Load-bearing wall.?

Question

How do I know if a wall I would like to remove in my house is a load-bearing wall?

The house is single story 1000sqft, no basement, hallway runs down 3/4 of house-so there are two walls down center of house-and they run perpindicular to ceiling joists, and the house was built in 1972 I believe.
I added these details after reading a couple of answers... Thanks everyone!

Oh, and it is built on a concrete slab...

One part of the hallway wall extends farther into the living/dining room than the other wall, seperating the kitchen from the living/dining room. I want to remove part of the that part of the wall, opening up the kitchen to the rest of the house-adding a breakfast nook type of counter in its place. Make sense? Hard to describe...

Answer 1

This can be difficult to determine even for an experienced carpenter. Analyzing the wall loads in large, complicated homes is tough enough to understand. When there have been renovations, this determination can become nearly impossible. Even building inspectors rely on the "when in doubt" principle... when in doubt, assume the wall is load bearing and act accordingly.

It is easy to understand how renovations can cause weight to be transferred onto formerly non-load bearing partition walls. For example, the addition of exhaust fans and attic stairways often requires cutting of ceiling joists, which can also transfer loads from the original walls... the main (center of the house) beam and the outside wall, onto non-load bearing walls that are in between them. Adding a room in an attic can change the entire load bearing status of the walls below.

To confuse matters further, some types of construction, such as post and beam or steel girder, may not have any bearing walls at all except for the outside walls. What's a mother to do??

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

1. 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?
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
Hope this sheds some light. Good luck...

Answer 2

if you can get into the attic and see, the load bearing wall will have braces nailed from its top plate to the roof joists. this means the wall is being used to help support the weight of the roof which in some instances can be very heavy. on a two story you will have to figer out where the lower wall is in relation to what is above it on the second story. and if you have a basement the same thing applies. if you cut through a load bearing wall install a "header" [two 2 by 12's sandwiching a 1\2 in piece of plywood] to keep you integrity in tack. brace under each end with multiple 2 by 4's nailed together.[or 2 by 6's] get some advice, even from Lowe's or home depot, and you will be off and running.

Answer 3

if the wall is on the first floor of a 2 story home assume its load bearing. look in the attic at the top of the wall. if you see anything on top of the wall assume it is load bearing. it isnt worth second guessing the above answer

Answer 4

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Answer 5

The easy way is to look in the attic. If there are typical roof trusses spanning from outside wall to outside wall, and all the trusses are the same, then the interior walls are most probably not load bearing.

Answer 6

Can you see the building's foundations? They should be under it. Also look at the structure beams in the ceiling. The best way, though, is to get a copy of the construction plans. Contact the builder if he's still around. The city may also be able to help.

Answer 7

+ a load bearing wall has the top holding up the Joists from the roof. You need to look first.

Answer 8

The long answer above is very good. You are safest checking with the records at your local building deparment (assuming your city has one, and it should). They usually keep plans on record.