I am betting on it being load bearing for the bathroom upstairs too. Please do not remove it, and because it is a townhome, you do need to have permits and preapproved plans.

I am a cavalier DIYer and there is no way I would suggest messing with that without sign off.

So i have no problem getting this done properly with permits but so far im getting mixed opinions from here and local contractors. I havent had anyone come out yet since i started today but just from sending these pics and a few more to a few contractors: 1 saying its not load bearing. 1 saying it is. And another saying since the span is only 72" and doesnt stretch across the rest of the bedroom, i can keep the header and a 2x4 on each end and it'll be fine.

I think ill wait till i get someone out here to take a look. I appreciate the replies

You need a structural engineer.

Do you own all floors in this townhouse - and by townhouse I assume you mean a multistory building that shares common walls with units on either side.

Depending on the type of ownership, you would need to seek permission from the HOA for any construction which impacts (or potentially impacts) the construction of your unit which also includes changes to plumbing.

And as others have posted, you need to get a structural engineer onsite to evaluate and provide you with a written report of his/her findings before going further.

No one can tell from the pictures you posted. You say the joists run parallel to the wall. If that's the case it probably isn't load bearing. The advice to hire a structural engineer for a simple header is based on ignorance of basic framing techniques. Hire a carpenter/contractor that has a year of framing experience.

I'd hire an electrician, that's the hardest part of that simple job.

Somebody somewhere has drawings for your townhome. Start with your HOA, then whoever gives out building permits there - town, city, county? If they don;t have drawings they should have architect's name and address. Don't tell them why you want drawings. If you can't get drawings you'll have to figure out which way floor joists above run. Those endoscope attachments I see advertised on my phone would come in handy here.

Why would you ever consider risking it?

Whats the worst thing that could happen?

They'd have to buy a 12' 2x 10 and build a header?

A second floor above with a bath will need more than a 2x10. Potentially substantially more. Plus proper footings for that load.

And that just demonstrated why to hire the engineer and not the contractor.

No quick consult from a Pro is going to ever be a waste of money if it gives you peace of mind, or a heads up as to peril. They have a legal and ethical professional obligation to put your best interests and safety first, that a contractor does not.

And you know this how? It might need nothing based on what little info was provided. You just demonstrated why design monkeys should stick to drawing pictures. I'm gonna call my insurance co. and tell them a kitchen lady told me I have no legal and ethical obligation to put safety first, maybe I'll get a discount.

Thanks for making my point even more strongly. Extra bonus score for the design monkey insult.

No Pro would risk an irresponsible suggestion on an internet forum. Every profession has a standard code of ethics that prohibits that behavior. They stay in their lane. The Dr. doesn’t diagnose GERD at a cocktail party when it’s a possibly a simple case of seasonal overindulgence, that only some in person tests would reveal.

A Pro, even a structural engineer, would suggest hiring a local Pro. That suggestion has been repeatedly made.

Your suggestion of a 2x10 is either inapplicable if not loadbearing, because it would be completely unneeded. Or if the wall is load bearing, the suggestion is wholly inadequate to support the load above. There isn’t a middle ground where it would be a valid suggestion.

It’s a bad suggestion, in a bad post. You getting mad and slinging insults that I called it that, only highlights your unprofessionalism.

I don't have a horse in this race and I'm far from an expert. I will only say that in nearly 4 decades of home ownership, I've never removed a wall in any of my homes, and I never will. I've seen the gnashing of bank accounts and rending of relationships that can follow. No thanks.

My recommendation is to buy the house you really want when you need it. Live in it and enjoy it.

If you're looking at a house to buy and your other half starts saying things like "I like it, but this bedroom would be so much nicer if we knocked out that wall," you should translate that remark to your realtor as "Please show us a house with a bigger master bedroom."

If you want a house with an open floor plan, for goodness sake buy one. It's too easy for grief to follow if you try to make your house into something that its architect never envisioned.

If some years after you move into your carefully chosen home, your needs change so radically that you start thinking about tearing out walls, it's probably time to move again.

Whenever making a change to existing structure, you are well served to have a professional take a look and size up what is involved. There is simply no substitute for being able to look above and below a wall (and to infer what may be inside it.) Even if you have plans for the original structure, modifications may have been made that might require something different from what would be inferring from just looking at the plans.

I guess I am misunderstanding the OP's question here and thus I don't understand the contention or the advice.

If the ceiling joists run parallel to the wall, it is incredibly unlikely to be load bearing. I mean I have opened up many old houses and seen every ridiculous thing that can be done to a 150 year old house and I have never even almost seen a load bearing wall running parallel to the joists without a sunken beam. If there isn't something connecting and supporting the joists above it, it isn't going to be load bearing.

I wouldn't dream of removing the wall without opening up 6" on either side to get a good look above the beam, so unless you have a view from above, I suggest you do that. You are going to have to open up the ceiling to the joists anyway, so that is 16" on each side for drywall anyway, so might as well open them up.

You can still remove the wall if it is load bearing, it is just going to cost you a little bit more money. I had to sink a beam in a 6' bathroom with a wall that I knew was load bearing. With such a short span you definitely don't need a tall beam and the lumber yard will have someone they order beams from with an engineer on staff who can design it for free (well at least for no upcharge).

As for baths needing larger headers. Why? Nothing in a typical bathroom is particularly heavy. A full tub will still weigh less and have a larger footprint than a full filing cabinet, bookshelf, and possibly a clothing bureau. Running a quick calculation based on the average weight of a book and the approximate number of books on my office shelves. I have about 1450 lbs in 10 square feet of footprint. A full 80 gallon tub is 660 lbs in 13 square feet.

I am not saying you are wrong, just wondering why.

We consulted a structural engineer for a two-foot span of wall that we were considering taking out (a closet wall). Contractors agreed it was "probably" OK to take out. Lo and behold, the engineer calculated that a percentage of our second floor/roof was in fact relying on that wall (due to the span of the joists above). There was a simple solution of adding a header. I would never take out a wall, even the smallest/simplest looking job, without a pro looking at it.

It's the bottom floor of a multi family building. Located who knows where. Which could have seismic considerations. Or snow load considerations. Or hack builder bob considerations. The potential risk is higher than it would be in a single floor single family building. And the risk includes other people. Not just the one person.

There is an inexperienced HGTV watcher or YouTube expert taking a hammer to things he damnwell ought to not touch. And there is no permit, because he has had no one to pull a permit, because he has had no one with a clue on the job site. And he wants to get by without pulling one.

If he wants to continue to learn what not to do the hard way, he isn't going to hire a contractor for anything. But he might be persuaded to hire an engineer to create a plan for him to follow. Until he realizes that he doesn't know how to do that either. Then he might hire a contractor.

We consulted a structural engineer for a two-foot span of wall that we were considering taking out (a closet wall). Contractors agreed it was "probably" OK to take out. Lo and behold, the engineer calculated that a percentage of our second floor/roof was in fact relying on that wall.

The length of the wall is only material to the likely cost and intrusiveness of the beam. It is immaterial to the direction of the joists and whether or not the wall is load bearing.

@ GreenDesigns

I don't disagree with anything you are saying, but that is immaterial to whether or not the wall is load bearing. I completely agree that he shouldn't tackle this job, however, I also believe that you shouldn't trick people into doing what you believe is right. It backfires more often than not. Note: I am not saying that is what you specifically are doing that, but it is certainly happening.

I have had engineers look at dozens of projects and I have yet to have one who didn't require visual access when looking at load bearing walls. The OP needs to open up the ceiling about a foot or so on each side of the wall. Then he can start providing people with the information they need to actually answer his question.

For all we know the wall is built on blocking between two joists...

@bry911, of course length has nothing to do with direction of joists or whether the wall is load bearing, that was kind of the point -- that any wall of any length can be load bearing. The OP said about his wall, "it's such a small wall..." as though that mattered in whether it could be taken out or not, regardless of it being load bearing. People said to us: "there's no way that tiny wall is providing support for anything." And yet it was. OP's wall is much bigger than ours was.

Check this "Pro" out. They don't seem to exist. Unlicensed, probably uninsured and unwanted too. That's why homeowners should stay off sites like Craiglist and similiar "Pro" sites when looking for quality contractors, they don't need sites like that...

https://www.houzz.com/pro/-greendesigns-/greendesigns..

So in reading between all the lines, hopefully you have your answer. Get the proper Pro/ Engineer to have a look. It will be worth every penny

Good luck!