Identifying Load Bearing Walls
Identifying a Load Bearing Wall can be a
Tricky Endeavor
By: Mark J. Donovan
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Load bearing walls are key structural
components of your home. Load bearing walls carry and/or transfer the weight
that rests above them down to a foundation wall or a concrete footing pad.
Identifying a load bearing wall can
be tricky as frequently they are well hidden. However there are ways for a
homeowner to assess if a wall has the potential for being a load bearing wall.
Note that removing or modifying a load bearing wall can be extremely dangerous,
so before deciding to modify or remove a wall within your home it may be wise to
contact an architect or structural engineer first.
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The best way to identify if a wall is
a load bearing wall is to start in your basement or at the concrete pad level
and work your way up through the levels of your home.
Frequently there are steel/concrete
lally columns supporting a center beam in the middle of the home. The center
beam normally runs perpendicular to the floor joists. These lally columns are
resting on concrete footing pads and are supporting the center beam and much of
the weight of the home. Frequently in a finished basement these lally columns
are sandwiched between a framed wall covered by drywall.
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Exterior walls that sit on the
foundation walls and support the weight of the roof are load bearing walls. If
the home is for example a colonial style or cape style home, the front and back
exterior walls may be the only two exterior walls that are load bearing. If on
the other hand the roof is a hip style roof, then all four sides of the home’s
exterior walls are load bearing. Note, even the exterior walls that are not
appearing to support the roof may be supporting a portion of it, and the weight
of the second or third floor of the home.
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Again, in the
basement, exterior walls resting on the foundation sill should be considered
load bearing. They should not be modified until a structural engineer has
inspected them and given instructions on how to safely modify them. It is
important to note that when modifying a load bearing wall the weight above it
should be braced first.
Finished basement
walls that were created via attaching furring strips to the concrete foundation
walls are usually not load bearing. Also, any perimeter basement walls that are
constructed up against the sides of the foundation walls are also not typically
load bearing walls.
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In addition, framed basement walls
that run parallel to the first floor floor joists are also not typically load
bearing.
As you make your way to the first and
second floors of a home, typically any wall that sits relatively center to the
home, and runs parallel above the basement center beam and lally columns, is
probably a load bearing wall. In addition, any wall that runs perpendicular to
the floor joists could also be a candidate for a load bearing wall, even if it
does not sit directly over the center beam or a structural beam or post. Again,
walls that run parallel to the floor joists probably not load bearing walls.
If large posts and/or beams are
visible on the first or second floor of the home they are likely candidates for
being load bearing. They may be supporting the weight of walls or portions of
the roof that rests above them.
Sometimes finding posts or beams in
the first and second floor of a home can be difficult. Frequently they are
hidden behind drywall, or even behind decorative posts and beams.
To conclude, before removing or
modifying a wall within your home you need to be absolutely sure it is non-load
bearing. If it is, and you attempt to remove or modify it without first properly
bracing the ceiling above it, you could be threatening your life and/or causing
structural damage to your home. So again, if there is any doubt in identifying a
load bearing wall, contact a structural engineer first before starting any
de-construction.
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