How To Tell If An Interior Wall Is Load Bearing
But if the wall runs perpendicular at a 90 degree angle to the joists there is a good chance that it is load bearing.
How to tell if an interior wall is load bearing. If you are removing some or all of an interior wall you will need to determine whether the wall is load bearing. If you don t have a copy of your blueprints check your local county clerk s office. Generally when the wall in question runs parallel to the floor joists above it is not a load bearing wall.
For a definitive answer you may need to cut away a small section of drywall or plaster. If you don t have your home s blueprints or they don t indicate which walls are load bearing start looking in the lowest part of your home the basement. The first is to simply note the location of a wall and whether that wall also exists on the next floor.
To tell if a wall is load bearing examine the building s blueprints to see where the original support beams were built. Another common sign of a load bearing wall is the distance from any outer walls. If a wall is marked as s in the blueprint this means structural thus showing it s a load bearing wall.
The load bearing walls would be above those beams. The best way to tell if a wall is load bearing is to go in the attic ceiling space to see if there is any framing joists rafers trusses supported by that wall. If a wall is located on the ground floor go down to the basement to observe the ceiling beams.
All structural loads in a house follow load paths from roofs and floors down though walls and posts to the foundation. However there are cases where a bearing wall is parallel to the joists. Load bearing walls inside the building typically run parallel to the ridge.
Step 3 check the walls look for the walls that sit on the foundation walls. In order to be fully certain of what you re seeing pierce a hole in the ceiling near said wall. Go into the basement or the lowest level of a building to identify interior load bearing walls.