How can I find out if a wall in my home is "load bearing"?

Question

I'm in the planning stages for a remodel and want to find out if I can remove a wall. Is there any way to determine this without calling in a professional? Thanks.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

It depends on how the house was framed. If you have an old home, built 75 years ago or so this answer will not apply.

If your floor joists or ceiling rafters run parallel to the wall in question it is probably not load bearing.

If there is another wall on the floor above or on the floor below this wall, it is probably load bearing.

If you have a basement or crawlspace below the wall, look for a beam, pillar, or any type of support below this wall. If you do it is definately load bearing.

If you are unsure after looking at any of this, call a contractor.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Thanks

Answer 2

Ask a Handyman. he will tell you

Source(s):

Handyman Magizine

Answer 3

A professional should be able to give you a free estimate--and that estimate will hinge heavily on whether that wall bears a load.

Call a licensed, insured contractor (several, in fact) and ask for estimates. If the answers are different, then call more! Always check references, too.

Answer 4

The load bearing of any civil structure are beam and pillar. Well, inorder to identify the pillar then with a wall is to see the size of the thickness appearing out of the wall. The pillar size is always bigger or wider in appearance. The pillar is a load bearing of the structure and vertically standing on the ground, breaking or drilling will harm the payload of the structure. And remember, Pillar and Beam stays in tension and are the backbone of the structure.
Regards,
Sudhir
[e-mail]

Source(s):

This writeup is from my civil engineering knowledge.