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Home Repair Remodeling Design Dilemma

Load Bearing Wall or Not?

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

2 years ago we had an engineer come into our home; state that the wall we wanted to take down was a load bearing wall and proceeded to provide us a drawing that included an LVL to traverse the 14 foot span. The engineer gratefully took our money and we got a drawing.

Fast forward to now...we are finally ready to get started. The GC walks in and says that wall isn't load bearing. I call BS and tell him I need an engineer to sign off that it isn't.

So another engineer comes out and says that the wall is not load bearing and that the weight from the triangle roof trusses does not terminate anywhere near the wall. So we pay him and he gives us a letter saying it isn't load-bearing.

So I'm about ready to call my GC to come finish this out but we want to have our electrician to come in first to button some things up before the GC finsihes his work. The first conversation I have with the electrician in the home is your crazy to take that wall out it has to be load bearing?

OMG, what is it? Do I need a 3rd opinion? I've already spent $1,000 between the 2 engineers. How can I know for certain if it's load bearing or not?

The wall runs perpendicular to the joists. The wall framing(inside of the drywall) butts all the way up against the roof trusses. The span is 14 feet. The vertical studs inside the wall in question are 24 inches on center.

I'm at my wits end trying to figure this out. Please help. Thanks.

Here is roughly what they joists look like with the wall I want to take out...

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Comments (8)

PRO
HALLETT & Co.
3 years ago
Do you have photos from the attic? If it’s a true truss it likely isn’t load bearing but I wonder why the first engineer thought it was...
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
If you have trusses, the ceiling "joist" is really a bottom chord. If so, I doubt the wall bears any load. I'd call an experienced framer. He'd probably give you more accurate information than you're getting from the conflicting engineers for a 12-pack.
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PRO
RappArchitecture
3 years ago
I agree with Joe, but if you've drawn the truss accurately it's a little problematic. It would be better if the diagonals met in the middle of the bottom chord. Having said that, the wall still isn't carrying much load, so an experienced framer is probably your best bet.
matt1101
3 years ago
Turns out my drawing is pretty off lol. I drew it at work from memory. It appears the studs actually bounce off the joists and apex back up in the middle of the roofline. The divider wall that I am trying to remove does indeed sit on top of the joists but is off center by about 3ft. East of center to the outside walls. See the pics below. IN the third one you can see barely see the top of the wall in question where I've dusted away some of the insulation...
Seabornman
3 years ago
Those are trusses that should span the house. I don't see why the first engineer thought the wall was load bearing.
PRO
GN Builders L.L.C
3 years ago
Trusses usually designed to bring the roof load to the exterior walls, this way there are no bearing interior walls... But that's not always the case.
PRO
Charles Ross Homes
3 years ago
With all due respect for experienced framers and their willingness to serve as structural experts in exchange for adult beverages, without looking at the design calculations for the trusses in your home, I don't think you can reach a conclusion one way or the other.

Trusses can be, and are often designed to clear span a space (i.e., no interior bearing walls), but interior walls may be included in the design to reduce the span and reduce the size/cost of the trusses. Interior walls may also serve to resist shear or truss uplift.

You've got two differing engineering opinions. Like every profession--from mechanics to brain surgeons--different practitioners may disagree on the recommended course of action. If the calculations make clear the structural need for the interior wall, I would submit them to the engineer who said the wall was not necessary and have him provide convincing evidence to the contrary or cheerfully refund your money.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
3 years ago
There's no way a run of trusses that long needs a 14' off center LVL to hold them up.

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