how can i tell if the wall between my kitchen and living room is a weight bearing wall?

Question

and if it is, can i knock it down to open up the two rooms with just a countertop separating the two rooms?

Answer 1

How to tell if a wall is weight bearing or not.....

If the wall is perpendicular to your trusses meaning it spans several trusses it is a weight bearing wall. Now if your wall never touches a roof truss (Parallel with the trusses) it is not a weight being wall. You might have to look in your attic to see which way your roof trusses run but if it is weight bearing you can't remove it without putting a header under it or somehow dispersing the weight from above.

Answer 2

go climb up into the attic and look at the roof truss's and all the structure right above the wall. if you want to put a countertop through the wall; you can do this ,even if it is a bearing wall. you need a good carpenter (not a watback either) and this professional carpenter can do it for you and safely. I am a Electrical Contractor and I did a countertop thru a bearing before, and succeessfully too.(I had prior training in rough Construction).You will a need a loadbearing (large) Beam going across the opening to hold up the weight and additional verticals underneath the horizontal Beam. IM me with any questions

Answer 3

Your question is way too complicated for online answers.

Whether the wall is weight-bearing isn't the only thing that matters. What is supporting the wall (joists, etc.)? Is it the only wall bearing the weight? Exactly what weight is it bearing?

Removing a wall is serious business, and you should call a contractor who could help. If you try to remove it yourself without knowing how much weight it bears, etc., and you're wrong, then your whole house will fall down.

Answer 4

you can usually tell if it is a weight bearing wall by it's locaion. In the center of a house is most definatly weight bearing. If this wall is weight bearing you don't want to remove it unless you have another form of support in place. You may consider using columns or other decoration that will also be practical for support to keep your roof or second level from sagging.

Answer 5

In general it is best to get a pro's advice but here is a general guideline:

If the wall is parallel to the roof line in that area of the house it is a weight bearing wall. If it is perpendicular to the roof line it probably is not.

Answer 6

First, remove all the drywall from the walls and leave the studs exposed. Then, carefully make sure there is no power running to the wires in between the studs. Then, in a reasonable and respectful manner, ask each of the studs the following question:

"Are you a weight bearing wall?"

It's the best way to go. Ask the source.

Answer 7

You would have to put a header across the opening with columns or if you have a ranch home you can reverse it and put a header up in the attic and that would get rid of the need to have a header and columns showing eithier way it is atleast $2500

Answer 8

Find out which way your ceiling joists run (look in the attic). Generally speaking, any wall that runs perpendicular to the joist bears a load.

Answer 9

There are a couple of rules, and other people have already written about them. It is a good idea to ask for the professional opinion of a contractor or structural engineer. It doesn't cost much because they aren't going to really do anything.

Answer 10

This question cannot be answered online. There are too many variables possible so you defintely need a tradesman carpenter to look at it before you kill yourself.