Steel Frame Transportable - Internal wall removal

Hi,
I need some advice from anyone with steel-frame experience.
I have just purchased a house and I would like to modify the floor plan, this will involve removing three internal walls to open up a Kitchen/Dine/Living area.

I have completed a couple of similar renovations with solid walled houses but never worked with lightweight steel frames before.

My question are -

Do steel frame transportable homes have internal load bearing walls or do the external walls take the weight?

If the walls are removed (in images below) will there be any need for further re-enforcement to the roof trusses? Will I need to consult a structural engineer?

http://s807.photobucket.com/user/troyky ... sort=3&o=2

http://s807.photobucket.com/user/troyky ... sort=3&o=0

http://s807.photobucket.com/user/troyky ... sort=3&o=1

Any help/advise would be great

Thanks

The Section drawing shows a truss type roof. This roof is typically only supported on the external walls, in fact there must be a vertical clearance between the top of the internal walls and the bottom of the trusses.

As you plan to remove the cross wall between bed 4 & kitchen, the new bed 4 wall should be braced and securely fixed to the outside wall to provide lateral restraint to the external wall.

If the roof is a gable roof, you will need to get someone to check if additional bottom chord restraints are required.

Thankyou Beetaloo for your reply.

Would either of these two options help with the lateral strength of the external wall?

installing a 600mm deep nib (full height) wall in place of the bed 4/kitchen wall?

Installing a 900mm wall that the kitchen backs onto in place of the bed 4/kitchen wall?

Thanks

Troy

If tensioned strap bracing is used (which are easy to install and don't affect the overall thickness of the wall), the wall needs to be at least 2m long or longer as the straps need to be at about 45degrees.

For short walls, plywood bracing is required which can increase the overall thickness of the internal walls which may in turn cause detailing issues for you to solve unless the plywood extends the full length of the wall.

Use the IMG code under the "Share Links" side heading so we don't have to go to a third party site.

Stewie