how do i check if the wall is load bearing?

Question

i want to knock down a wall betrween my kitchen and dining room,i dont think the wall is load bearing as two other people have done the same in my row,but to be on the safe side i want to check.

Answer 1

you should see if you can find plans for your house. second check if there is a wall in the same spots upstairs and in the basement if there is it could be hiding the support beam.
don't assume anything based on other peoples houses in the row you never know what they have done or done wrong.
call a contracter and get an estimate to be safe. you wont be charge for the visit and they will tell you if it is a load bearing wall.

Answer 2

Be very careful in the advice you choose here. First off, consider every exterior wall load bearing.

Do Not... consider all interior walls that are perpendicular to the roof structure as load bearing. This could be a serious mistake. many home that use roof trusses intentionally do not connect to interior walls. Some are actually designed to 'float' and not connect to interior walls at all. If you go ahead and connect them in your new plans, you will be defeating the design. Granted the design compromise will only effect the high wind concept of the design, but you don't want to do that anyway.

Load bearing design takes into consideration the run of a board, its size and of course the load. If you are not certain, I would really suggest you get a contractor's opinion. Please spend $50-$100. You can certainly still do the work yourself, but it is by no means worth taking a risk.

Be safe.

Answer 3

Generally, if the joists above the wall in question are perpendicular to the wall, it's supporting (bearing) the weight of those joists that rest atop the top plates. A load bearing wall can still be removed, you just need to install temporary supports on each side of the wall (to temporarily hold the weight previously supported by the wall), install the properly sized header and support columns (themselves bearing on proper "footings"; generally the floor will support the new concentrated loads on each end but I don't know the specifics of your job) at each end and slowly remove the temporary supports. The framing for most doors/windows are examples of load bearing openings with a header to distribute a load to flanking columns. It's mostly just a function of sizing the header properly.

Answer 4

http://www.bobvila.com/HowTo_Library/Identifying_a_Bearing_Wall--T249.html
Good Site, and right to the point, also has a Short Video Clip.
Check the joists or rafters in your basement or attic; if they run perpendicular to the wall in question, it is almost certainly a bearing wall. If they run parallel, it is not.
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http://www.houserepairtalk.com/showthread.php?t=360
This is a question/answer site, there are 5 post on this subject.

Answer 5

if there is anything on top of the plate ( wall ) it's load bearing -- joists , rafter end , brace for the roof, ect----