Why Is It Hard To Make A Traditional House Completely Open Plan?

Much of the UK's housing stock is brick and timber built. In a basic rectangular structure with a light pitched roof (such as a timber garden shed) the four outer walls are loadbearing and no further walls or joists are required to keep the structure together. Similarly in a small brick or block built structure without any internal compartments the weight of a light timber or metal roof will rest safely on these four walls alone. However, the forces exerted by a roof push down and outwards. This is why as a structure grows in size and/or the weight of the roof increases it becomes important for the structure to be held together across the space. In a typical house roof the first sign of this are the roof timbers that span the loft space from side to side. Joists which support the floors also contribute to the stability of the structure. The longer the run of joists the more prone they are to sag in the middle. The bigger the space the more likely it is that joists will need to overlap because it is impossible to find timber long enough to span the space. Internal walls, known as loadbearing walls, provide the required support. Some of these can be replaced with steel beams which can be made long enough and strong enough to span large spaces but always take expert advice.

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