How to know if a wall is load-bearing?

4 years ago

I want to remove a wall on the second story of a two-story house. There is nothing above the wall, just empty attic space. Below it is an open kitchen, about 11x14, and stairwell to the basement. The wall runs with the roof line of the house, and separates two 10x10 bedrooms, opening the span to 20 feet (x 10 feet). Can I remove it without worrying about installing a beam for support?

Featured Answer

kudzu9

4 years ago

Impossible to tell from your description. If you want to be sure on things like this, you get a structural engineer to take a look at it and give an informed assessment.

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Comments (15)

PRO
The Kitchen Abode Ltd.
4 years ago
Is your roof support structure done with trusses or rafters?
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I would have said no because the joists are sitting on that beam and the stairs should be supported by the stringers. On further inspection it looks they did not use one complete joist on top of that plate. The second floor could also potentially have load placed on the wall. Best to have someone in person look at it. Or if you have the house blueprints have an engineer take a look.
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PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
4 years ago
I don’t think they would know that just get an engineer to make sure you are doing aomething right.
Bruce in Northern Virginia
4 years ago
You need to get an engineer to make a quick assessment of the attic structure. It is possible that the attic floor is not load bearing and only serves to tie the two rafters together (it would be the horizontal/bottom "leg" of the triangle formed by the two rafters). However, even then you may need the existing wall in the middle of the span just to hold the weight of the ceiling.

Bruce
PRO
User
4 years ago
Hi Wilbur

Great that you are asking the question. There are more loads a house is subject to than just the roof or attic.

There are 'dead' loads such as the weight of roof and attic itself and then there are 'live' loads which are people going up into the attic, racking (wind pressure) and uplift.

The original design will take into account the existence of a wall there and the spans (length) of eg ceiling joists are based on that. If there are trusses then this may also affect their span.

I always have walls inspected by a structural engineer prior to removal as there is more than meets the eye to consider.
wilburwallabee
Original Author
4 years ago
@The Kitchen Abode Ltd. Roof support is done with rafters.
PRO
The Kitchen Abode Ltd.
4 years ago
Ok next question, do the ceiling joist of the rafter system run parallel or perpendicular to the wall you intend to remove. And if perpendicular are they spliced together on the walls top plate.
PRO
RappArchitecture
4 years ago
If there is nothing but air above the wall, then it is not load-bearing. But if any of the ceiling joists bear on the wall, then you need a professional assessment.
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
4 years ago
Inferring that a wall isn't needed based solely on whether ceiling joists bear on it has some limitations. "Non-load-bearing" interior walls are sometimes designed to act as shear walls which resist lateral loads.

A couple of hundred bucks spent on a structural engineer falls in the "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" category (or its metric equivalent.)
PRO
RappArchitecture
4 years ago
A shear wall would have to have plywood on one or both sides, not just gypsum board. This can be determined by poking a hole in the drywall to see if there is anything underneath. But yes, hire a professional to take a look and be sure.
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
4 years ago
@ Rapp, I concur. If an interior wall functions as a shear wall, it will likely have OSB or plywood on one or more sides. There would likely be some evidence in the crawl space or basement to support that conclusion, too.

The important point is that it's not sufficient to conclude a wall is optional based only on a trip to the attic.

The safest--and best-- prescription when there are structural questions is to advise hiring a local professional who can have a thorough look at all of the existing conditions and make an informed diagnosis and prescription. Alternatively, you could ensure you have really, really good liability insurance.
Daniel OConnell
4 years ago
20 feet is quite a span...the wall probably does play a structural role. Look in the attic...does each of the ceiling joists span the entire 20-foot width? If the ends of ceiling joists are resting on the wall, it is positively is a structural (load-bearing) wall. In any case, today's code regarding a 20' open span would call for joists larger than 2x6's or 2x8's. If that's what you have, yes, you need larger joists and it probably isn't financially feasible to remove the wall. If you still think that you can remove the wall, bring in a structural engineer before attempting anything and make sure any work is done to your city's building code.
wilburwallabee
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
The ceiling joists of the rafter system run perpendicular to the wall I want to remove. The floor joists in the attic (i.e. the ceiling joists to the bedroom) run parallel to the wall I want to remove.

I should add the house was built in 1903.
PRO
The Kitchen Abode Ltd.
4 years ago
Is this what your rafter system looks like.
wilburwallabee
Original Author
4 years ago
There are no collar ties in the attic.