How To Tell If A Wall Is Load Bearing Attic

If you have remodeling plans that include removing or altering a wall you must determine whether the wall is load bearing or non load bearing.

How to tell if a wall is load bearing attic. Check the joists or rafters in your basement or attic. An example of a load bearing wall call be seen on the right. If there is another wall a floor with perpendicular joists or other heavy construction above it it is probably a load bearing wall. It all depends on the shape of the house its size and the number of floors it has.

Pay attention to what is directly above the wall. However if there is an unfinished space like an empty attic without a full floor the wall probably is not bearing a load. Use the following steps to identify a load bearing wall. When joists trusses are perpendicular to the wall and bear o n the top of the wall that wall is bearing wall.

Any part of a load bearing wall that is removed must be replaced with a suitable structural support such as a beam and or columns to bear the same load that was supported by the wall. Demolishing a load bearing wall could quickly impact the safety of your home as load bearing walls support the roof and are required to stand in place for the structural integrity of a home. How to recognize a load bearing wall from the attic. Also notice how the non load bearing walls from the picture above are parallel to the wall framing in the picture below.

Without having the plans for the house on hand it is not always easy to recognize whether or not a wall is load bearing. In the attic look down at the ceiling joists and ask yourself these. If you answered yes to either of those questions the wall on the floor above is most likely load bearing. If you don t have a basement or have a finished ceiling take a look at your home s structure from the attic.

This is also true when looking in the attic. If the wall in question is parallel to the joists trusses it will likely not be load bearing. If a wall doesn t have any walls posts or other supports directly above it it s far less likely that it s load bearing. You can do anything you like to a non bearing wall.

Finding load bearing walls is not always an easy task. Making sure any wall you plan to remove isn t load bearing is incredibly important.