Wall Load Bearing In A Bathroom

The same would be the case if you removed the entire wall but the beam would be much larger.

Wall load bearing in a bathroom.

In some cases you may not be able to tell for sure whether a wall is bearing. The load bearing walls would be above those beams. Look for the signs of big sturdy wooden or metal structures crossing a room s ceiling and intersecting a wall that you know is load bearing or an external wall like boxy horizontal protrusions crossing the ceiling. Walls that are stacked may be load bearing.

This is extremely true for houses with additions as even though these walls may be interior now they were previously exterior walls and are extremely load bearing. Ceiling or floor joists that are spliced over the wall or end at the wall mean the wall is bearing. However there are cases where a bearing wall is parallel to the joists. A wall directly above those beams and any walls directly above those walls are probably load bearing.

Look for these from the attic. Look at the floor joists if you can see the floor joists either from the basement looking up. If you see these nearby internal walls may not be load bearing. Find these by measuring or by studying a floor plan of your house.

If you are making an 8 ft opening in a load bearing wall you will need an 8 ft header beam designed by an engineer with support posts at each end that are supported by some kind of structure below the floor. If your wall conforms to the situation shown you can be sure it s load bearing. Generally when the wall in question runs parallel to the floor joists above it is not a load bearing wall. If you do spot joists in your basement and there is a wall that runs perpendicular this wall is most likely load bearing.

Go into the basement or the lowest level of a building to identify interior load bearing walls. Check the foundation if a wall or beam is directly connected to the foundation of your house it is load bearing. If the wall is parallel above the joists it s most likely not a load bearing wall.