How Can I Tell If a Wall Is Load Bearing?

Some walls in the house are more important, structurally, than others.

A home is built on a foundation that holds up the weight of the home. Supporting subsections of the home not resting on the foundation area are a series of walls. These are called load-bearing walls. They hold the weight of the floor above and keep it from crashing down onto you. Most homes have walls that are not load bearing as well. During a remodel, you may wish to remove walls that are not load bearing to extend a room.

Instructions

1. Go to the basement and inspect the ceiling for metal columns or beams directly under an upstairs wall. Any walls sitting on top of these beams are load bearing.

2. Inspect outer walls of the home to see if they sit on the foundation footing. If they do, they are load bearing.

3. Locate walls that run parallel to the joists in the basement ceiling. These are not load bearing walls.

4. Move to the first floor and locate any walls that are near the center of the house and running parallel to the basement center beam. These are generally load bearing.

5. Look for posts or columns on the first or second floor. These are load bearing if connected to a wall. Sometimes columns and beams are hidden behind drywall.

References

• Ask the Builder; Load Bearing Wall Identification; Tim Carter
• Home Addition Plus; Identifying Load Bearing Walls; Mark J. Donovan