Looking at removing the wall seperating living rm and dining rm from kitchen to create open concept. The wall in question is aligned with the hallway and the section I want to take out is 9ft long facing living room and 6ft returning to outside wall at dining room side. L shaped.
The house is a bc box 24ft deep and 44ft long. The wall is on the second floor and has nothing but roof, trusses and drywall above. I am pretty sure the pitch is 4/12 and the trusses are 2x4 rafter extending 30" beyond outside wall and and the ceiling joists are 2x8.
I have noticed a few neighborhood licensed renos done with the same shaped house and they have done this and i want to do the same without columns.
Any recommendations?
Hi,
There are a lot of different aspects that affect the peramiters of this job.
I suggest having an engineer/architect create some drawings for you. This way when you get quotes from different contractors you are getting quotes on the same aspects of construction.
By the sounds of your project it is possible to remove the walls in question without to much hassle.
Good Morning Steve
By your description you can remove the Walsh without having a column. We use engineered structural steel for these types of projects.
Paul Lucyk
Before getting a permit you should figure out if it is load bearing. That will give you an idea to the scope of the work. A clue could be if the wall is running parallel or perpendicular to the ceiling joists. If it is perpendicular it could be load bearing.
Since it is L shaped one of the walls will be parallel and one will be perpendicular. If the perpendicular section is below joists that appear the same as other joists without a wall below that is a good clue that it is not load bearing. That is not to say that is or isn't load bearing. This way you will have an idea of cost. It is a lot cheaper to remove a non-load bearing wall.
If you believe that it is not load bearing than I would hire an engineer or specialist that can determine for sure. You will need to hire one for permit anyhow.
Hi,
Best to have a competent general contractor have a look. The trusses likely load on the exterior walls so the interior walls will not be loading, but need to be confirmed on site.
David
Alair Homes
First you need to confirm that the existing wall is not a bearing wall supporting the roof framing. Houses built before the early 1960's are generally all stick framed roofs, houses built after that may be built with roof trusses.
If the roof is using trusses then most likely they are spanning clear across the 24 ft using the exterior walls as bearing, in this case you can remove the wall without adding any support.
If the roof is stick framed then it is a good possibility that the wall you would like to remove is a bearing wall, in that case you will need to replace the wall with a support beam and posts.
In either case you should have a competent professional check to see whether the wall is a bearing wall or not, or if you have the original building plans you may be able to check yourself.
Steve,
As is mentioned by most others, get a proper reoprt done by a professional structure engineer or other qualified person. It may be a load bearing wall and would require some modified support to maintain the integrety of the structure.
The overall job can certainly be done but make sure it meets with all the appropriate codes.
Regards,
Mark
Hi there.
This is a common Reno for this style house. Assuming the trusses run across the main wall to be removed, it is likely a bearing wall (you'll have to confirm this). In this case you will need to use a beam or lintel which ties in to the hall wall and rests on a post on the opposite side. This lintel and post can be decorated simply to match existing wall covering such as drywall or be paneled which often goes hand in hand with a matching bar counter. The perpendicular wall if not load bearing can be removed to open up the dining area.
However if you want the whole area to be completely open plan, you will have to look into carrying a structural beam right from the hall wall to the opposite exterior wall. This will require remediation to both walls for strengthening purposes - some additional strengthening may be required for the trusses above.
A licensed builder or renovator with experience in this area will have the right solution for you.
All the best
Wayne
Two by 4 Construction
Hi Steve,
First thing you have to hire a certified engineer to assess the project and to provide the right recommendation on how to re-carry the loads instead of the wall needs to be removed.
Based on that information, you could interview the right contractor for such job to get the right price based on the engineer recommendations.
Thanks,
Mike
Hi Steve,
There are many factors, as have been indicated already, that go into answering your question correctly. To do that someone will need to look at your home to determine what is going to be required. I recommend that you meet with a few General Contractors and find one that communicates well with you, is going to do it properly with permits, and has the experience to get it done right.
You will be happy with the outcome as it will change the feel of the house completely! I would advise using a company who has strong ties to a good designer to make sure your tastes are captured and can help you vision the final product.
Best Regards,
Dan - Infinity Construction
Abbotsford, BC
Hi Steve
This is an easy situation for a framer to know if that wall is bearing or not. If it is a bearing wall it will be picked up underneath, by either another bearing wall or a support beam, and that load will be transfered down to the foundation. It could be there to pick up mid span on your trusses. This would be evident by looking at the truss configeration.
Either way there is an easy solution to your problem.
If it is bearing it can be picked up with engineered beam. This beam can either be droped and showing in the ceiling, or flush mount and hidden.
If an engineer is required for your peace of mind the cost will be $500 to $1000. This is is common procedure in houses like yours today.
Erroll
MVP Construction
Hi,
If you are removing a wall in your house make sure it is not a bearing wall. If it is you can remove the wall after you install a Engineered Beam to carry your roof load.
Note that most of the bc box style homes the trusses span for ext. to ext., which means you would not need a beam to carry the roof load.
You might wont to have a professional look at it before you remove any walls.
Good luck
Thanks for all the input!!
The downstairs below the area in question does not have any walls and is an open rec room. The house was built in 1970. I am suspecting this can be done without structural support but will seek an professional opinion to be sure.
Once again thanks to all who took time for advise.
Hi Steve,
Check to see if the top plate of the wall is in direct contact with the underside of the trusses or if there is a gap between them, usually about 1/4 to 1/2". If there is a gap then you know for sure that it is not a load bearing wall. In most cases where there is a truss roof, the interior walls are not load bearing as the load is carried on the exterior walls.
Of course the best thing to do would be to at least have an engineer come by to confirm your findings, often times they won't even charge you unless you need a report and or drawings.
The first action of determining if a wall is load bearing, is that it has to continue directly to the ground and on a footing which is on undisturbed soil or bedrock. Meaning simply go downstairs and see if the said wall continues directly to the floor either thru another studded wall or supporting beams. Then continue with all the other well posted comments.
Hire a professional local renovator because they know their job well.
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