How to relocate a door in laundry?

Question

I want to relocate the door into the laundry to an adjacent wall. When I opened the wall up from the opposite side I can see plywood and cement sheet on the launders side of the timber framing. Am I ok to cut the ply and cement sheeting to install a door frame or is that structural?

MitchellMc · Answer

Hi @jdewet,

Also worth mentioning that if the home was built before around 1995, there is a possibility the fibre cement sheeting could contain asbestos. If you are unsure of the age of the sheeting, avoid cutting, drilling or sanding it until it has been properly identified. In older homes, it’s best to have the material tested or inspected by a licensed asbestos professional before carrying out any demolition work.

Mitchell

JacobZ · Answer

Hi @jdewet,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community and thank you for the question. It is good that you checked before cutting into it.

While ply and cement sheeting are not structural in nature, they can sometimes form part of a bracing unit, which helps the wall resist sideways movement and form part of the structural considerations for the whole home. Because of that, it isn’t always safe to assume it can just be cut out without effect.

Relocating the door will also mean removing at least one stud, which adds another layer of risk. That’s not something you generally want to do without confirming whether the wall is load bearing or contributing to the structure in some way.

At this point, the safest next step is to have a suitably licensed builder or structural professional take a look. They can confirm whether the wall is structural or contains a bracing unit and advise what can be modified and how to do it properly.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Jacob