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Questions tagged [load-bearing]

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A load bearing wall supports the structure above it, and thus cannot be removed without replacing that support. Use with the [walls] tag

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46 views

Can I remove this post on the lower floor of a two-storey home?

In the living area of my house is this decorative rail and post. I want to remove them. While I suspect such a narrow, solitary post would not be made to bear a load, I am not a builder so I still ...
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23 views

How do I figure out if these walls are load-bearing?

My house is a bungalow built in 1917. There are pillars under a central beam in the basement supporting the first floor (marked in red in my little drawing.) There is nothing obvious supporting the ...
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44 views

Is this wall load bearing and if so what are options to eliminate? [closed]

Trying to determine if wall between kitchen and family room can be removed.
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28 views

Opening Load Bearing Wall

I have a home built in 1956 that has a load-bearing wall that is about 2ft off the main support beam in the basement. There is currently a 30" opening in wall with 2x4 header. I would like to ...
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2answers
403 views

Am I ready to install window framing in load bearing wall?

I'm looking to add a window to an exterior, load-bearing wall. In front of the wall (which rests on the foundation) is another "wall" framed for wood paneling. I need to cut through the ...
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49 views

What type of beam to span 20ft?

Looking for help understanding live and dead loads and the mathematical equation for what beam to use or help with what beam we should use. We are trying to span 20ft between kitchen and living room ...
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46 views

Is my closet wall load bearing

I wanted to take this closet out but got nervous when seeing the backed wood. There is a floor above and the basement is below, but no support beams where the closet is. Also the joists run with ...
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1answer
89 views

Can someone help me to verify if my balcony can handle the load of a hot tub

I would like to place a hot tub on my balcony, and need help to double check if my floor joist can handle the load. I have have 2 x 12 floor joist @ 16" o.c. with 3/4" plywood decking and 1/2" ...
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56 views

REMODELING 1950's home

This is a single story home with a gable roof- went in attic and do not see a BEAM over the wall in question. The wall in question is in between the kitchen and living room- also has a fireplace on ...
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1answer
58 views

Is this wall on the second floor a load bearing wall?

I am removing a small shower in my master bathroom in order to install a larger one. I want to know if this wall is load bearing, I don't think so but i want to make sure. There is no wall ...
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Seeking advice on securing a 4x4 wood column ( post ) to a porch consisting of 2“ bluestone atop a (minimum) 4” concrete slab

Seeking advice on securing 4x4 wood columns ( posts, likely SPF or similar ) to a porch consisting of 2" bluestone atop a ( minimum ) 4" concrete slab ( pretty sure it's thicker ). The Posts are ...
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53 views

4x6 wood swingset beam, single span, center load max lbs?

I'm building a swing set with a 10 ft 4x6 pine beam. I would like to determine how much active load the beam can support at the center point, or at least minimally how much static load. I've ...
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97 views

Is this pocket door header load-bearing?

I removed two pocket doors in my second story bathroom (see picture 1 & 2). I would like to remove the headers above the pocket doors and open up the bathroom. However, I wasn't expecting such a ...
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72 views

Are these walls load bearing?

Looking purchase this house, however, want to remove the bar and closets in "red", could that whole area be removed, or are those load-bearing/structural walls? The original structure for this house ...
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17 views

DIY Solarium / Four Seasons Room - Project Planning Advice

I am located in Columbus, Ohio. I currently rent, but I am planning on buying a house in the next two years, and I want to get started on planning for this project. My wife is a houseplant enthusiast, ...
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71 views

Can I hang 100lb boxing bag from wood ceiling beam?

I'm looking to hang a 100lb combat sports banana heavy bag from my ceiling as shown in picture below. Obviously the iron beam is the most stable point, but it's only 7ft high at the low point and the ...
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1answer
36 views

Is this wall load-bearing (Blue prints included)?

We just bought a house and would like to remove a partial wall that was added as part of a remodel. I have the blueprints for the remodel (completed with permits in the 80s). I've attached images of ...
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1answer
38 views

Load bearing walls in 1860s house

We own a third floor condo in a house from the 1860s. I am trying to identify the load bearing walls in our apartment. Wall A is load bearing because it supports the roof joists. But what about wall ...
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65 views

How to install a door in a load bearing basement wall that is only 80 inches high

I would like to install a door in a load baring wall in my basement that is only 80 inches from the floor to the joist. It's an old 1940s home where half the house has joists running east west and ...
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93 views

Alternative designs for a load bearing wall

Please bear with me - I am not very skilled in the area of house renovations and building structures. We had a business come in and draw up plans for a new kitchen. It involved knocking out the '...
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107 views

Is this closet wall load bearing?

Wanting to remove this closet that is by my front door. Nervous that the wall that is parallel to the door is wall bearing. First time renovating. [![enter image description here][1]][1] [1]: https:...
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6answers
2k views

Can I use blocking between floor joists to support off-center jack studs in a load-bearing wall?

I have a load-bearing wall running down the center of my house, perpendicular to the floor joists. As this house is from the 1920's, there is no subfloor - the bottom plates of the walls sit directly ...
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142 views

Are these walls load bearing

Looking to remove the closet and wall in this restroom. Already had a structural engineer look at it before I removed the drywall. He only checked the studs with a Franklin stud sensor and didn't go ...
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1answer
57 views

Framing Advice - Removing Shower Opening

Finishing up demo on our master bathroom and working towards plans to get it all back together. Located on the top floor of our split level, over the laundry room. The existing entry to the shower ...
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3answers
169 views

Should this 3 ply LVL bear on a single 2x4?

My engineer has designed a 6'6" beam to carry my load and this would consist of 3 LVL glued and screwed together. 7 1/2" LVL. Like most LVL, a single ply is 1 3/4" deep. So, as he has it specified 3 ...
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Is a vertical crack in a wall stud okay as long as the wall isn't load bearing?

In the photo above you can see that a pipe was put through a 2x4 and that the 2x4 splintered/cracked somewhat as well. This is framing a bathroom in the basement. On the Framing perpendicular there is ...
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1answer
56 views

Reinforcing a load-bearing bolt in metal-to-metal assembly

I just got a new pull-up bar and am slightly concerned about the design. The bar itself is attached to the main assembly in such a way that its only support comes from two bolts on either side that ...
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1answer
72 views

Determining load bearing wall in attached blueprints

attached are two images from blueprints of the first floor of my three story home. I am looking into some renovations and hoping the hive mind could provide some insight. As I'm in the general initial ...
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55 views

Is this a load bearing post?

I’m wanting to remove this post but not sure if it’s load bearing. Can someone please help? Thanks!
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2answers
55 views

How to mount load-bearing assembly meant to be installed into joists

I recently got the below ceiling-mounted pull-up bar that installs into joists with 3" lag bolts. Unfortunately, my joists run perpendicular to the direction that I want to install this bar, so I need ...
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1answer
100 views

Is the wall load bearing?

I was hoping to open up my kitchen to living area and make an island where it the pantry and coat closet is. All I have are these floor plans. Is that wall structural? Thanks!
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1answer
93 views

Is my basement wall load bearing?

I have a 2 story house. The wall in question is in the middle of the basement. There is an old field stone wall that runs parallel to the ceiling joist (3x8). Directly above the stone is a flat board (...
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3answers
83 views

8'x8' platform 8' off the ground. If 4x4 steel columns, do I need bracing?

Remote off-grid land with lots of bears, coyotes and even turned wild domesticated dog packs. I'd like to build a 8'x8'platform 8' off the ground for camping and use the bottom for storage. If my ...
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367 views

Load bearing wall and basement beam don’t line up. Want to add a header and larger opening. Problem?

Additional info: -Ceiling joists have studs running down directly above floor joists -Floor joists are 2x10 spanning ~14’ 16OC -One of the floor joists that will carry the load is doubled and right ...
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1answer
201 views

Beam type/size for opening 15ft load bearing wall

I have a 15 foot span with an opening of 8 feet already there. I want to know what size beam I should use to be able to take down the rest of the wall. I’m curious of what size beam would I need to ...
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3answers
498 views

Cutting stud in load bearing wall to create vent opening for cooktop hood

We are installing a wall mounted cooktop hood over a gas cooktop as part of our renos. We have centered the cooktop along the kitchen wall but unfortunately that places the center line right in ...
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5answers
11k views

Is it unsafe to remove one stud from a load bearing wall?

I need to cut a hole for a recessed medicine cabinet. This wall is at the end of the house. I only need to cut one stud to make a frame for the cabinet. Will this damage the integrity of the bearing ...
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2answers
195 views

Reason for no header spanning this load bearing wall?

I'm fairly certain this is a load bearing wall as the beam in the basement is directly below this wall. My question is, shouldn't the area pointed at with the white arrows have a header if this is a ...
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26 views

Temporary Load Bearing wall support

Whats the best way to support an 18'-6" span of load bearing wall, so a LAM Beam can be installed?
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3answers
300 views

Is a stack of steel plate as strong as a single plate of the sum thickness?

I'd like to put a 4'x8' steel plate across my driveway gutter, so cars don't bottom out in the dip. I've seen 1/2" plates used for this, but at 650+ lbs. (https://www.chapelsteel.com/weight-steel-...
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83 views

Splitting loads among two intersecting beams

I have two spans that will run perpendicular to each other. The largest span is loadbearing at about 26ft, the smaller is non load bearing as about 15ft and rests in the middle of the larger span. ...
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1answer
337 views

Contractor cut joists short (followup to earlier question)

We are removing a couple of load bearing walls as part of renos in our home. The engineer specified a W8x21steel beam to replace the load bearing wall. The floor joists are 2x10. The joists are 2x10 ...
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1answer
619 views

Can I Move Interior Load-Bearing Walls Without Changes/Additions to Beams/Piers/Foundation?

I'm trying to determine if I can make some changes to my house's interior walls without making changes or additions to the underlying beam/pier/foundation structure. I have attached a drawing of the ...
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1answer
78 views

Determining if wall is non-load bearing

I am planning to renovate my kitchen and I would like to remove the wall between the kitchen and dining room. I have attached a photo of the wall (wall behind the stove) as well as the room on the ...
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1answer
65 views

Will my roof framing support an array of flat solar panels?

I want to install 23 305w panels on my roof. It's a flat roof constructed with 2x8 beams spaced at 24". There is no snow load to consider and we get occasional wind and rain storms a few times per ...
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5answers
15k views

Contractor cut joist hangers to make them fit

(edited with additional info re. header) We are removing a couple of load bearing walls as part of renos in our home. The engineer specified a W8x21steel beam to replace the load bearing wall. The ...
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1answer
558 views

Pocket holes for bed frame support

The plans for https://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2019/01/diy-rustic-modern-queen-bed.html call for glue and pocket holes at every joint. I'm wondering if pocket holes will provide enough structural support,...
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2answers
4k views

Closet Wall, is it Load Bearing?

Trying to figure out if the front wall of this pantry cabinet is load bearing. We'd like to remove the front of the pantry and install cabinets here instead of the closet, but unsure if we can pull ...
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28 views

Load distribution panel, type of wood and thickness?

I have a 1m2 (10ft2) object. This object weighs 400kg (880 pounds). I would like to spread the load over 2.5m2 (25ft2). I'm wondering what type of wood/panel and how thick should that wood be. Are ...
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161 views

Home built in 2000 - Is this wall load bearing? [closed]

Would love some help determining if this wall is load bearing. Pics and blueprints attached.

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