Question about load bearing walls.
By
on
January 18th, 2009
Last year my husband and I bought a one story ranch that was built in 1945. The kitchen has a laundry room addition built off of it. The wall separating the laundry room and the kitchen is one of the original outside walls of our house - the wall just has an open doorway to the laundry room, and where there was obviously a window before the addition was built, they simply made it an interior window between the two rooms.
We are wanting to remodel the kitchen and remove the wall between the two rooms to make it one big room (both rooms are extremely small now. I’m talking each is 9×7.5). I was reading on one website that load-bearing walls is only an issue in multi-story houses. Is that true.
My husband is a mechanical engineer, but we are in our early twenties and don’t have a lot of experience with things like this. If load-bearing walls is a concern even in one story homes, is there a way my husband can tell if it is a load-bearing wall, and if not, what kind of contractor should we call.
Does anyone have any idea how much this might cost.
Also, If it helps, our house has no basement and is on an 18″ raised concrete slab.
frozen says:
The exterior wall is load bearing. It does not matter if the house is one or two stories. In your case the wall supports the roof. Depending on where you are living, the roof loading will vary (snow, wind). In addition earthquake zones are required to withstand shear loads in the structural walls. My advice is to talk to the local municipality since you will require a building permit to open the wall. They will be able to help you based on the building codes for your particular area. General contractors would be the way to go since you will be dealing with multiple trades (electrical, plumbing) in addtion to the structural work.
January 19th, 2009 at 12:14 am
Bub says:
I agree that pretty much any outer wall is load bearing. You may or may not need a permit depending on where you live, I wouldn’t need one where I live. You can open up the wall using a long temporary support beam to support the weight during the removal of the old wall and a new permanent support beam to support the weight when you are done. It would need to be very strong, like a manufactured “I” beam or two 2 x 10’s nailed to gether and supported at the ends in the adjoining walls or in the area where you are removing the present wall. You may wish to hire this part of your job done to make sure it is done quickly and correctly. Good luck.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:04 am
geo e says:
First, the load bearing wall in any bldg is the wall that holds up the ceiling rafters/joists. Go up in the attic and look how the rafters go and then see which wall in your house follows the center line. Now 2 of the outside walls are load bearing also cause they hold up the roof rafters. When ever there’s a load bearing wall, you can brace/support it enough to meet codes if your going to open them up, it’s just you have to get them at your government bldg. codes office. What I tell many other people who are doing projects like yours is get some local builders and get their ideas on how to do it and of course the cost. This will give you some important info I or others here can’t tell you. Then if they give you some good advice, slip them some money if your still going to DIY, cause they gave you good ideas, which is worth it.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:52 am