I own an old 1 story house that was built in 1926.
Looking in the attic, I've noticed that all the interior walls that run parallel to the ceiling joists have no joist above them. These walls are all spaced such that there "should" be a joist above them, but the joist is simply not there. Instead there is just a double wide gap between joists, with the wall running underneath where a the joist would be.
Is this normal for older houses? I'm sure it's not allowed anymore, but might it have been acceptable practice back in the '20s?
The main reason I'm curious about it is that I'm planning to remove one of these walls as part of a kitchen remodel. I'm guessing I'll have to put a joist in above where the wall is/was. I'm wondering if this needs to be done before the removal of the wall if it could be done after.