improving living conditions and giving the house a modern look. Design projects sometimes surprise with their unusualness, and often it is required not only to decorate the room, but also to expand the doorway. For these changes, there are established norms, instructions. When taking into account the features of the house, observing safety precautions, the process will not be too laborious.

If it was necessary to narrow or widen the doorway of a multi-storey building, it is necessary to coordinate such actions with the BTI.

In the technical passport for an apartment, doorways and doors are indicated schematically and, as a rule, without indicating dimensions. However, the BTI has such information, because when changing the dimensions of even the front door, the scheme of the floor plan is violated, and problems may arise during the future sale of the apartment.

Changes in the size and location of the opening, according to the legislation of the country, are redevelopment and should be legalized. Permission to expand the doorway is issued by the BTI.

Permissible parameters and standards

Increasing the size of the door opening is a simple task, provided that the wall is not load-bearing. The main thing to pay attention to is the acceptable parameters of the standards.

As a rule, the norms of SNiP are taken as a basis, providing for dimensions:

1. Width - from 55 to 80 cm, depending on the purpose. For example, doors for a kitchen or bathroom can be 55 cm wide, but for living rooms and living rooms - 80 cm.
2. Height - from 190 to 210 cm.

Do not exclude the restrictions that apply to this type of work:

1. The span of the bearing wall is no more than 200 cm with a maximum height of 210 cm.
2. It is desirable to strengthen the extended passages with a support even in the center.

Important: to legally increase the size of the doorway, the relevant documents are required:

• references from BTI;
• architectural plan;
• extract from the house book (if any);
• phased repair plan.

Tools and fixtures

To change the width of the doorway in an apartment of a multi-storey building, you will need a number of standard tools:

• plane;
• perforator;
• drill;
• screwdriver;
• Bulgarian;
• pliers;
• screwdrivers;
• saw on wood;
• hammer;
• sledgehammer;
• chisel.

If we take into account that there are various methods for expanding or destroying a wall, then the tools for each method will be different:

1. Rough way. A sledgehammer and a jackhammer are used. Initially, the contours are marked, and with the help of tools, the excess is beaten off.
2. Dry cutting takes place with the help of a grinder, which cuts out the contours.
3. Wet cutting occurs with the help of a spray gun and a grinder.

Experts experienced in this matter advise, after the expansion procedure, to view the walls for cracks or defects that must be eliminated.

Safety precautions when performing reconstruction in an apartment

When carrying out any installation or dismantling work, safety precautions must be observed. Even when expanding the doorway, protective equipment such as a respirator, goggles, gloves should be used. It is also best to wear a special construction suit. This is necessary so as not to get dirty.

Remember: construction work is always very dangerous, so by adhering to safety rules, you will protect yourself from unpleasant incidents.

Expansion of the doorway

Changing the width of the doorway is a laborious task that requires prior approval, so it is better to carry out such construction work according to pre-prepared drawings. When contacting specialists, the calculations will be correct.

Reconstruction in a panel house

Most often, the issue of changing the opening arises in panel-type rooms, because many do not know how to expand doorways in a concrete wall.

Redevelopment in high-rise buildings should be carried out in a short time, and if a new partition is created, it must be quickly erected, since the procedure is very noisy.

So that the neighbors do not have a negative reaction, it is first necessary:

• warn them about upcoming work;
• prepare the workspace;
• purchase special containers for collecting garbage.

Reconstruction of a doorway in a panel-type house is carried out in the following stages:

1. Dismantling of the old door structure. And it does not matter what material it is made of - metal or it was a wooden copy.
2. Remove the fabric from the hinges. Cut the racks with a grinder.
3. If the height also increases, the jumper is removed.
4. Outlining the contour along which the expansion will occur.
5. Holes are made along the contour using an impact drill - to simplify further work.
6. The panels are cut one by one.
7. At the end, the excess is removed with a sledgehammer.

In such a house, it is desirable to strengthen the doorway with planks, corners, so that the structure does not accidentally collapse.

Modifying an opening in a brick wall

To expand the doorway in the brick wall of a multi-storey building, it is imperative to follow all safety precautions, carefully so as not to destroy the masonry. It is not recommended to work with a sledgehammer.

If everything is done carefully, observing the following algorithm of actions, then the increase in the opening will be successful.

1. First you need to make a markup (contours).
2. If necessary, it is better to move the jumper, and then strengthen the masonry from above.
3. The planned piece of the wall is cut with a special tool - usually a grinder.
4. The inner end is knocked out with a sledgehammer.
5. The perimeter is cleared with hammers.
6. Bulgarian cut off the edges of the passage.

After completing such work with a brick wall, you need to make sure that it is intact. When cracks form, they are treated with plaster.

Please note that the width of the doorway, according to the rules, does not exceed two meters, since the redistribution of loads is dangerous. To avoid this, you can make the installation of the column.

Changes to a load-bearing wall with reinforcement

If it becomes necessary to increase the doorway of the load-bearing wall, monitor the load level and strengthen the structure. Additional reinforcement, partitions or other structures are used.

To strengthen the load-bearing wall, you should follow the tips:

1. Mount the steel can in the part of the opening that is at the top. Under it, cut a small niche, the size of which is no more than one and a half bricks.
2. Fill empty spaces with pre-prepared cement mortar.
3. Fix the channel in the niche.
4. Allow time for the cement to dry.

One of the most effective and reliable ways to change the opening and strengthen the bearing walls is to fix the frames located on both sides of the span.

When increasing the opening of the load-bearing wall, it is also necessary to pay attention to ensure that no cracks form, which in the future can lead to the destruction of the entire building.

Enlargement of the opening in the form of an arch

Enlarging the opening-arch is a painstaking work that only experienced builders can do. Such work is done carefully, with special equipment. The most common is the technology of diamond cutting.

It is important to remember: the arch can be of any shape. A not very smooth bend can be attributed to the designer's idea. The thickness of the arch should not be greater than the thickness of the walls.

Reconstruction begins with the dismantling of the old door. Then the old plaster is eliminated and the opening is leveled.

It is best to use diamond cutting according to pre-made markings when expanding. However, do not forget to periodically wet the walls to avoid the formation of dust.

At the end of the work, the structure must be fixed with plates and special bolts. The finished arch is optionally painted or wallpapered.

Of course, with a strong desire, the landlord is able to perform these works on his own by purchasing the necessary set of tools and materials. You should first familiarize yourself with the information on this type of work - there are many text and video materials on this topic on the Internet.

In order to avoid trouble, when carrying out work, it is recommended to initially consult with knowledgeable people, and even better - use their help.

If there is a need to expand the doorway, then it is worth remembering that this process is quite laborious and requires a responsible approach. And it's not just about doing physical work. Before you start any work, you must obtain a special permit. A little more about how the process of increasing the doorway is performed can be found in the article.

Key Features

The expansion of the doorway can be attributed to the redevelopment process, since as a result of this process the original plan of the room is changed. In a private house, this can be done without difficulty, since there is no risk of harming neighbors. An apartment is another matter. To expand the doorway, you first need to draw up the necessary project documentation for each type of work performed.

Extension methods

There are several main methods, among which the more popular ones can be noted:

1. With a puncher or hammer.

Considered the easiest way. First you need to designate all the areas that you want to remove, and only after that proceed with the process. This method does not require special knowledge and skills.

Among the minuses, one can note the possibility of cracks in the concrete wall if the tool is mishandled. In this case, additional finishing work will be required to cover up all the cracks. If the dimensions of the cracks formed are significant, then you will have to think about additional strengthening of the wall.

1. With the help of a grinder

This method allows you to make a cut in the wall without much effort. The grinder can even cope with reinforcement without any difficulties if the wall is made of reinforced concrete. In this case, it is important to ensure that the cut is the same size on each side of the opening.

Among the minuses is a huge amount of dust after the work performed, as well as a short service life of the grinder blade. To reduce the amount of dust, you can wet the surface of the wall with a spray bottle with water before cutting.

1. With a cutter

A convenient way that allows you to quickly and accurately, as well as without the formation of dust, to expand the doorway. It is usually used in wooden and brick houses. However, after performing work with a cutter, you should carefully inspect the walls for chips or cracks. If any are found, they must be removed immediately to avoid possible destruction of the structure.

How to get permission?

As mentioned above, if work is required to be carried out in an apartment, then an appropriate permit must be obtained. To do this, you first need to prepare the necessary documents, including:

• Project documentation;
• BTI registration certificate;
• Written application for permission to work.

There are cases when, when installing a new door, you need to expand the doorway. For example, when redeveloping old housing, when the owners want to radically change the interior of the apartment. In addition, the purchase of large-sized furniture requires expansion, since otherwise it will not be possible to bring it into the apartment. Typically, this problem occurs with owners of old small apartments built in Soviet times.
An example of expanding the doorway to the balcony

According to GOST, there are certain standards for door parameters, but in reality, doorways can deviate up or down. At this time, in most cases, manufacturers adhere to generally accepted standards and manufacture canvases in accordance with GOST. But, if the opening does not fit in size, then you need to pretty much overpay by ordering an individual door. It is worth noting that standard sizes are prescribed in standard documents depending on the purpose of the rooms in the apartment. Consider the dimensions according to GOST for odnushka:

If the apartment has many rooms and there is a living room, then with an opening height of 2000 mm, the width can vary from 800 to 1200 mm.

An example of expanding and strengthening the doorway to the living room

If the doorways in your apartment meet the standards, then you will not have problems choosing a new canvas, since the assortment of these sizes in stores is large.

If there are significant deviations in either direction, then you need to order an individual model. It will not be cheap, and if you add the installation price to the cost of the door, it will turn out to be quite an expensive pleasure.

It will be much cheaper to produce a process such as expanding the doorway under a regular door. This option is inexpensive and widely available. Rather than overpay for an individual order and for extras or a thickened box, it is better to slightly correct the opening itself under the door and.

Read also

Installing a water heater on a plasterboard wall

Expansion of the doorway of a panel house

It is important to know that before carrying out work to expand the doorway of the front door, you need to obtain permission from the relevant authority, as this is a redevelopment that needs to be legalized.

Stages of expanding the doorway in a panel house Before starting work, you need to prepare, cover the furniture with polyethylene. In addition, it is worth stocking up on safety glasses and gloves to prevent injury during work. To increase the opening in the apartment of a panel house, you must do the following:

Expansion of the opening for doors in a brick or concrete wall

Expansion in a concrete house

Before starting work, you need to prepare a drill and not one, a chisel, a puncher and a sledgehammer. This will be a drilling expansion method. There is another way to increase the opening with a grinder, but you should understand that this is a very dusty job. Drilling method - technology:

Interesting: in the case of expanding the entrance to a concrete wall, reinforcement is not necessary.

Expansion of the opening in a brick building

We considered how to expand the opening in a panel house, a concrete wall, but questions may arise about the increase in a brick building.
An example of expanding and strengthening an opening in a brick building In the case of a brick wall, some difficulties may arise, since if the force is applied incorrectly, the entire brick structure may collapse, especially if it is of poor quality. Step-by-step instruction:

• dismantle the door and outline the contours of the expansion;
• in this case, it is necessary to strengthen the opening with the help of a profile corner and jumpers;
• you need to do the work only with a grinder, since using a sledgehammer or a puncher, you can knock out extra bricks;
• as soon as the opening is enlarged, revise the brickwork of the wall, it should remain intact. If there are cracks, they are sealed with cement mortar and after.

Read also

Plasterboard patterns on the ceiling and walls

The video shows in detail how to enlarge the opening in a brick building.

Ways to strengthen the opening after expansion in the main structure

When the doorway is located in the load-bearing wall and it needs to be made larger, you need to understand that the load on this structure will be increased, so you need to strengthen the opening first. You can use special profile structures or conventional fittings, it all depends on financial capabilities.
The algorithm for strengthening the enlarged opening for doors in the supporting structure:

1. Take a steel beam and mount it on the opening, in its upper part, under which a small niche is cut out.
2. Fill voids with cement mortar.
3. Then mount the channel.
4. Then the vertical part of the opening is strengthened.

You can simply weld a special frame to the size of the opening and install it as a reinforcement.
Option to strengthen the opening with a special frame Expanding doorways is a job that cannot be done without dust and dirt, so you need to cover all furniture and household items well before starting. In addition, you should take care of your own safety - wear gloves, a protective mask and goggles. Important! Before you start to increase the doorway, weigh and measure everything well. You should also not forget that there should be at least 3-5 cm of free space between the door frame and the wall, which is filled with mounting foam during installation.

In the process of repair, for one reason or another, it may be necessary to expand the doorway. It is quite possible to do this, but it is important to follow some rules. The process itself is very laborious, so it should only be performed if it is really necessary and alternative methods cannot be dispensed with.

With a significant expansion of the doorway, the installation of reinforcement is required.

Valid parameters

In a private house, it is much easier to solve the problem of rebuilding individual parts of the building. Nevertheless, we must not forget about the established norms and restrictions. In the apartment, any such actions should be agreed in advance with the BTI. Violation of the norms when trying to expand the opening can lead to the fact that the wall will not withstand the load and the building will become dangerous for people to stay in it.

To prevent this, it is important to know what restrictions exist for expanding the opening of an entrance or interior door. For most designs, the standard dimensions are 70-80 cm. Most often, a change in these values ​​\u200b\u200bis due to the acquisition of a door block of the wrong size.

The maximum allowable openings are 200 cm wide and 210 cm high. At the same time, it is desirable not to build them in load-bearing structures. An exception may be the opening of the front door, but in this case it should be further strengthened.

Scheme of strengthening the opening in the load-bearing wall with the connection of the lintel from channels

Tools for the job

To increase the doorway in modern construction, various tools and fixtures can be used. There are several ways to dismantle the excess wall:

• Rough method. In this case, tools such as a sledgehammer, puncher, jackhammer and the like are used. In this case, it is necessary to first outline the contours and use the tools to knock down the excess. Of course, the process is very time-consuming, besides, there is another threat here - the formation of microcracks due to a large shock load. This may require additional finishing work and generally impair the strength of the wall structure.
• dry cutting. For this purpose, such a familiar tool as a grinder is used. With its help, you can easily cut out the contours you need in shape. Including she copes with fittings. The downside is that you will have to cut on both sides, and it is not always possible to exactly match the cuts. In addition, dry cutting leads to the formation of a large amount of dust and quickly wears out the diamond blade.
• Wet cutting. For this purpose, you can use a spray gun and irrigate the work surface while working with a grinder, but a more rational method would be to use a special construction cutter. It is equipped with a large diamond blade and a water tank. With it, you can cut an opening of the desired size in one go and at the same time with minimal contamination. True, the cost of such equipment is considerable.

The main ways to dismantle part of the wall in the opening

When carrying out such work, be sure to use personal protective equipment: goggles and a respirator, they will protect you from dust and small fragments.

Panel house

Most often, it becomes necessary to expand the doorway in a panel house. In high-rise buildings, this issue is quite problematic, since in addition to a large amount of construction debris, there is also a negative reaction of neighbors to such noisy repair work. That is why it is necessary to minimize the time of dismantling the structure. The best option, affordable, is a grinder.

First you need to completely remove the old door frame from the opening. The supporting wooden beams are also dismantled. Next, you need to make the appropriate measurements and outline the contours of the passage desired in terms of dimensions.

If an opening is being widened in a load-bearing wall, especially adjacent to the front door, an important aspect is the temporary strengthening of the structure. It is best to initially cut out only the upper part and transfer the jumper. Despite the increase in width, it should go deep into the wall by at least 15-20 cm on each side.

When expanding the opening in a panel house, an important aspect is the temporary strengthening of the structure.

Cutting is carried out along the intended contour, first from one side of the room, and then from the other. The most problematic areas are the outlet of the reinforcement. After the metal bars are cut, you can pick up a sledgehammer and remove excess concrete. If the opening area is significant, you need to work in squares. To do this, the wall is divided into sections and sawed additional lines. Dismantling is carried out from top to bottom so that the upper tiers do not fall on you during the work.

Brick house

A slightly different process is the expansion of the opening in a brick wall. It is important to be careful here, as excessive shock loading can lead to the destruction of the entire masonry. It is best to perform this operation in the following sequence:

1. Outline the contours of the future opening.
2. Move the jumper if necessary. Can be used as reinforcement metal channel.
3. You need to remove the extra bricks one by one. To begin with, the solution is cleaned from the seams as much as possible. Then, using a puncher, drill or chisel with a hammer, break the brick into small pieces.
4. With a large area of ​​work, you can clean the contour of the opening, and knock out the inside of the masonry with a sledgehammer.
5. The extreme contours are cut off by a grinder. For arched vaults, you first need to free the edges of the bricks around the perimeter.

When expanding the opening in a brick wall, a jumper must be used to strengthen

If you need to make a wide entrance opening in a brick house, you will additionally need to cut off the reinforcement.

After rough work, check the integrity of the masonry and, if necessary, plaster cracks and split seams.

Height increase

In addition to expanding the doorway in the load-bearing wall, it may also be necessary to increase it in height. In this case, you can not do without the transfer of the horizontal jumper. Without it, the entire load will fall on the fragile door structure, which can lead to a collapse of the wall.

How to safely increase the doorway in height? To do this, you must first install props in the aisle. Then, with the help of a grinder, vertical cuts are made and the excess concrete is knocked down. The old jumper is removed. Its edges can be left in the wall or replaced with a brick substrate. The new crossbar is installed higher and covered with mortar. Further work can be done only after it dries.

To safely increase the opening in height, you need to install a jumper

It is not recommended to carry out such manipulations in the bearing wall. If such a need is unavoidable, follow the rules for dismantling and in no case deviate from the established norms, their violation is fraught with a fine and, moreover, life-threatening.

The desire to equip an arched opening or install a new door leads to the expansion and increase in the height of the opening. If it is permissible to cut an opening of any complexity in an interior partition made of lightweight material, then openings in load-bearing walls definitely require special attention.

Existing risks

Modern factory door designs very often do not pass for installation in the interior opening of Soviet-era apartments, and only the expansion of the openings saves the situation.

Enlarged openings in load-bearing walls

In addition, the new blocks have completely standard door sizes, which are very different from the old products that have settled in place over the past decades. This may be the height, but more often the doorway does not suit the width. In this case, it will be possible to solve the problem of decorative and functional arrangement of the interior transition only by increasing the hole in the wall or narrowing (reducing) it.

Let's talk about increasing the passage between adjacent rooms. Only not always, it turns out, it is safe to expand the hole for the door in different types of buildings.

For example, if you restore a partition, which is not the main functional basis of the structure, made of plasterboard (gypsum board), sibit (cellular aerated concrete) or other lightweight building material, then nothing bad will happen. On the contrary, the work will be somewhat troublesome if we consider the transfer of metal profiles under the plasterboard, but successfully.

In partitions made of plasterboard, the opening is expanded by transferring the profile and cutting the sheet

It is quite another matter to increase passages in load-bearing walls. Reconstruction of such a plan in partitions of bearing significance is already considered a redevelopment of the premises. This means that the work must be carried out in full compliance with a separate project, which contains an accurate engineering calculation of the redistribution of loads on the floor after the full scope of the changes made.

Officially developed project for strengthening the opening

To reproduce such work in multi-apartment buildings, it is required to collect a complete package of documents regarding regional requirements:

• certificates from the local BTI;
• documentation for the ownership of the dwelling, an extract from the house book;
• floor plan of the entire building;
• a plan for future reconstruction from an architectural organization;
• plan for all stages of future work and so on.

Minimum damage of incorrect redevelopment

If you think about it, then the decision to increase the passage in the apartment will bring a lot of red tape, but it's worth it. After all, this list of documents, first of all, is needed not for show, but personally for the safety of you, your loved ones and people living around your apartment. Unauthorized damage to the load-bearing partition in a multi-storey building can lead, at a minimum, to the collapse of the wall, and at the maximum, to fill up part of the house. We do not need irreparable consequences, we only need to strengthen the openings.

Calculations of expansion parameters under doors

If there is a door structure, under which you need to fit the hole in the wall in size, you can calculate the exact parameters of the work. It will not work to cut an opening by eye, it is better to make an accurate markup. To make an opening with your own hands for the exact dimensions of the structure, it is worth making the following measurements:

• the height and width of the existing door;
• thickness and width of the door frame that comes with the kit;
• remove the width of the platbands that are planned to be installed;
• pick up the threshold and remove its height, if, of course, it will be installed.

Calculation of the dimensions of the opening and the door located in it

So, the calculation of the available sizes is as follows:

• The required width of the passage in the wall consists of the following parameters: the width of the door leaf, the thickness of the frame rack, technological gaps on each side (≈2 cm).
• The doorway in height is revealed as follows: the height of the nut is added to the thickness of the box, plus a technological gap.
• The passage wall thickness is generally 75 mm. For other indicators, extensions are added if the walls are much wider, or a door box with a narrower beam is selected.

Do-it-yourself arch calculation

If you want to arrange an arched vault in the transition to neighboring rooms, you cannot avoid expanding the transitions to neighboring rooms.

The dimensions of the arches depending on the width of the opening

Making an opening in the form of an arch is not difficult, the main thing is to properly prepare for the work, that is, to calculate the arch. The arched opening can have any type of configuration. That is, you can make any shape of the arched vault, and write off the curved bend for a creative look at the matter.

It is much more difficult to make a classic-shaped arch with an oval regular bend of 45 cm, so we stock up on the following inventory for calculation work on a scale of 1:50:

• compass;
• paper;
• Pythagorean theorem from the school curriculum: R²=L²+(R²-H²).

It has long been derived from the well-known Pythagorean formula, and the masters of the construction business use the formula to calculate the exact radius of the circle of the future arch in the opening R = L² + H² / 2H.

Opening size: r is the radius of the circle, L is half the chord of the arc, h is the height of the lift

You can make it a little easier when determining the radius of the classic arch shape, but not quite exactly:

• draw a doorway of future expanded natural sizes on paper (previously, a cut of wallpaper for walls was used for this);
• a compass is placed on the axis of symmetry and, by changing the radius, several arcs are drawn;
• the best option is selected, and the remaining radii are erased.

Where does the expansion process begin?

Carved archway in a concrete wall

Before you make the doorway in the wall wider, you should take care not only to dismantle the old door structure, but also to strengthen the openings. In panel buildings, reinforcement can be made after the cutting of concrete is completed, but brick openings require some attention to themselves. You can make a monumental opening in a brick load-bearing wall with your own hands, but this will require the following list of material and tools:

• steel channel cross-section in the form of "P";
• coupling bolts with a diameter of 20 mm;
• studs d16 mm;
• steel plate sheet steel;
• metal corners;
• cement mortar;
• electric drill;
• petrol cutter, electric cutter or manual grinder with a diamond wheel;

Unloading a load-bearing wall when using a jack

Concrete cutting can be done using a variety of tools, but diamond cutting is the most acceptable option.

• props or jacks for the period of work;
• perforator when working with a brick wall.

The cross section of the beam and the class of material used in the work to reinforce the opening is determined during preliminary calculations of the future load. The data obtained must be included in the design document for the redevelopment of the interior. The length of the steel channel is selected so that its profile enters the thickness of the brick wall by at least 25 centimeters.

Strengthening the opening of a brick wall with a channel

In the channel, it is better to immediately make holes for the tie bolts, which need at least 3 pieces per opening of medium length. It is desirable to distribute the screeds along the channel at a distance of 50 cm.

Demolition works in brick and concrete walls

Diamond cutting of opening

The expansion of openings by cutting concrete begins according to a pre-created marking on the plane. Diamond cutting will make the process a little easier, especially if you use wheels that reach a depth of cuts of 10 centimeters. During work, it is recommended to constantly wet the walls to reduce dust formation. And don't forget about security:

• special glasses;
• respirator;
• gloves;
• protective suit.

It should be noted that openings in load-bearing walls require bilateral work. That is, cutting an opening on both sides of the premises, due to the massiveness.

Strengthening the openings, as noted earlier, is done before the dismantling of the wall. The best option to strengthen the reliability of a partition of a bearing value would be to use welded frames on both sides, pulled together with studs through the walls.

Reinforced opening design

Concrete walls are cut out in small squares, rectangles or squares. Whereas in brick partitions a through cut is made, and the blocks themselves are knocked down with a puncher, and then with a sledgehammer if necessary. The use of a hammer drill for concrete is strictly not recommended. A strong vibration impact can be destructive to the panel, and cause a series of microcracks, which will weaken the entire structure. Brick walls require a completely different approach, as demonstrated in the video below.

Projects of old and modern high-rise buildings do not always suit individual apartment residents. Narrow doors create discomfort, prevent the passage of large-sized furniture. To solve the problem, the openings are expanded by demolishing part of the partition. There is a project with the reverse side of the issue - too wide doors. The overall sash sags on its hinges under weight and looks ugly. To solve this problem, the tenants of the apartment begin to narrow the doorway during the overhaul.

Is a change in the size and location of the passage considered a redevelopment?

To expand or narrow the doorway in a panel house, you will have to change the length of the adjacent wall. In the technical passport for the apartment, the door is shown schematically. Dimensions are usually not indicated, but the BTI has all the data. When expanding or narrowing the passage in the wall, the layout of the room, originally provided for in the project, is violated. Over time, if you want to sell an apartment, there will be great difficulties with paperwork.

By law, changing the size or location of the opening for the door unit is considered a redevelopment. Appropriate actions should be legalized. To obtain permission to expand or narrow the doorway between rooms in a panel house, you need to contact the BTI.

Tool

To narrow or expand the doorways in the apartment, you will need the simplest building tool:

• hammer, sledgehammer, long chisel;
• hand saw for wood;
• plane;
• perforator, drill, screwdriver, grinder;
• pliers, curly and straight screwdriver.

The set of materials depends on the work performed. To narrow the interior door opening, you will need a wooden beam, a metal profile, drywall, brick or foam block. The blocks are laid on cement mortar, and the GKL sheets are fixed to the metal frame with self-tapping screws. When expanding the doorway in height, you will need a metal corner to strengthen the upper lintel.

Ways to reduce the passage in the wall

Narrowing the old doorway during redevelopment involves reducing the size of the door in height or width, as well as in both parameters at the same time. The procedure can be performed in three ways: using timber, drywall or blocks.

The most reliable method to reduce the opening in the wall is to partially block it with blocks. The option is ideal for the front door. Of the materials suitable brick, cinder block, blocks of cellular concrete. On interior partitions, it is better to use foam block or aerated concrete. The material is lightweight, easy to cut, but absorbs moisture. In terms of strength, it is slightly inferior to brick.

The work consists of the following:

• to reduce the passage in the wall in height, a jumper is prepared from a bar or a metal corner;
• the workpiece is cut off more than the width of the passage, and under it, at the ends of the wall, landing nests are made with a grinder;
• after fixing the jumper, the space above it and the sides of the passage in the wall are laid in blocks.

When choosing this method, the weight of the blocks is taken into account. The heavier the material, the stronger the jumper will need. If the whole block does not enter the gap above the jumper, it is sawn with a grinder or wood, polystyrene, polyurethane foam are used to fill it. The disadvantage of porous blocks is the absorption of moisture. To prevent the appearance of a fungus, the structure is treated with a protective impregnation.

How to reduce the doorway with a beam?

It is easier for a tenant of an apartment who does not have construction experience to reduce the width of the doorway with a beam, as well as to underestimate it. The order of work consists of the following stages:

1. The beam used to narrow the doorway with a planer is adjusted in thickness so that the workpiece does not protrude beyond the plane of the wall. The surface is treated with a grinder. In this case, the finishing material will lie better.
2. The dimensions taken from the opening are transferred to the timber. With a saw cut blanks of the desired length and fix them to the ends of the wall. In terms of thickness, the beam should not protrude beyond the plane of the wall, and the upper lintel is cut off such a width that it fits snugly into the ends of the side walls.
3. When drilling mounting holes on the beam, recesses are provided that allow you to hide the hats of the fasteners flush.
4. Racks and jumper are fixed to the wall with anchors, bolts or other details.
5. Large gaps between the frame and the end of the wall are filled with mounting foam. Small gaps are sealed with putty.
6. The finished structure is impregnated with a primer. After drying, they are faced with plasterboard, chipboard or other sheet material.

When reducing the doorway, frequent dynamic loads acting on the sash are taken into account. To prevent the structure from loosening, the beam is attached to the wall as often as possible.

After it was possible to underestimate the door opening with a beam, the question arises of how to close the space from above. The easiest way is to sew up drywall, plywood or chipboard. A small gap is hidden by wide platbands. Before finishing, the cracks are blown with foam.

The advantage of the method is the ease of installation of the beam. The disadvantage is the installation limitation. In humid rooms, a wooden frame is deformed, and cracked due to temperature changes. The method is not suitable for the bathroom and kitchen.

Reducing the span with drywall

To build up the doorway between the rooms with drywall, from the installation side of the frame from the profile, the wall is cleaned of various materials and treated with a primer.

1. After measuring the entrance opening, cut the guide profile into the necessary pieces. The upper jumper is fixed with suspensions, and the side elements directly to the ends of the wall.
2. GKL sheets are screwed to the finished frame with self-tapping screws, adhering to a step of 150 mm;
3. The cracks are sealed with putty. The plasterboard structure is primed, and a metal perforated corner is glued at the corner joints.

Close the opening above the door and in width with drywall, if the difference in the size of the passage in the wall and the door frame does not exceed 100 mm. To fix the GKL, a frame is made of a galvanized profile. The frame turns out to be rather weak and easily deformed with a large gap when the sash is opened. A drywall construction is best used for an arched passage. To strengthen the gap between the profile and the ends of the wall, the gap is filled with pieces of timber or foam.

How to reduce the doorway with foam blocks?

Working with aerated concrete and foam blocks is easy. The material is not heavy, it is easy to cut even with a regular hacksaw. Blocks, as a rule, are used to narrow the passage in a thick wall and panel houses.

Reducing the door opening in width is easier. The blocks are laid out in a column from the floor to the top crossbar. If it is additionally required to reduce the height of the passage, a jumper made of wooden beams is cut into the ends of the walls. The gap is closed with pieces of foam blocks.

The layout of the blocks starts from the floor. It is important to initially prepare a flat and durable surface. Pieces of reinforcement are embedded between the rows. One end is driven into the wall. This reinforces the structure. The rods will not allow the column of foam blocks to move away from the wall.

As a mortar for laying blocks, a cement-based adhesive is used. It is sold dry in bags and for cooking it is enough to add water, then mix well. The solution is applied to the blocks with a notched trowel.

The finished structure is impregnated with an antifungal compound, plastered, puttied or sheathed with drywall. After finishing, install the door frame.

Narrowing the opening with brickwork

When reducing a wide opening with bricks, it is required to perform similar construction actions in the work, which is in the variant with a foam block. The difference is the large weight of the material. Instead of a jumper from a bar, it is better to use metal corners.

They begin to build up a new doorway from the side, not forgetting to reinforce the rows. Masonry is carried out on a solution prepared from three parts of sand and one cement. Water is added until a homogeneous thick mass is obtained. The mortar is applied to the brick with a trowel.

How to reduce the passage with concrete walls?

To reduce the interior door opening with concrete walls for a new door, any of the considered methods will do. The best option is to use blocks. In a lived-in apartment, work begins with the exposure of the wall. Removing finishing materials will allow you to assess the condition of the concrete structure. If there are strong defects, the wall will have to be partially destroyed, and the resulting expanded passage will have to be narrowed again.

To build up an interior doorway with blocks from above, they partially destroy the wall to insert the lintel. If there was electrical wiring or other communications near the old door frame, they need to be moved.

How to expand the doorway?

To increase the doorway, you will have to remove part of the wall. It is possible to expand the passage in concrete and brick partitions from 0.7 to 2 m. In the apartment on the first floor, they adhere to the recommended width of 1 m and carry out additional reinforcement of the structure. It is allowed to increase the height of the doorway up to 2.1 m.

The expansion of the passage in the wall begins with the dismantling of the door block. The sash is removed from the hinges. The box is sawn with a hacksaw and removed with a mount. The expansion of the interior door opening is done to install a larger door. According to the size of the new block, markings are drawn on the wall.

The excess area is removed in two ways:

• Sparing. For cutting openings, a grinder with a diamond wheel is used. There is a lot of dust, but the option of cracking the entire partition is excluded.

• Aggressive. When removing pieces of the wall, a sledgehammer, hammer, chisel, perforator is used. If you overdo it, you can violate the integrity of the entire partition.

The enlarged doorway must be strengthened. It is especially important to strengthen the wall, where the old jumper is removed when the passage is expanded in height. The main strengthening methods are welding metal corners, channels, tires made of thick sheet steel along the end of the walls or mounting tie beams with bolts.

Brick house

A feature of expanding the doorway in a brick wall is accuracy. In order not to disturb the masonry, it is better not to beat the partition with a sledgehammer. You can expand the doorway in a brick wall with a minimum amount of dust with a hammer and chisel. Bricks are knocked out one by one on the marked area. It will be faster to complete the work and get the most even edges when using a grinder, only after the cut there will be a lot of dust.

The transfer of the jumper of the block is carried out with an increase in the height of the old door opening. Additionally, the upper masonry is reinforced with welded channels or tie beams.

Panel house

To expand the interior door opening in a concrete wall, a grinder with a diamond blade is similarly used. The panel is cut in turn on each side. If the diameter of the disk is not enough for the entire thickness of the concrete, cuts are made on both sides of the partition.

Expanding the doorway of a concrete wall without dust can be done with an impact drill. Through the marking contour, through holes are drilled with frequent steps, and only the reinforcement is cut with a grinder. Pieces of concrete will easily break off with a sledgehammer. If it is necessary to increase the height of the passage in the concrete wall, the old jumper is similarly dismantled.

Large openings are expanded in squares, removing sections of the concrete panel from the bottom up. The ends are reinforced with a frame, welding tires made of sheet steel or metal corners.

When changing the dimensions of the passage in the interior partition, it is important to carefully carry out the dismantling work, install a reliable new structure and coordinate the redevelopment with the BTI.

Hello. We bought a house for self-finishing, fittings play the role of jumpers in the doorways. But since the height of the doorways turned out to be insufficient for the manufacture of standard doors with a frame, it was proposed to cut off the reinforcement to increase the height of the opening. Which we did, and now I'm afraid the wall will fall without a jumper. Brick wall. The opinion of professionals is needed.

It might fall. maybe not….

Do we need to redo the jumpers now? And what is the least laborious way?

Hello. If the masonry is not fresh, if a NORMAL mortar was used and when the opening was enlarged, the work was done carefully (without fanaticism using a sledgehammer, jackhammer, etc.), then most likely nothing will happen to the wall. If for personal reassurance, then you can equip primitive pseudo-jumpers. The simplest solution is to use reinforcement (the number of bars - depending on the thickness of your walls). At the very top of the vertical of the enlarged opening, drill HORIZONTAL holes with a depth of 105 mm on one side and 205 mm on the other side. Hole diameter according to rebar diameter + margin. When drilling, it is important to maintain the alignment of the opposite holes. Cut off a piece of reinforcement 200 mm longer than the width of the opening. Insert the reinforcement into a deep hole, insert it into the hole in the opposite slope and push it in 100 mm. We process the ceiling part of the opening with a deep penetration primer and “throw” with a cement-sand mortar. Good luck.

Sergey suggested a good option, I’ll add one more, if the height of the opening is set to zero, take reinforcement with a diameter of 20 mm and a length of 20 cm longer than the opening - 2 pieces, cut a brick 2.5 cm by 2.5 cm in size with a grinder to the length of the rod flush with the edge of the opening, do this operation from two sides and insert reinforcement on the sides and plaster. As a result, the bars should be flush with the opening, then you can sleep peacefully

Good afternoon. Find a good welder. And let him make a frame for you from the corner 63-75 enough for the eyes. Naturally with clamping plates. Fast, not laborious, and most importantly, the walls do not disturb once again.

On both sides above the opening, insert the corners below the brick by piercing 10 centimeters on each side. It will hold