side return query

[erictheking]

I would like to do a side return to open up the full back of the house with bi-folding doors or similar.

yet many side returns I see leave a big pillar in the middle of the back wall which would make the above impossible.

why is this? is it simply a cost issue? if so, does anyone know approx how much extra it costs to do it in such a way which removes the need for such a pillar.

[foxhole]

The pillar would be holding the roof up, to remove a much heavier RSJ would be required to span the entire space.

[buildingplans]

If you mean that the side return is to go round the corner of the building then you need to support the wall, or roof, above. You can either leave in some brickwork to support the ends of two lintels over. You can attempt to cantilever beams out from either wall to join at the corner. This would require the input of an engineer and would reguire that there is enough weight on the beams at the support points to counteract the forces on the beams. The other option is to use one of the specialist lintels available which are supported at the corner with a relatively small round steel column that can be hidden behind the doors when closed. You would see the round column when the doors are open though. I did one of the later types last year and it worked very well. Be aware though that the triple glazed doors which were ordered from Germany came to £30,000 alone.