A load-bearing wall accomplishes precisely what its name implies: it supports a house’s weight and helps keep it standing (or bears a load). Given how much weight must be supported in a structure—the roof, all building materials between the ceiling and the floor, and all of the house’s contents—load-bearing walls are critical to the building’s integrity.
Simply, the load is the total amount of weight transported, and the wall’s function is to convey the weight from the roof to the foundation.
Every external wall of a house is load-bearing. A non-load-bearing wall is commonly used to divide space within a home. They’re commonly referred to as partition walls or curtain walls. Since they do not provide support and are not part of the structural structure, they can be removed to create a more open floor plan.
Besides, it’s recommended that the attic or basement joists and rafters be examined to identify them. They are most likely non-load-bearing walls if they are parallel to the wall.
The shear wall is a distinctive sort of wall that is commonly found in multi-story buildings, windy areas, or near fault lines. While columns and load-bearing walls keep buildings upright by transferring the structure’s compression stress to its foundation, shear walls prevent structures from collapsing.
Such walls are more necessary when a building grows in height. Almost all residences are constructed with external shear walls.
What Is a Load-bearing Wall?
Are you wondering how to tell if a wall is load bearing? A load-bearing wall supports itself and the elements above it, such as floors, joists, roofing, or other walls. That said, the wall tends to distribute the weight of the upper elements to the foundation.
While a partition or non-load-bearing wall can only support itself and lightweight items such as shelves, photographs, and internal doors, it can also be removed without compromising the structural integrity of the home.
However, removing a load-bearing wall could cause significant structural damage to the home.
How to Determine If a Wall is Load bearing
House blueprints and architectural designs are the first to determine whether the walls are load bearing. Mentioned is the information that may be useful:
- Symbols in the plans’ legend, such as “S” for structural.
- Thicker lines imply thicker walls.
- Hatching or symbols used to distinguish steel, concrete, or brick walls.
- Supporting columns in the walls
Moving on, let’s study the steps and signs to identify load-bearing walls in your home.
1. Check for internal walls near the center of the house
The larger a home, the more apart its load-bearing outer walls will be, requiring additional load-bearing internal walls to support the floor. These load-bearing walls are frequently located at the center of the home, which is the farthest point from any of the outer walls.
Look for an internal wall near the center of your house. This wall will likely be load-bearing, particularly if it runs parallel to a central basement support beam.
2. Check out the view from below
Buildings must be securely linked to the ground in some way. Beach houses have pilings, patio homes are built on concrete slabs, bungalows are usually built on crawl spaces, etc. The crucial thing to understand is that if a wall is load-bearing, it transfers the load to something beneath it.
Whether the wall in question is on the second story, check whether another wall is in the exact location on the floor below. If there is, the walls are likely load-bearing.
If the wall in concern is on the first level and you have access to the crawlspace, check for piers or girders underneath it. If so, it’s most likely load-bearing.
3. The wall is perpendicular to the framing above it
Notice how the non-load-bearing walls run from left to right while the load-bearing wall runs along the middle of the structure.
Determine if the roof trusses are too lengthy to span the entire home. Consequently, a load-bearing wall runs down the center to support the trusses at the perpendicular intersection. Also, notice how the non-load-bearing walls above are parallel to the wall framing. (If you can’t access your attic, check the roofline for hints).
This is only a recommendation. Just because a wall is perpendicular or parallel to the framing above does not imply that it is always one or the other. Determining load-bearing walls typically involves combining many indicators to establish a decision.
4. Look into the attic
The majority of load-bearing beams are positioned within walls. Unfinished attics with exposed house frames make it easy to observe where the beams connect.
Follow the wall stud into the attic to see if it aligns with the joists. If the vertical stud runs perpendicular to the horizontal joist, it will likely be load-bearing.
5. Check the blueprints
The architectural designs will help you identify load-bearing walls when considering post-construction remodeling.
The “structural” pages will illustrate which direction the floor joists go.
In the end!
If you truly want to identify and remove a load-bearing wall, it is possible; however, it is expensive, and to do it without jeopardizing the house’s structural integrity, you must replace it with a column or another sort of structural support.
The weight could be handled by a beam or support columns. As a result, consult a structural engineer or contractor. They can use load and span tables to assess how much, if any, of the load-bearing wall can be removed.
