Questions tagged [load-bearing]
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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Are there ways to determine if a wall is load bearing?
Other than looking up blue prints, which many homeowners may not have, are there ways to determine if a wall is load bearing?
Methods I can think of might include:
Going up in the attic to check if ...
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Is this cracking foundation under a jack post a problem that requires repair?
I am buying an already-built new home. I find this in the basement. The builder says it's okay, but I am really concerned. Is this really a big issue? What steps would be required to repair it?
This ...
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Is this a load bearing column?
I’m trying to determine if a column in my house is load bearing. It’s at the corner of 2 pony walls and if it isn’t we might take out the column and the pony wall. There’s an extension of the 2nd ...
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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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How to calculate the maximum safe load on a horizontal wooden beam?
I am thinking of constructing a wooden bed/desk/roof/shed/ship/bridge/rocket
How can I calculate the maximum load a rectangular horizontal wooden beam of dimensions L x H x W can safely support if ...
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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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I think my electrician compromised a loadbearing stud
I contracted a company to remove a closet partitioning wall along with a header and a few small pieces. That work was all approved by a structural engineer in an official report.
However, I was also ...
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Why mate two boards instead of using one thicker board?
I need to build a footbridge across a creek and, due to soft and low land around it, will need a long span crossing the creek. I found this tutorial by Ron Hazelton where he makes a bridge with a 12' ...
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Can I remove a wall stud to install a pet door?
We only have one option for a wall that the pet door would go in. After measuring we found that the door would have to go right in the middle of a stud. Is it safe to cut through the stud?
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Should I be concerned about the structural integrity of this 100-year-old garage?
I had an aunt who lived in a house that was built in 1923 and its detached garage was also built in 1923. I am in the process of fixing up both this house and the garage before the house is put for ...
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Will my wooden bridge withstand the weight of my small truck?
I am building a bridge across a small stream. I have 3 hemlock planks that are 24 feet long, and are 6 inches by 4 inches in dimension. The hemlock planks are positioned so that the 6 inch sides are ...
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Can I modify a load bearing triple stud?
I am installing a small safe in a wall and when I cut the opening in the drywall I noticed that the studs were in an unusual distribution. The stud on the right was normal but then there were multiple ...
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Proper size of header to support new door in load bearing wall?
We're going to install a new linen closet off the hallway next to our recently(ish) remodeled bathroom. The wall in question is load bearing.
I know how to properly build out the King and Jack studs,...
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What is the purpose of horizontal blocks on a bearing wall?
In my basement, the bearing wall has horizontal blocks between each stud, similar to what you see in this picture:
.
There is one place on the wall where one of the blocks was removed to place an ...
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What's the purpose of this lumber resting on top plate of the wall?
Today I was doing some due diligence to open up an interior wall on the first floor or 2 story house built in 1968. The wall runs parallel to the joists so presumably is a non load bearing. When I cut ...
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Resolve argument on load bearing walls [closed]
Here are both the builder blue prints and foundation plans. According to the plans all external walls and garage are load bearing and internal walls are not. There is no built up foundation/headers ...
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How long does it take for ground to become sufficiently compact to bear the weight of an above-ground pool?
The back of my property has a couple of drops down toward the final elevation, sort of a terraced effect. The first of those drops I retained with a timber retaining wall in order to make the ...
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Framing an appliance opening in a load bearing wall?
I bought a fridge that is much too deep (first time buying a new house/new appliances) and unfortunately the appliance place does not take exchanges or returns. I am considering recessing the fridge ...
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Can I safely make a door frame taller?
UPDATE:
April 22 What I ended up doing was removing the trim non-destructively. Above the door frame, it was clearly not load bearing, so I continued and was not so non-destructive. The end-result ...
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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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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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Is my closet load bearing?
I want to remove the closets that are in the hallway off of my garage so I can install new cabinets for a mud-room. I want to make sure the closets are not load bearing before I remove. Here are some ...
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How do I repair a split stud in load-bearing wall
I was hammering in a drywall anchor where my stud detector said there was not a stud, but it turned out to be wrong! This put a clean break in the stud up and down. I cut into the drywall at the spot ...
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How much temporary bracing do you need when cutting a new exterior door opening in an existing house?
I'd like to add a door to the back side of my garage, but since this is a load bearing wall I'll have to brace it temporarily while I frame the opening. The garage has one room above it, which spans ...
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Where can I find information on making footbridges with a long span?
I have a creek I need to cross with a footbridge. While the creek is only about 3' wide, the main span of the bridge will have to be somewhere between 14-17' feet long, due to low, wet, and loose ...
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I removed this non-load bearing wall in the corner of my basement, now 2 doors upstairs rub on their frames. Why is this?
In the image below, notice where the small 1x1 bits are, running perpendicular to the ceiling joists. These was used by the previous homeowner to lower the ceiling in one room, so if you can imagine, ...
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Hangman's Noose vs Uni Knot
Is there any practical difference between the Hangman's Noose and the Uni Knot (a.k.a. Duncan loop)? The difference I see between the two is that the coils are wound inside the loop in the uni knot ...
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How do I determine if a wall is load bearing?
I'm considering removing a wall in my master bathroom but I can't tell if it is a load bearing wall or not. I've done a fair amount of research. I don't have the house blueprints, and it's difficult ...
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What should I do to level an uneven floor with a potential load bearing wall above?
I'm trying to level the first floor in my 90 year old house.
The floor joists are held up by a wooden beam composed of 5 2x8s, which is held up by two steel columns. In the middle of the wooden beam ...
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Is this wall load bearing based on the attached blueprints?
I would like to remove a wall in my walk-out basement but I don't know how to interpret this architectural blueprint. Based on this blueprint, is the wall bearing load or not? I have highlighted the ...
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What's a high R-value insulation material alternative to dimensional lumber
Years ago I read somewhere about a building material described like this :
a composite/synthetic material (not wood)
available in traditional dimensional lumber sizes (e.g. 2x4)
rigid enough to have ...
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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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Two by fours embedded in basement concrete slab used for framing... including a load bearing wall. Should I be concerned?
So there's some long ass backstory - sorry for the wall of text! I figured better too much detail than too little tho.
We recently bought a house in Vancouver, WA (climate zone 8b), a custom job ...
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Are these walls near a skylight, load bearing?
My master and guest bathroom are back-to-back (toilet-to-toilet). Both bathrooms have a tall skylight this size (~4' square). The skylights are about 5 feet apart from one-another.
Master Bathroom, ...
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ICF home -- are columns in the photos load bearing? [closed]
I'm in need of some guidance regarding the two columns in the photos below. I'm trying to determine if they're load bearing. The home is an Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) build. I'm planning to remove ...
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Trying to make a 1 or 2 car garage opening through a shear wall [closed]
I thought to open the rear of my garage so I can drive through the garage to my backyard where I can do routine maintenance.
The contractor that came out to look at it said the wall is a shear wall ...
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How can I remove a stud from a load bearing wall?
I want to remove a stud from a load bearing wall in order to recess my fridge another 3-4 inches.
In doing so I will be removing the bottom plate, one stud from bottom plate up to height of the fridge ...
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Load bearing steel post rusted
At my mum's place, there's a steel post holding up the lintel over a sliding door because the wall next to the door has a box air con in it. However, it's badly rusted at the bottom due to the rain we'...
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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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I'm using 2x12 for steps. At 4 feet, do I need a center support?
I'm using 2x12 for steps. At 4 feet, do I need a center support?
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Why does the maximum deck overhang sometimes decrease with joist spacing?
The deck construction guide for my area contains this table:
Look at the "Allowable Overhang" columns. It's odd that a wider joint spacing (24") permits a longer overhang.
For example, look at the ...
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How should I install a hoist given that the walls and ceiling are made of concrete?
I have this hoist, of the engine-lifting variety, which is designed to be installed below a pipe or beam. I do not have any load bearing pipes or beams. What I have are a poured concrete ceiling (9" ...
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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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Reinforcing a Load Bearing Wall
I just finished removing 100 year old plaster/lathe combination over a long load bearing wall in my basement. It revealed quite a bit of termite damage to a load bearing wall and header going across ...
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Can you tell from this frame if it is a nonbearing wall?
Just removed the drywall and need help to confirm if it's a non-bearing wall.
It's a 1900 duplex house and there is a similar wall on the first floor but it is not aligned, about 10" distance. ...
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Can I replace a window in a garage gable wall without adding a modern header?
So, I have an older construction home (1948, a great year for lumber in MN) with a detached garage connected to the breezeway. The garage roof structure has rafters and collar ties with two storage ...
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How can I reliably determine whether a wall is load-bearing?
I remodeling my kitchen and opened up the entrance to kitchen to be more “open concept”. An inspector has asked me to determine if the wall is a load bearing wall.
I need to “verify” but not sure ...
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Does a long deck beam need a post at staggered joints?
I am designing a deck that requires 40' beams. In that design I plan to fabricate the beams with 2-2x12 pressure treated lumber. I have tentatively planned to arrange the plies in this fashion: 1st ...
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Can I stack headers in a load bearing wall?
I am working on a home addition and I plan to change an existing window into a doorway. The window currently has a 2x8 header and a small cripple wall below the header to frame the window.
I need to ...
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Is this a load bearing wall?
The first floor of my home has a small bathroom attached to the kitchen. Bathroom has(had) a pretty standard 2 door closet. I say standard because it's the cheap kind you buy at Home Depot that's ...
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