Expert: Dan Griffin - 2/27/2009

Question
QUESTION: MY FINISH BASEMANT GOES FROM THE BACK WALL OF THE HOUSE TO A BRICK WALL RIGHT UNDERNEATH MY ENCLOSE PORCH. WHEN WE MOVED IN WE ENCLOSED THE PORCH AND MADE IT ONE BIG ROOM.UNDERNEATH OF THE PORCH FLOOR IS EMPTY. GOES DOWN ABOUT 8 PLUS FEET. CAN I BREAK THE BRICK WALL  IN THE BASEMENT AND EXTENDED UNDERNEATH THE PORCH? I HAVE ABOUT 8 1/2 FEET CEILINGS INTHE BASEMENT. DO I NEED PERMISSION BY THE STATE OR CITY OF N.Y TO DO THIS?

ANSWER: Jose,  I can't really understand just what you mean.  When you enclosed the front porch, it should have had a footing installed to carry the loads and to protect the structure from frost heave.  I don't know if that was done and I have no idea how deep those footings may be.  It would be quite unusual for a proch to have an 8 foot empty spot under it.  I assume the brick wall in the basement is holding up the house, if that is so, you cannot just remove it.

If you are in a city that has a building department you would need to get a permit to do this type of work.  They will want to check if your plans are strong enough to do what you plan.

I'm sorry I don't understand the issues better.

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QUESTION: i'll try to make more sence of it. my basement has a wall that seats right underneath the porch.yes the porch has the right support and yes it's empty underneath becuase i never filled it. The blueprint attach can show what i mean better. the blueprint shows four supporting poles for the house.the wall before the first one is the i'm speaking about.how would you or someone know that it supports the house?

Answer
Jose, I've looked at your drawing - it really isn't very readable.  I think I am seeing a window indicated in the wall you intend to remove.  This would make me suspect it is an outside, load bearing wall.  Again, you can't just remove a load bearing wall.  When you are in the basement if the floor joists or house wall are resting on this wall, it is load bearing.  If the roof is resting on the wall above, the roof load transfers through the house wall to the basement wall.  The wall can be replaced with a wood or steel beam and system of columns as long as you support the loads overhead during the replacement.  It does appear to be the short dimension of the house, so the joists probably do not bear on this wall and the loads overhead are minimal, but still cannot just be removed.

It really sounds like the best approach is to have a good carpenter or builder come look at the situation to help you determine if it is load bearing.  A structural engineer will need to be involved in designing the replacement beam.

If the under-porch space has a footing and wall all the way around it, you could cut some access doorways through the load bearing basement wall for which it would be much easier to create beams (lintels)