Hello, From the roof picks it appears to be load bearing. Are you looking to completely remove that wall of just create and opening? If you are only looking for an opening it could make things easier given the wall and roof loads potentially strutting down onto it. Cheers

Might be helpful if I talk through the parts we like and dislike with the existing rooms: - Lounge: gorgeous old fireplace and morning sun through the windows, great natural light. We spend a lot of time here - Dining: no windows and existing walls block off indirect light from the other rooms, thus why we thought it would be great to knock down some of those internal walls. If that becomes too difficult we'll need to at least do a skylight - Family: my least favourite room, mostly due to the coldness. As mentioned before, its really just being used as storage atm and long term plan is to replace it with something warmer/better constructed - Kitchen: pretty pokey, would love for it to be open with the living, dining and outdoor areas. Great view right onto the backyard from the current kitchen sink windows - Bed 1: gorgeous morning light, pretty happy - Bed 2: gorgeous afternoon light, not really used atm - Bed 3: pretty small, ok natural light. We're using it as a study currently - Bathroom: pretty old and feels abit cramped (that may just be the layout), but doesn't bug us as much for some reason, so happy to leave for later - Backyard: Flat. Very leafy and overgrown. 2 or 3 massive trees, but otherwise mostly shrubs and weeds. We're aiming to tame the weeds, plant some veggies and fruit trees and keep a few chickens for a permaculture/food forest kind of feel :) @oklouise - the block is about 16 m wide and 45 m long. From the front bedroom wall to the front fence is about 10m. From the "Family" room wall to the side fence is about 2.7m. We're in Sydney in quite a leafy suburb so I guess moderate/warm climate? And yes, we are looking into what we can do with the trees with council @Kate - thanks, we had actually thought about rotating the house initially but it turns out with the current orientation, the windows in the Lounge Room and Bedroom 1 get gorgeous morning sun, so definitely keen to keep that. We're doing laundry at the moment in the outdoor shed, which is fully plumbed and yes, existing bathroom is quite old but not bothering us too much at the moment. We're checking with an electrician and a plumber on the general state of things there Thanks for all your suggestions and questions so far - let me know if you have any great ideas!

it may be something to do with expansion of grounds due to drought and rain but you need an engineer to give you an independent assessment of the problem and they should be able to recommend a solution and/or reassure you that it's safe to live with. .check structural engineer in the local phone book

I think it is load bearing as the beams are not big enough to span the full width of the house. You will need advice from a structural engineer to specify an appropriate steel beam to take the load. It won't be an easy or cheap job. You will also need to think about the floor finishes and how they transition between rooms - what happens in the gap between the tiles where the wall was? I would suggest that you live in your new home for 12 months before knocking down walls as you may find the separation between living areas valuable in reducing noise, or controlling heat/cold. Best of luck with your new home, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls and Dr Retro Virtual Visits