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I'm taking out a wall between two bedrooms to make it into one. This is a studded wall that was the back of the closet in one of the bedrooms and the wall in the other.

This is underneath a flat roof single story. This is the ground floor with a basement below and the flat roof above.

Is there any chance that these studs are supporting the roof?

The home is 40 ft long by 20 ft wide a rectangle in shape.

Thanks for any help!

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    Yes there is a chance but we can not answer beyond that. There is no way for us to know this with out the proper information. We would need to know exactly how the the house is built and have photos showing the areas in question. – Alaska Man Sep 18 '19 at 17:36
  • Hello, and welcome to Home Improvement. We'll need more info before we can help. And, props for taking our tour before posting! – Daniel Griscom Sep 18 '19 at 18:12
  • Could you sketch a layout of the house and the bedrooms at least we could guess a little better, are the beams exposed many flat roofs they are in the living room and dining room areas looking at the size of the beams could also provide a clue. – Ed Beal Sep 18 '19 at 19:16
  • If the ceiling joists are perpendicular to the wall, it's likely to be supporting. If the joists are parallel to the wall, check whether there is a joist running directly along the top of the wall. If not (i.e. no joists are resting on the wall) you're safe. Otherwise, ask a professional to check it for you. – Ray Butterworth Sep 20 '19 at 2:01
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Yes, there is a chance that the wall could be a bearing wall.

You can determine if it’s a bearing wall by verifying if 1) the wall is near the middle of the house, 2) has roof joists resting on it, 3) has a beam or concrete footing under it, 4) has plywood, OSB board or double gypsum board on either side of the wall.

1) If the wall is near the middle of the house there is a strong likelihood that it is a bearing wall. Because you mentioned that your roof is flat, there is a strong likelihood that roof trusses that span the entire width of the house were not used, but you’ll need to verify the other items I’ve listed.

2) You’ll need to look in the attic to see if any joists rest on the wall. (Flat roofs will probably rest at mid-span across the roof.)

3) If you can’t get in the attic, you may be able to get in the crawl space and see a beam or concrete footing under the wall. If so, that is a strong indication that it’s a bearing wall.

4) If you live in a high wind area or a seismically active area, the wall may provide lateral bracing. If plywood, OSB board or 2 layers of gypsum board on either side of the wall, then the wall could be a structural wall. (The wall would need to extend up to the roof to be structural.)

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  • if the roof is flat you probably won't get into the attic, but it be possible to see what'd going on through the crack where the ceiling ends (assuming the wall lining has been removed). – Jasen Sep 19 '19 at 7:40
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Yes, there is chance a studded wall is a supporting wall.

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Contact a licensed contractor and ask for an estimate to do the work. If it's structural, you'll want them to do it for safety and code reasons. If not, do it yourself.

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