Is it a Bearing Wall or a Non-Bearing Wall?

**Disclaimer** If you've already knocked down a wall and are unsure if it was load-bearing, please call us immediately. If it was, time is limited, and a professional needs to brace your home right away.

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Introduction/ Background

As a licensed engineer, I get phone calls from homeowners, architects, interior designers, and contractors on a daily basis asking whether a wall is bearing or non-bearing. Usually, this question comes before construction has started, but sometimes it comes in the middle of a project. As long as it comes before the wall is removed, you are not in danger of damage to your home’s structure.

If a wall is non-bearing, it can be removed without any effect on the home’s structural integrity.

If a wall is bearing, it is vital to the structure of the home and can not be removed without another structure put in its place.

Therefore, in any remodeling project that involves modification to an existing wall it is imperative to first determine if a wall is bearing or non-bearing.

The first thing to know about determining if a wall is bearing or non-bearing is that it is not always a black and white process. Homes have been designed many different ways throughout the country and over the last several decades. Each of the factors listed below must be taken into account.

Signs a Wall is a Bearing Wall:

• Is it an exterior wall; A wall that separates you from the outside. Most of the time, exterior walls are bearing walls. Exterior walls support the ends of roof rafters, the ends of ceiling joists, or additional exterior wall above the ceiling level.

• Joists in the ceiling, are perpendicular to the wall. When joists are perpendicular to the wall, there is a high chance that the wall is holding those joists up. This is especially true if the wall is where the joists end. Often, joists do not span the entire width of a structure. Their span is broken up by a beam or a wall.

• Braces in the attic land on the top of the wall. Often, roof rafters’ span is broken up by braces. The braces are placed so that they bear on top of the wall and the other end supports a beam that supports the roof rafters. This makes the roof rafter members smaller and more efficient, but prevent the removal of the wall supporting the braces.

• The wall is aligned with a strip footing below it. Generally, foundations are only placed where they are absolutely necessary due to the cost and labor required to place them. Therefore, if there is a strip footing beneath a wall, the wall is likely holding a significant amount of weight.

• There is another wall directly above it. In most structures, the walls stack on top of each other. This reduces the need for additional analysis of floor joists and beams to support any walls above.

• The wall is thicker than the other walls. If a wall is thicker than the others, it could be designed that way to support more weight than the other walls.

Signs a Wall is a Non-Bearing Wall:

• The joists above the wall are perpendicular but:

  • There is a small gap between the joists and the double top plate at the top of the wall. The gap will likely be paired with a slotted connection. The gap is there so that the framing above can deflect and move without placing load on top of the wall.

  • The joists running over the top of the wall are continuous. If they are continuous over the top of the wall, there is a chance that the joist was designed to only be supported at its ends.

• The joists above the wall are parallel to the wall. If the joists are parallel, the only part of the structure that the wall can support is between the joists on each side of the wall.

• From the attic space, there isn’t any indication that there is a wall below. Oftentimes, from the attic space, the location of a bearing wall can be identified because you can see the ends of different joists and blocking.

• There is not a wall aligned above the wall in question.

• There is a beam or double joist located above the wall. This beam or double joist has also been determined to be capable of supporting the loads above without the wall beneath it.

• The wall to be removed is thinner than the other walls. Sometimes walls thinner than 2x4 are installed in a home as dividers only.

Now, at this point, if you still cannot come to a comfortable conclusion, do not move forward on your own.

Often people get to this point and decide to take their chances. Do not do this:

• Do not remove wall studs one at a time to see if the structure above continues to hold.

  • Most structures are built with redundancy. Because there are so many members connecting to each other, the removal of a wall may not lead to immediate sagging or failure. Instead, it could lead to sagging over the course of several months or years that eventually lead to failure.

  • Keep in mind, when working on a structure, it does not see its normal use. Therefore, the structure is not actually holding up what it is designed to hold up. For example, when “testing” the structure by removing wall studs, you may have removed the support for ceiling joists in the attic. Most of the time, those joists only support their own dead load. It is possible that in this situation, the gypsum board ceiling can hold the ceiling up. Then when you or another person enters the attic, the gypsum board becomes overloaded and the entire ceiling gives way.

• Do not try to install a beam that looks “good enough”.

  • A stud wall consisting of 2x4 studs with 16 inch spacing is capable of supporting a significant amount of weight. A beam should be designed taking into account the dead and live loads it supports as well as its span. The size of a beam should not be estimated based upon visual observations.

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Conclusion

If you determined without a doubt that a wall is non-bearing, it can be removed without concern for the house’s structure.

If you determine that the wall is bearing, Additional framing must be installed to replace the wall and support the structure above it. In most cases, the new framing includes, but is not limited to a new beam, posts, and foundations. Each of these items should be designed by a licensed engineer.

Warning

While the clues provided can help you make an informed guess about a wall's function, remember that this is not a substitute for professional expertise. If you're still uncertain after your own investigation, or if you plan to remove a wall, it's always best to consult with a licensed engineer. Their training and experience can accurately determine a wall's load-bearing status and design the proper structural support, if needed. This step is crucial for ensuring your home's safety and avoiding costly and dangerous structural damage. Don't take chances with your home's integrity.