2 look inside the attic if possible to identify the direction in which the rafters or joists travel.
Identifying load bearing wall attic.
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.
In a house that has an unfinished basement or easily accessible wall finding the beams.
Due to the triangular shape of all but.
2 the thickness of the wall.
The primary bearing walls in most homes are the exterior walls.
Start at the foundation.
The floors above roof structure people and furniture are the loads that the wall has to support.
But if the wall runs perpendicular at a 90 degree angle to the joists there is a good chance that it is load bearing.
You can usually get a copy of the.
Use the following steps to identify a load bearing wall.
If they run perpendicular to the wall in question it s almost certainly a bearing wall.
If they run parallel it s probably not.
4 the presence of.
Look for extra wall support.
If the wall in.
3 the direction of beams and joists.
Check the joists or rafters in your basement or attic.
A load bearing wall transfers load all the way down to the building s foundation.
A structural wall actually carries the weight of your house from the roof and upper floors.
If there is another wall a floor with perpendicular joists or other heavy construction above it it is probably a load bearing wall.
A bearing wall is one which supports the structure of the house.
A load bearing wall is any wall that holds up the weight of the structure above and the people furniture supported by that structure.
1 the noise that the wall makes when you knock on it.
However there are cases where a bearing wall is parallel to the joists.
While the joists and beams of your home are a good start to identify load bearing walls there are other options.
Hitting the wall.
Load bearing walls typically run in the same direction.
Look at the floor joists.
If there is chances are the walls are load bearing.
Reinforcement posts and columns are.
However weird this may seem you should knock lightly on.
5 check for internal walls near the center of the house.
How to identify a load bearing wall understand the structure.
However if there is an unfinished space like an empty attic without a full floor the wall probably is not bearing a load.
Take a peek at the instructions on how your house was built.