Can a general contractor reliably identify load bearing walls?
scamp2112
11 years ago
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juliekcmo
11 years agosombreuil_mongrel
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Identifying Load Bearing Walls
Comments (9)Start in the basement. What is directly below the wall you will be removing? Is it another wall? If so, then it gets a little complicated. The basement concrete slab might be carrying that load depending on the design, or they may have provided additional footings below the concrete slab again depending on the design, or that wall might just be a NON-load bearing wall. If there is not a basement wall below the wall you want to remove then look into the basement ceiling. Is there a steel beam or large wood beams/girders that run directly in line with the wall above to be removed? If so, then the wall above is most likely load bearing. If all you see in that basement ceiling are the floor joists, then most likely it is not load bearing. What is the span of the wall you want to replace? Do you have access to the original house plans?...See MoreWall removed- load bearing, or frame?
Comments (14)If the contractor was licensed, you wouldn't be on the internet after the fact asking if the wall was load bearing. He would have pulled the plans as Renovator says, and if it was unclear from the plans, he'd have gotten a structural engineer in to create the construction documents that would be needed to be filed with both the condo association and the local municipality in order to get the permit to alter the wall, the electrical in the wall, the HVAC in the wall, and any other changes that you are making in this renovation. But, I'll also bet that wasn't done either. Neighbors have been known to turn each other in (Not to mention the people on the condo board!), so the thing to do is to march down to the local codes office and throw yourself on their mercy pleading ignorance and swear that you won't be using that contractor who didn't do things correctly. Then, do things correctly by hiring someone who will do the job with the correct sign offs and permits. When you live in a multi family dwelling, that means contractors who are licensed and insured to work in a multi family dwelling and approved by your condo board. DIY is strictly prohibited in multi family dwellings due to the liability issue. If something is done incorrectly, it can affect more than just your unit. And boy would the neighbors love to sue you then!...See MoreFact-checking: Removing load bearing walls
Comments (10)Hi there, I am not in NJ but am a licensed civil engineer in CA. Do you mean you want to knock out the wall to the left of the door on the right? What I'm getting at is, what is the final "clear span" you are trying to achieve? If it is the wall I am thinking of, your clear span is going to be that wall plus the width of the door. The building code your state adopted includes span tables which basically allows anyone to lookup what type of lumber they need to support a span of up to about 6 feet without having to perform a structural analysis. They include a great deal of assumptions, and are generally conservative enough for typical applications. That's why GC's can frame doorways and such without needing a civil engineer's stamp. Once you start going beyond "typical" spans, the amount of assumptions you have to include to provide a safe "estimate" would generally be too cost prohibitive and inaccurate. Having said that, the width of the wall plus the door should most certainly put you over 6 feet and you would need an engineer to spend a small amount of time looking at the wall to confirm a few things, and some quick calcs to give you the building requirements you need. In the case of any kind of remodeling project, personally I would always recommend an engineer come out anyway to confirm assumptions and make sure the GC follows not just span requirements, but proper connection details of the wood members....See MoreCost to install columns for load-bearing wall that we want removed
Comments (30)Wow. I’m just gonna be straight. I’m very offended. I have no plans to do this myself. This started as just a question about COST. I get that it might be difficult to assess over the internet. I NEVER said I was doing the work myself. I WILL BE hiring a contractor. In fact I mentioned that one is coming on Monday. I was just trying to COST things out. I’m not an idiot. I don’t base decisions on HGTV. WTF? Just to help commenters in the future ... maybe you shouldn’t make assumptions about the OP’s motives, plans, capabilities, thought processes... I got some good info here but I really wasn’t expecting to be insulted in the process. So I’d appreciate it if everyone just dropped it. Pretend you never even read such a stupid question as “how much does this cost” so you can all sleep at night. Oh, and for those of you that think I’m an idiot for wanting to open the wall, please don’t waste my time. I asked about cost. Heck, I just expected someone to say that either there’s a huge cost difference, there’s no cost difference or it’s not possible to know without seeing it in person. I did get that last response and some great info from a few folks. But then I was called an idiot, that I lack a multitude of capabilities, that I base decisions on HGTV, that I have horrible tastes, etc. Wow. Maybe I just don’t know the etiquette. Is it okay to ask questions on Houzz that I don’t know the answer to? Is it okay to not be a professional contractor? Is it okay to not know what I don’t know? Maybe I’ll update this thread after I’ve destroyed my house and I’m living in a shed. Because I’m just that stupid, right?...See MoreUser
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