Fox or people who KNOW house structure

[emoflamingo]

Can you PLEASE help me define "load bearing wall" in picture? We looked at a house tonight that is pretty nice, but there is a small formal dining room at the front that's basically pointless, especially for our family, with a wall separating it from the living room. If we could remove the wall (sort of like what H*T did in their ranch) it would be great. There is no floor above this area of the house.

[reils]

I don't know if I can help without seeing it but if the wall is going the same direction as the roof trusses (the direction of the roof peak outside will tell you this) then it's not a load bearing wall. If it is going the opposite direction then it might be, is it a short wall or does it run the whole length of the house?

I don't think I am explaining myself clearly so I am sorry if this is no help .

[emoflamingo]

It goes the same direction as the roof peak.

[reils]

It doesn't sound like it is then.

A load bearing wall supports the roof trusses when the width of the house is too wide for the trusses to span. In order for that to happen a load bearing wall needs to run the opposite direction so that each roof truss sits (perpendicular) on the load bearing wall or a combination of the wall and a beam to support the load above. HTH!

[cotner]

Does it have a basement? Are there columns below the wall in the basement? If so it is load bearing. If it runs in the same direction as your ridge line, it could be loadbearing. Even if it is, you can remove the wall and replace it with a beam.

[FoxInFiji]

Jun 25, 2012 8:05:34 GMT -5 cotner said:

Does it have a basement? Are there columns below the wall in the basement? If so it is load bearing. If it runs in the same direction as your ridge line, it could be loadbearing. Even if it is, you can remove the wall and replace it with a beam.

This. Try looking at the basement first that is the easiest way to tell if it's load bearing if the basement or crawlspace is unfinished in that area. I'm trying to think of what wall you're talking about with HT. Was there a wall between her kitchen and LR before? It sounds like the room you're talking about is in the center of the house but if it's an addition the general rules to identify load bearing walls don't apply. Just throwing that out there. There is really no way to know for sure until you start exploring in the attic under insulation or tearing off drywall. Load bearing walls will have multiple 2x4's in their header. A good inspector should be able to tell you what is load bearing or not as well but you'd already be farther along at that point. Either way you should be able to put in a reinforced beam to span the space if it is load bearing it just costs money.

[emoflamingo]

There is a basement underneath this space that is finished with a room added in there, so I'm not sure if there is a column in the wall or not. It's in the center of the house, not an addition.

We're planning on having H's grandpa look at it since he's pretty knowledgable, but my H is head over heels for this house and my only reservation is how choppy and small the living space upstairs feels. They aren't really that small (the formal dining is 12'x11' and the living area is 18'x13') but the way they are set up feel long, skinny and like awkward uses of the space. The dining room would only fit a table for 6 and there's only one place to really put the TV in the living room (one wall is fireplace and built ins, one is all windows to the back yard and the third is the entry to the eat-in kitchen area), but opening up that wall, even if we were opening it up and leaving a small section of wall near the kitchen (making it a T shape), would be better.

[emoflamingo]

Jun 25, 2012 8:31:01 GMT -5 FoxInFiji said:

I'm trying to think of what wall you're talking about with HT. Was there a wall between her kitchen and LR before?

With H*T, there was a wall where her kitchen island is now on the new ranch. I'll see if I can find the post about it.

You'll have to scroll, but you can see they took out a wall:

www.housetweaking.com/2012/05/25/countertops-are-in/

[emoflamingo]

I tried to find pictures to show what I'm talking about, but it's not easy with the options on the MLS:


This is the dining area, the wall for the living area is on the left.


This is the living area, the wall for the dining room at left.


This is the kitchen that creates the T-shape with the walls. The line is approximately where that wall is.

[cotner]

Does the wall continue the whole length of the house with openings cut in? Are any of the opening not doors and go all the way to the ceiling or does it step down some. If it contiues and steps down, it is probably a bearing wall.

[emoflamingo]

Jun 25, 2012 10:26:56 GMT -5 cotner said:

Does the wall continue the whole length of the house with openings cut in? Are any of the opening not doors and go all the way to the ceiling or does it step down some. If it contiues and steps down, it is probably a bearing wall.

Not the whole way. It goes probably 12 feet? There's a doorway cut in it, as you can see above.

I need to just call the realtor and see if he can get us in like... tomorrow to see it again.

[FoxInFiji]

So you're looking to take just the LR/DR wall or both the LR/DR and Kitchen walls? If it's the later odds are one of those walls is load bearing.

[emoflamingo]

Just the LR/DR wall, the kitchen wall is fine. The kitchen feels more spacious than the other rooms (they have a LOT of crap in their house too, so that's part of it, but a 12x11' dining room feels like wasted space).