How do you know if an interior wall is a load-bearing wall?

Question

There's a wall between the vanity and a fiberglass tub/shower stall in my master bath. There's no electrical in the wall, or pipes either, as far as I can tell. It's tight up againts the side of the vanity and at the foot of the bathtub, opposite the spigot/shower head. I think it might be there just to support/seperate the shower stall. How can I be sure it's not load-bearing, before I take a hammer to it and it's too late?

If the wall is attached to the trusses (I can get into the attic alright) what will it look like? What will I notice?

Answer 1

Unlikely, but possible. For example, if the roof ridge line runs across the open end of that stub wall it could be that it is load bearing. If the house has a basement or crawl space there would be a post or a beam below this point if it was load bearing. If not it isn't. However, if there is a slab floor it would be difficult to tell if there is a support pad under there since it would be hidden.

If load bearing the stub wall will have at least double studs at the open end, so a finishing nail inserted through the drywall 2.5" (i.e. more than the thickness of drywall plus a stud) back from the front surface of the end of the stub wall may provide a clue. If it hits something it could indicate a post or double stud. If not the wall is not load bearing.

In brief, there should be indicators but without drawings for the house or exploratory work to look it is almost impossible to be certain.

That all said unless the ridge line passes over the end of the stub wall I'd be pretty confident the wall is NOT load bearing.

Answer 2

Generally stub walls are not structural or load bearing.

If you have removed the drywall grab the part furthest away from the wall. If it wiggles it is not supporting anything. If it is tight then you have to look farther.

In the attic you can check your trusses to see if they are engineered, (homes build in the last 30 years are usually built with engineered trusses). If they are engineered then they support the structure and you should be OK to remove almost any interior wall. If you do not know what an engineered truss looks like get them checked out.

Look at the header of the wall. (top). Does is cross several stringers supporting the roof or is it running the same way as the stringers. If it runs the same way as the stringers then it would not be load bearing.

If you have any doubts hire a carpenter for 1/2 a day it might be worth spending $150 to say thousands in repairs. Just have him check it and if not load bearing he could remove it and do the rough drywall patches. You can then DIY for the rest.

Answer 3

In many cases the roof trusses are self supporting from the outer walls of the house. Any walls on the upper floor are simply to divide rooms and do not support any weight from above. Walls on the lower floor are a different matter. There is usually a beam down the center of the structure to hold up the floor for above.
In your case it would be highly unlikely the wall is load bearing. The only walls which I would consider possible bearing walls are down the center of the house. This wall doesn't appear to be this type.
Do you have plans of your house available? They would likely clarify the load bearing structures.

Answer 4

This is not an easily answered question. There are many factors to take into account. A load bearing wall is a bad term, I like to refer to them as structural walls. Not all walls are just important for vertical load, some are for lateral strength(Earth Quake areas) Also they can be there for fire breaks. I know this isn't the answer you need but I would strongly suggest you have someone look at the house or have your local building department look at a set of house drawings. The result of not doing it right are extreme, Loss of house insurance, structural problems, fines etc. Good luck!

Answer 5

Good question and one that I have had to contend with in the past. Unless you know what you are doing... don't do it.... Unfortunately.. you would have to check with a specialist first on that.. One way.. (it is cheating) but you could have a remodeler come in(one who knows what he is doing and one who has had tons of experience) and get an estimate for work you want done.... during the process you would find out if a particular pillar or wall is load bearing

Answer 6

depends on construction of your house if it is a single floor house with trusses for sure it is not a load bearing wall if a two story house probably not load bearing but would need to now more to say for sure you could check for a header over a door or opening

Answer 7

If you have trusses, the wall is not load bearing, in fact it should not be tight against the trusses, because it will break the top joint.
Be sure it doesn't have a vent pipe or something in it. You can check with a small drill hole, then poke a stiff wire in there.

Answer 8

if ur roof is a truss roof system then its not load bearing....trusses bear on the outside walls 99.9% of the time....also it sounds to me that this wall is just a wall to separate the vanity from the shower and a way to kill off the vanity top to a wall.....

remove the sheet rock and see if u can find a header( 2x10 with or with out a 2x4 top and bottom on it) if u only find studs and a top and bottom plates then take it out without any worries.....

lic. gen. contractor

Answer 9

very doubtful that a little wing wall like that would be bearing. you might look in the attic or floor above, see if its supporting anything.

Answer 10

If you tear it down and your house falls to the ground... It was load-bearing...

(You can go into the attic and see if the wall ties into the trusses, too.)