Nothing structural is being cut, and it is in writing
Why — act while you have leverage
A wall that looks like a partition can be carrying load. Cutting it is not a mistake you find out about slowly — and in a flat it is also somebody else's ceiling.
What to look at
- A written confirmation naming the specific walls
- Association or builder permission where you are in a flat
- Nobody chasing deep into a slab or a beam
Documents to ask for
- Written confirmation that the walls being removed are non-structural
How to check it yourself
Before any wall is opened or removed, get written confirmation from the structural engineer — not the contractor — that it is non-structural. In an apartment, the building's own rules and the association's permission apply as well, and beam and slab work is usually forbidden outright.
Where this comes from: NBC 2016 Part 6 (structural design); society or association bye-laws where applicable (indian standard or building code)
More demolition and civil alteration checks
- Photograph before this is covered
- Existing services traced before the first hammer