2 the thickness of the wall.
Identifying load bearing wall attic.
1 the noise that the wall makes when you knock on it.
However there are cases where a bearing wall is parallel to the joists.
2 look inside the attic if possible to identify the direction in which the rafters or joists travel.
If there is another wall a floor with perpendicular joists or other heavy construction above it it is probably a load bearing wall.
Look for extra wall support.
While the joists and beams of your home are a good start to identify load bearing walls there are other options.
A load bearing wall is any wall that holds up the weight of the structure above and the people furniture supported by that structure.
The floors above roof structure people and furniture are the loads that the wall has to support.
If they run parallel it s probably not.
How to identify a load bearing wall understand the structure.
5 check for internal walls near the center of the house.
Check the joists or rafters in your basement or attic.
If the wall in question is on the second floor look to see if there is a wall in the exact same place on the floor below.
Due to the triangular shape of all but.
A bearing wall is one which supports the structure of the house.
However if there is an unfinished space like an empty attic without a full floor the wall probably is not bearing a load.
Start at the foundation.
However weird this may seem you should knock lightly on.
A structural wall actually carries the weight of your house from the roof and upper floors.
You can usually get a copy of the.
Look at the floor joists.
If there is chances are the walls are load bearing.
In a house that has an unfinished basement or easily accessible wall finding the beams.
If they run perpendicular to the wall in question it s almost certainly a bearing wall.
There are secondary interior bearing walls which support a second floor or the attic above the first floor.
A load bearing wall transfers load all the way down to the building s foundation.
Hitting the wall.
Load bearing walls typically run in the same direction.
Reinforcement posts and columns are.
3 the direction of beams and joists.
Use the following steps to identify a load bearing wall.
Generally when the wall in question runs parallel to the floor joists above it is not a load bearing wall.
Larger houses have more interior bearing walls because the spans are greater between the exterior walls.
But if the wall runs perpendicular at a 90 degree angle to the joists there is a good chance that it is load bearing.
4 the presence of.
