Removing Load Bearing Walls
11/8/2011 at 10:10:56 PM
When our home was built, the basement did not have joists, but a load bearing wall frame instead. We used that framework to begin to finish the basement (partially). Can this wall be replaced by joists to open up the space? What would be involved and would it be cost-prohibitive to do?
11/14/2011 at 6:25:58 PM
Penelope
Just to clarify terminology, your house was built with joists (these hold up the floor above) but what your house might not have been built with is Jack posts or a central i-beam to support the floor joists. In older homes there is sometimes a cinder block wall that was used to support the structure. If you are looking to remove all or part of this wall, the first place to start is to get an proper assessment from a qualified structural engineer. What they will do is a detailed assessment of your house structure and where all the support is coming from and what options you may have to change the current support structure to something else.
I hope this helps, happy renovating.
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