How can I tell if a wall in my home is load bearing?

Answer 1

look at your floor plan. If walls line up on the first and second floors or where your roof is resting on a wall these are load baring walls. IE if you have a wall dividing your kitchen and dining room on the first floor and directly above it (over the ceiling of the first floor and on the floor of the second story) there is a wall between bedrooms then they are load baring.

Answer 2

Look at the structure of the house and ask the following questions:

Is there a significant load above, such a built-up (multi-board) carrying beam or another wall? Is there a full floor above it, or just an empty attic?

If you can view the joists in the attic, is the wall parallel or perpendicular to them? Generally, load bearing walls are perpendicular to the joists they support. If two separate floor joists or ceiling joists intersect over a wall, that wall should be considered load bearing.

Is it an outside wall? You should consider all outside walls load bearing. If the house has been remodeled, a former outside wall could now be an inside wall. Examine the foundation to find these "stealth" outside walls.

Look at the beams and posts in the basement. In multi-floor dwellings, posts and beams in the basement indicate bearing walls above them, even up two floors. Be aware that these multi-floor bearing walls may not be directly above each other.

In complex, large homes, the basement can be a jungle of carrying beams and posts, crisscrossed and interlocked. Careful inspection is necessary to determine how this maze of beams supports the house, and its effect on the walls above.

Answer 3

Knock the wall down. If part of the house sags badly or falls when you do it, the wall was load bearing.

Answer 4

Look for stains.
If stainfree then it currently bears no loads.

(sorry, couldn't resist)

Answer 5

hire an engineer, only after further testing will you know