Is this wall load bearing?

[hostage]

I am looking at moving a wall and I am trying to figure out if it is load bearing or not.

I live in a 1979 Colonial house. That has 2 floors and a basement.

The wall I want to move has the following details:
Is on the second floor (attic is above it)
Wall runs perpendicular to the ceiling joists
There is no wall under directly under this wall on the 1st floor or in the basement.
The roof does have trusses in the attic.
The wall doesn't appear to have any electric (no outlets) or water lines going (I have no gas lines in my house)

I heard taking down some of the dry wall and seeing if there is a large header above the dry wall can also help indicate.

Regards,

Hostage

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Is this wall load bearing?

Having a header isn't always an indicator of a load bearing wall. If there are trusses for the roof, then by their nature, there shouldn't be any load bearing walls inside unless the trusses are super long.

 

[hostage]

Re: Is this wall load bearing?

The roof isn't that high, I still have to duck in the highest point. A contractor was telling me that if it has trusses then it shouldn't be LB wall. Also none of the other contractors indicated it was a LB wall that I got a quote from.

On the first floor there is a header that goes between the dining room/living room. There are no walls that separate the living/dining rooms. This room spans the whole width of the house. My bedroom similarly spans the width of the house, though the wall I want to move divides the room into a closet and bathroom. My second question: The living/dining room has that large header is to support the weight of the second floor, while the second floor ceiling doesn't need a large header going through my room as it has the trusses in the attic?

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Is this wall load bearing?

That is correct, the header on the first floor is supporting the second floor. The design of a truss moves all load bearing to the outside walls so no internal support is needed.

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: Is this wall load bearing?

^This is correct. Your 2nd floor interior walls aren't bearing conditions with trusses. Rip er' out!

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Is this wall load bearing?

I am looking at moving a wall and I am trying to figure out if it is load bearing or not.

I live in a 1979 Colonial house. That has 2 floors and a basement.

The wall I want to move has the following details:
Is on the second floor (attic is above it)
Wall runs perpendicular to the ceiling joists
There is no wall under directly under this wall on the 1st floor or in the basement.
The roof does have trusses in the attic.
The wall doesn't appear to have any electric (no outlets) or water lines going (I have no gas lines in my house)

I heard taking down some of the dry wall and seeing if there is a large header above the dry wall can also help indicate.

Regards,

Hostage

Now, this is an interesting question to be asking . . . What if the answers that you get here are wrong?

A floor diagram would do wonders.

The fact that there is not a first floor wall directly underneath is sort of tell-tale, but that is not always the case.

 

[marcoalza]

Re: Is this wall load bearing?

....only one way to find out for sure......:facepalm:

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Is this wall load bearing?

Determining whether a wall is load-bearing or not is not really a DIY situation, unless you have the expertise.
Given that you are asking the question....
Whoever actually decides will have to pay if they get it wrong.
Make sure that is not you!

 

[foodfisher]

Re: Is this wall load bearing?

Truss span? Material dimensions? (2x4/2x6). Half trusses sitting on the wall? I'd at least check the entire wall in the attic.

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: Is this wall load bearing?

Probably depends somewhat on local building codes. However, everything you've reported seems to indicate it's not load bearing. Another clue would be what, if any, fastening exists between the wall plate and the trusses. If no fastening, or just a few nails, the wall and truss are not intended to work (structurally) in conjunction with each other.

If you're not sure, any competent building/remodeling contractor would be able to tell you. They have to make those calls all of the time.

 

[hostage]

Re: Is this wall load bearing?

This is what the attic looks like:



Note: each floor is 816ft^2. This house is rectangular. I have no blue prints. My neighbor who is a painter said it isn't LB.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Is this wall load bearing?

I just thought of something that you could check . . .

Non-load bearing walls are usually built & raised after the load bearing structure is complete. In order to raise the wall in side the house, the builder makes the wall 3/4" shorter than the other walls. Then they put in a piece of strapping on the top plate once the wall is raised to fill in the 3/4" gap and make it tight to the joists. Also, non-load bearing walls usually have only a single '2 x' as the top plate, where as load bearing walls are going to have a double '2 x' . . .

So, maybe you could open a small area of drywall up near the cieling and see what you got . . .

However, since you are asking the question, you should still have a 'Pro' check it out.

Another thing is that you will most certainly need a building permit . . . and maybe the town building inspector can advise accordingly on the wall.

 

[FlaCowboy]

Re: Is this wall load bearing?

I have been in construction my entire life and never have I seen a "structual" wall sit on the top of the second floor "especially" without a wall directly under it to the slab below.
Then again....I have never been to NY.