How do you know if a wall is load bearing in your house?

Answer 1

First off, when in doubt, assume the wall is load bearing and act accordingly.

If the house is of post and beam construction then it may not have many or any load bearing walls.

Generally, you can look at the structure of the house in the attic, basement and on each floor and ask the following questions:

Is there a significant load above, such as 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 2

look in attic, walls going the same direction as the beams are not load bearing usually, but a structural engineer can help and should be involved in any major remodel anyway.

Answer 3

Take wall away - if house fall down, it was load bearing !!

Answer 4

(a) If there is a wall in the same position upstairs, then it is.
(b) All the outer walls.
(c) As for (a) but there could be no wall upstiars but the downstairs wall is supporting main joists.

Pay a builder a few bucks / quid for a consultation. Do not knock any large holes in any walls until you are certain.

Answer 5

Generally, if the ceiling joists run across the wall, it's load bearing. Running "with" (same direction) is non-load bearing.

Answer 6

Get the foundation drawing of your house and consult with a structural engineer

Answer 7

If you have to ask, get a profesional to determine. It will cost you less money than the structural damage you could cause to your house.

Answer 8

because it is required to support the structure above it. example your outside walls are load bearing. for the roof trusses or rafters,etc

Answer 9

OK is your head spinning yet, good. If your planning to do something see if someone you know has the knowledge to stop over and look at it for you. As you can see it's hard to convey.