Identifying Load Bearing Wall Attic

Take a peek at the instructions on how your house was built.

Identifying load bearing wall attic.

If they run parallel it s probably not. You can usually get a copy of the. If they run perpendicular to the wall in question it s almost certainly a bearing wall. 2 look inside the attic if possible to identify the direction in which the rafters or joists travel.

Load bearing walls typically run in the same direction. The primary bearing walls in most homes are the exterior walls. 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. 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. If the wall in. A load bearing wall transfers load all the way down to the building s foundation. How to identify a load bearing wall understand the structure.

While the joists and beams of your home are a good start to identify load bearing walls there are other options. 4 the presence of. Use the following steps to identify a load bearing wall. A load bearing wall is any wall that holds up the weight of the structure above and the people furniture supported by that structure.

Start at the foundation. 2 the thickness of the wall. However weird this may seem you should knock lightly on. In a house that has an unfinished basement or easily accessible wall finding the beams.

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. There are secondary interior bearing walls which support a second floor or the attic above the first floor. Hitting the wall.

If there is another wall a floor with perpendicular joists or other heavy construction above it it is probably a load bearing wall. Look at the floor joists. However there are cases where a bearing wall is parallel to the joists. Look for extra wall support.

If there is chances are the walls are load bearing. 3 the direction of beams and joists. 5 check for internal walls near the center of the house. Check the joists or rafters in your basement or attic.

1 the noise that the wall makes when you knock on it. But if the wall runs perpendicular at a 90 degree angle to the joists there is a good chance that it is load bearing. Due to the triangular shape of all but.