Removing a load bearing wall

Load bearing walls often run perpendicular to the run of floor or ceiling joists that rest on top of the wall. However, beware of walls that run parallel with floor joists. They can obscure hidden posts or columns. One can create an opening in a bearing wall much the same as openings are created in exterior walls for large windows or doors. A beam is placed over a new opening. The beam accepts the load from above and concentrates it onto columns or posts at either end of the beam. The new columns or posts that support a new beam must rest upon solid bearing material. The weight of the structure above the beam will then be transferred to a spread footer, thickened slab, steel or wood beam, or possibly some other structural member below.

Sizing the beam and posts that support the beam should be done by a professional. A structural engineer is trained to calculate the current floor, ceiling and roof loads and possible added loads caused by snow, attic storage, and additional roof coverings. If to undersize a beam, portions of the house may sag and even in extreme cases collapse. The fee to hire an engineer who can develop a re-support plan in minuscule compared to the cost of repairing structural damage after a collapse.

There are several different ways to install a new beam in a load bearing wall. In some instances the beam can be hidden within the ceiling above. This works if the beam height does not exceed the height of the floor or ceiling joists and there are no utilities that must pass through a new beam location. If to choose this method, the floor/ceiling joists above are attached to a new beam using metal joist hangers.

The most common approach is to install a new beam bellow the floor/ceiling joists. To install a beam one need to build a temporary support wall on either side of the wall which is being removed. The temporary walls should be held back about 30 inches from each side of the old wall. Be sure to build a new beam and slide it up against the old wall before to build a last re-support wall. If to fail to do this, it is often impossible to get a new beam into position.

Just about every bearing wall has utilities buried within it. It is not uncommon to find plumbing supply and wastes lines, heating and cooling ducts, electrical wires, and low voltage wires for telephones, doorbells, and intercoms. It is possible to relocate these utilities in almost every case, however, it may be time consuming, costly, and require extensiveadditional demolition.

One can often see where these utilities enter the bottom of the wall in a basement. In some instances, wires and plumbing vent pipes might be visible in an attic as they rise up from the bearing wall. It is better to use an electronic device made specifically for this purpose, for example, hand held devices with a liquid crystal screen that will show studs, hidden pipes, wires, conduits, and duct work. These units can “see” through plaster, drywall and wood.

(By Tim Carter; ©1993-2012 Tim Carter)

20 Study the information bellow, find additional information and speculate on the problem raised in the text. Use the linking words/phrases from Appendix 1: