2:11 - - Which way the joists run (perpendicular to structural wall, ≠ parallel) 2:47 - - Dimensions of the house (structural wall runs the longer length) 3:07 - - Gable roof / peak (joists run perpendicular to the peak)
I have a decorative wall that has two columns in the middle that runs parallel to the joists but is sitting right on top of a joist. That means it’s not load bearing?
@@alexcantrell4794 please don't attempt to remove a wall yourself - - please have a licensed architect or licensed construction contractor look at it. You could probably find a licensed instructor at a local college or trade school to help you at no cost (maybe a cup of coffee or lunch 🙂). Good luck.
Wife and I are thinking of knocking down a wall and we don't want to start demolition until we know if it's load bearing or not. This helps a lot, thanks!
One quick way to determine a load bearing wall (if it's not covered and you can see the framing) is to look at the openings. If the opening has a solid header above it, I can guarantee that the wall is load bearing. Non-load bearing walls will have open framing with short studs (known as "cripples") above the opening. Also, in older homes (80's and before) the interior non-load bearing walls only had one top plate, while load bearing walls had two, just like the exterior walls. However, in today's construction, many builders just double top plate all of the interior walls so they can use the same pre-cut stud height for both load bearing and non-load bearing walls. Great video! I enjoyed it!
Good info. Main take - load bearing is running perpendicular to rafters for single stories and perpendicular to joist for multiple stories. For people who are still confuse, the easiest way is spend few bucks getting a drawing copy of your house at your city planning department.
I use a neodymium magnet as a stud finder. It will locate the screws/nails in the drywall to show you where the studs/joists are and is way more reliable than a stud finder. Doesn't work so well on plaster and lath though. I haven't used a electronic stud finder in many years. If you use a magnet to locate a stud always check more than one location to be sure the fasteners are in a straght line, drywallers don't always hit the bulls eye and will leave a screw that has missed the mark which can lead you astray. Sorry for the repeat comment, didn't see that Jerry Strader also made the comment. For plaster and lath walls, the magnet can work to find studs in a wall if you use it on the base trim to find the nails used to attach that which is usually nailed on before the lath and plaster so most of the time the nails in the base molding are dead on the studs.
Good explanation on determining if wall is bearing or not. But there is s huge problem with the concept that it is acceptable to remove any non-bearing wall. The wall could be non-bearing and still be a shear wall, which is part of the lateral load resisting system for the structure. Removing a shear wall, even if it is non-bearing, could render a building unsafe in case of large wind or earthquake loads.
Correct. Just an overview. Where we are, residential structures don't often require shear wall strength other than exterior sheathing/structural framing. But I agree. Nothing should be removed without the proper diligence. Thanks for watching!
I appreciate that. Make sure to check out the next video this week that goes through an 8000 sqft, $4Million home line item breakdown! Thanks for watching!
HELLO, from chihuahua mexico, yes it is real, is a state in the north of Mexico, I just like to say that, this video is very good and helpful, thank you and GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
Thank you for your videos, they are constructive and more important they are full of knowledge, I'm from chihuahua mexico and I'm living in Las Vegas Nevada in this moment, I'm 51 years old and I'm learning from the future. Thank you and GOD bless you and your family.
Another way is using a magnet. I carry strong but small magnets in my truck, plus a harbor freight camera. The harbor freight camera has a small head and only requires a quarter inch hole to view what's behind the drywall.
Wonderfully simple to understand. I’ve always considered finding a generally simple way to determine a load bearing wall and your clear, yet simple to understand, direction gave me the confidence to move forward with installing a small, recessed medicine cabinet. Much appreciated.
I live in a duplex where the upper floor is supported by the the two outside walls and the party wall which is parallel to them, as well as one wall beside the stairs also parallel. However the roof system is carried by the two walls perpendicular to those walls. In this way all interior walls on the upper floor are nonloadbearing. Knowledge of structural engineering is the real key.
These are all great rules of thumb, but as an architect I can assure you that houses are not always framed to plan. The safest way is to open up dry wall following these rules of thumb and look at the framing. You can also look in the attic to see if there is any roof bracing attached to the wall. I have seen framers put point loads on walls running parallel to the joists also.
Here I the western US, we generally don't have basements, and houses are built on a slab. But we usually have access to the attic, and there we can see the roof tresses and any internal perpendicular beams.
Hungry by Nature why? It’s the new standard you’ll find if you google info about load bearing walls. My building inspector told me that as they started to run out of the old growth wood. The span lengths would shrink. My house is framed with 2x6 (full dimension lumber) and has unsupported 17’ spans. Under the modern code, I couldn’t do that without supports.
Billy bob Smith I just googled it and it said for decks. That’s funny because my friend is suing his contractor for building his house floor joists based off of decking info. It’s terrible advice because you can just google the international residential code (IRC) and get the correct information on floor joist construction for houses. Also, not all wood species are the same. Anything after that is irresponsible information because the average person does not understand live load, dead load, or tributary area.
In some houses not all floor joists run in the same direction. If your house has stick built rafters the ceiling joists may not sit on the same interior wall and the ceiling joists may not always go in the same direction. A magnet is a good way to find the nails or screws in the sheetrock.
Hi Emmett , Excellent video man . I found it really Helpful and respect that you shared the knowledge for others Much thanks for us all . Best wishes from Canada
Whats in the basement under those heavy verticals you built to hold each end of the beam? Wouldn't they transfer that well-distributed load onto just two random points on the main beam in the basement? Does it need support posts under your new load points? But if you can't just put a post anywhere because it needs a special foundation to be poured for it, do you start by cutting into the basement floor to pour the footers for the posts that support the main basement-beam directly under your heavy verticals that hold the beam upstairs? Or would you build-up the basement beam so it could transfer the point loads laterally to the existing posts?
Simple......remove the wall you don't want and if the ceiling caves in, then that means you've found a load bearing wall ! Kidding aside, On two occasions I've come across people removing gyprock with the intension of removing that wall to have more space (living room). Questioning the layout I gave him a heads up. On the second occasion, the wall was almost completely removed except for two jack studs supporting an 8 foot header ! Again I happened to arrive in time for a heads up. The entire length of that wall was some 30 feet. It only required small hydraulic jacks to rebuild the entire wall. The ceiling had dropped nearly a half inch. Both times I had stopped by to see how renovations were coming along ! The Do It Yourself people quite often take on projects that are way over their heads. Structural, plumbing, electrical and mechanical are all subject to DIY people and they often make for great stories. Great video. If you don't know, don't touch.........Watch the video, understand the subject then get someone who knows !
Thanks for taking the time to help them out! It’s important for people to KNOW about this stuff, but also to know that they need professionals for certain parts. Well done! Thanks for watching!
if you are in a single lvl house with modern trussing rather than a stick frame you very likely do not have any interior load barring walls in addition the gable end walls are not load bearing they are however shear walls but you can open them up quite a bit to extend out those two ends of the structure.
You should be able to find your home blue prints at the Office where are you pay your fall and summer taxes… Loadbearing also changes from house design whether it is a two-story or a ranch style home
Question: my home had a double garage but at some point half was converted to a bedroom towards the back section and a small mud room directly in front of the bedroom, the other half remains as a single garage . in the mud room there is a closet which id like to remove. I believe I am ok as there would not have been any support when this was a full double garage? Just making sure before I fire up the sawzal!
Yes simple answers are best for your piece of mind with several tons of material above your head. Don't want to be troubled with a few simple details. Mechanno Toy 101 is sufficient.
super important to note that this only applies to homes that were built after about 1950s era. I've got a 1900 house, and literally every wall is load bearing. Especially the walls in the 2nd floor that some idiot in the 80s moved around to where they are not on the bearing walls below.
TheFiremonkeyman thanks for the comment. There were still partition walls built prior, however none of our modern floor truss systems were around then. Thanks for the comment and for watching!
Good video! My tract ranch home has trusses going from north to south and floor joists from east to west. I have a doorway I would like to open up about 6”. The door is going east to west, is the support above the door load bearing, and the wall? Thanks!
Great! - but can you or someone clarify something? You mentioned if a wall is perpendicular to the joists then it is load bearing. it doesn’t necessarily mean it is load bearing though? The wall sitting on the main beam was deemed load bearing because 1) perpendicular to joists and 2) because it was sitting on main beam. So that other wall next to it that is perpendicular to joists is deemed NOT STRUCTURAL only because it wasn’t sitting on a main beam? @minute 6:45 😊
Well articulated explanation maybe you could have added roof configuration that determines truss placement and therefore understanding joist orientations. You must do well for your clients!
this is a big piece of information that he forgot to explain in the first place if you decide to take out your load-bearing beams without reinforcing the upper floors you could basically have your house cave in on you in one story I went looked at a house the guy was dumbfounded on y all his floors where sagging and yet his base molding was running straight the previous owner took the load-bearing walls out without reinforcing the floors started to cave in the base molding was where the floors used to be I ended up condemning the guy's house it was unsafe to live in he was not happy that he bought a house that was on safe to live in because the previous owner decided to do his homework it's very important to find out and if you going to remove a low bearing wall you must build a wall on each side first before removing the bearing wall because also become temporary until you replace with an I-beam to hold the floors up then remove those temporary walls
Joseph Malinowski son please delete your TH-cam account and never access the internet again. You are absolutely and completely wrong. How can so much stupid come from one idiot.
I can generally see joists just by them bowing... No need to damage the ceiling ... Just making big posts don't mean much. The entire load is now directly on those posts, rather than distributed through the entire span. You need to know if whatever is directly below can support the weight as well.
i removed a partition wall. when above neighbor walks i hear squeaking. he claims removing partition wall might have done that. (1) a structural engineer said "it is it clear if the wall contributed to the load path" what does that mean? (2) he said the noise can be due to the minimal deflections in the floor joists/beam which were crossing the omitted "partition wall). although these deflections are minimal and do not significantly affect the structural integrity, they can cause the wood nails movement even at very small values. is he just saying deflections happen or his he blaming me for the removed partition wall? (3)is there permit necessary for removing a partition wall in california? my contractor didnt do that. PLEASE HELP.
1:21 A single jack on each side of a greater than 60" span wouldn't fly here in the states anymore, how old is this photo? 7:00 new wall in an existing room and I see new copper instead of PEX, I build in the Colorado Mountains (9000') do you not worry about freezing pipes? Good stuff
Gobuilditbetter 1:21, yeah, not here either. No idea about the photo, I’m sure the editors snuck it in here. Post has to be as deep as the beam is wide. Typically 3 ply 2x4 (or 2x6). 7:00, that’s an interior wall you are seeing. We use mostly PEX here too. We only worry about freezing on exterior walls, which we then build out secondary or stub walls. Thanks man. Thanks for watching! Stay safe out there!
Not all basement beams are load bearing through a first floor wall to the roof trusses. The basement beams are necessary for the floor joists that span the same width as the roof trusses but are not ‘triangulated’ like the roof trusses. thx for the vid.
I live in a 30's-something house that has rough-cut joists, rafters and studs, etc... what I'd love to do is remove most of the center wall, around 60' long, as it was I believe built to be a duplex, but would like to repurpose the studs into one maybe two long arch instead of the beam, possible? way too much $$$?
@@EmmettLeoHomes For me, I wished that you could have gestured which plane you were speaking of when you kept pointing and saying "wall", especially when there were no actual drywalls to be seen
Great question. The only way for that is to stick your head up in the attic and look at the framing. YOu can also tell by the spans and how wide they are, but the simplest is just looking at the framing. If you don't know what you are looking for, bring someone in that does. Thanks for watching!
So I just bought a rancher. The wall between the living room and dining room is the load bearing wall. It has a standard size doorway between the two, but I want to open it up about a foot and a half on each side. Is that something I can do or would it have adverse affects?
Christopher Spencer is it is load bearing, the opening will have a header above the opening. This has to be elongated for the new opening. However, and this is the most important part, the structure underneath which is currently holding the posts or carrying the load of the wall must be analyzed and if you are moving any weight point load, they have to be carried down to whatever foundation structure is below. Best to start at the foundation and plan up from there for load bearing. Best to consult an engineer or architect, and they will be able to draw a plan, and stamp it to avoid any liability issues for yourself. Make sense? Thanks for watching.
@@EmmettLeoHomes Thanks for responding. It is a load bearing wall but the support column in the basement isnt directly under the door opening. The door is directly over the beam however
I noticed that you retained the support post in the basement that was directly below where you installed the LVL beam (in the video you said it was right below where you were standing) why didn't you remove that post as well? If the load on the first (and subsequent floors) has been transferred to the outsides of your 20' LVL I would assume the beam you were standing no longer supports the rest of the house, it would now only support the floor you are standing on, therefore you could open up the space in the basement below as well.
No. The upstairs structural wall was replaced entirely with a post and beam (instead of the entire wall. That post upstairs had to be supported by on downstairs. You cannot have a post upstairs unsupported from below unless you are redoing the ENTIRE structure below to support it (which wouldn't make sense in this application financially or practically) . Thanks for watching.
Would there ever be (ceiling) drywall between a top plate and a ceiling joist? I have a truss roof. Wall is running perpendicular to the ceiling joist (middle of house). Seems like it is non load bearing?
metalmassacre84 good observation. Partition walls with drywall between the two means that they installed them after the initial ceiling drywall was up, and then someone else renovated and left the small drywall piece there (and the wall). Granted, there are times where people do stupid things, so beware and confirm prior to remove especially if it’s perpendicular to the trusses, but you have the right idea. What does the support directly beige the wall look like? In the basement or crawlspace. That will be your best indicator. Thanks for watching!
Emmett Leo Homes its a 1960s house. This wall separates the kitchen and dining area. Im trying to open it up. It seems to me that the load goes to the outside walls (not this interior wall). At first i thought it was load bearing but took off the wall drywall and saw the ceiling drywall sandwiched between top plate and ceiling joist. This makes me look around more. Im thinking its not load bearing
The part about the joists being perpendicular to a gable roof is not necessarily true. It can be either/or, depending on the shape of the building. A gable is often on the short end of a rectangular structure (for example a colonial house is a rectangle with gables on the short ends and hips on the long sides). Usually there will be a beam running lengthwise near the centre of the house, and the joists will span from the foundation wall to that central beam. Engineered joists (instead of typical 2x10's) can span further, so if the span is approx. 20' or less, there might not even be a beam. In either case though, that means the joists are running parallel to the gable, not perpendicular, and this is typical. I am currently drafting a house where the beams span the short end, thus the joists run perpendicular to the gable, which we're doing so the basement design is what the client wants, and the ductwork problems for the second storey are a headache.
Hate to rain on your parade. Everything you said about a bearing wall is true. But you make it sound so simple. Unfortunately not a single mention of plumbing, hvac or electrical. Open wallet; plumbing $$$$, hvac $$$$, electrical $$$$. Nothing some bucks can’t fix though.
Chris Moody not raining on my parade at all. The video is not about the cost of removal or all the steps. It’s clearly about identifying and overview of removal, not every step. You do make some great points however, and you are on point about the costs being much higher if there are mechanicals services in there. Thanks for watching.
If there are 2 walls near the center of the house (as in a hallway) running perpendicular to the trusses above them, is it possible that NEITHER one is load bearing and that the trusses were designed to span the entire width of house from outside wall to outside wall? OR is a truss that is designed to use a bearing wall near its center be less costly and, therefore, almost always used by a builder?
Don't you just love these guys telling you things that are not accurate, and possibly quite dangerous? Worse, it took him almost ten minutes to give us bad information. Felt like I was watching CNN.
Buddy mine goes to remove this "non load bearing wall" in the middle of his house. Plans say not load bearing, expert he brought in said not load bearing. Buddy tears off the plaster....its mostly non load bearing. 2 huge iron/steel beams at the 1/2 and 3/4 mark.
I'm wonder if the wall under my stairs in my laundry room is load barring. It does have a door. Not the wall on the other side, just the one in my laundry room. I want to knock out the wall to open it up.
A R stairs on the main floor or basement? Most new stairs are hung in place and then supported on the top and bottom, not typically by the wall that creates the small storage underneath. Does the all continue up above the stairs and support anything else? Thanks for watching.
@@EmmettLeoHomes thank you for responding. No basement. The stairs are on the main floor. 2 steps, then a landing, turns rt, then about 9 steps, another landing, then 1 step rt to the loft. The wall is attached to my wash room ceiling. The wall meets up with the hall upstairs, but not further to a ceiling. There's a railing along that upstairs hall/wall, which would probably be the wall from the side of the stairs I would like out. Just that one side. The other side of the stairs, the wall goes up to the second story ceiling. As I walk up the stairs, there a wall on my left, but open on the right and open above head. So as I walk up, the wall on the right gets shorter and turns into a railing. Also, I have a few areas in my house where there are pop outs and hollow. The builder could have put cabinets or something to use that space. There attached to the walls, so when I pond on the wall it's hallow. I really need space to put a cabinet. How would I go about doing that? Carve it out? Do I put a prebuilt cabinet? What to use or how to repair the dry wall (frame)? Do you suggest a video on this? Thank you so much!
A R there’s a lot packed in there. I would suggest simply getting a recommended contractor in there to give you his honest opinion. Maybe hire him for an hour to run you through it.
So if I go into the basement and the joists are running north to south and the wall in the kitchen I want to take out runs north to south, it it not structural-meaning I can take it out...? “Should be able too”
Melody L well, it doe so dictate that it may not be load bearing. No second storey? Any other architectural features that may change the load bearing? Using this video as a guideline is great. I would dig deeper now as chances are good that it is simply a partition wall. Make sure to have someone local come in and make sure 100% prior to removal. Remember that you may have mechanical, plumbing and electrical that needs Re-routing if it is in the wall you want to take out. Thanks for watching!
Emmett Leo Homes there is a second story. Gabled roof...there is no plump or electrical on the wall at all. In the other side of the wall is a wall length closet. I am pretty sure it is not load bearing but I will ask a contractor friend to verify. Thanks for your response and your video!
I'm a licensed ID and lighting designer. I find it best when everyone stays in their lanes. Let the owners own, the designers design, the engineers engineer, and the contractors build. When they start supplanting each other you get problems. I'm always open to, and in fact WANT, input from each person's expertise, but when contractors start telling owners they don't "need" things, or designers start making assumptions about - well, load bearing walls and electrical panels, or architects only want to design a "style box" that only THEY would live in instead of the client - that's when everything goes to hell. In this case - consult an engineer. Go ahead and spitball some ideas if you want - but consult an engineer before any other money or design effort is expended.
You didn't talk about transferring that load to the slab in the basement. A 20' span carrying that kind of weight would require you to break of the basement concrete and pour a larger pad to take that load.
Before you pour the slab during initial construction, you pour structural footers to support posts that would be flush and level with the final slab. For a remodel, you would have to demo a hole and pour a footer for a post to be able to bear the load to support a beam.
2:11 - - Which way the joists run (perpendicular to structural wall, ≠ parallel)
2:47 - - Dimensions of the house (structural wall runs the longer length)
3:07 - - Gable roof / peak (joists run perpendicular to the peak)
Was coming here to make a similar comment.
👏👏👏
I have a decorative wall that has two columns in the middle that runs parallel to the joists but is sitting right on top of a joist. That means it’s not load bearing?
@@alexcantrell4794 please don't attempt to remove a wall yourself - - please have a licensed architect or licensed construction contractor look at it. You could probably find a licensed instructor at a local college or trade school to help you at no cost (maybe a cup of coffee or lunch 🙂). Good luck.
Great break down and recap on the topic. With video/subject location. Big thanks.
Wife and I are thinking of knocking down a wall and we don't want to start demolition until we know if it's load bearing or not. This helps a lot, thanks!
One quick way to determine a load bearing wall (if it's not covered and you can see the framing) is to look at the openings. If the opening has a solid header above it, I can guarantee that the wall is load bearing. Non-load bearing walls will have open framing with short studs (known as "cripples") above the opening. Also, in older homes (80's and before) the interior non-load bearing walls only had one top plate, while load bearing walls had two, just like the exterior walls. However, in today's construction, many builders just double top plate all of the interior walls so they can use the same pre-cut stud height for both load bearing and non-load bearing walls. Great video! I enjoyed it!
Thanks for the comment and watching!
!aå
What about a mid 1970s ranch with engineered truss? 1000sf small ranch with crawl
Good info. Main take - load bearing is running perpendicular to rafters for single stories and perpendicular to joist for multiple stories. For people who are still confuse, the easiest way is spend few bucks getting a drawing copy of your house at your city planning department.
The easiest way to tell is to knock the wall down. If the ceiling comes down with it, it was a load-bearing wall. 😆😊🤣
😂🤣
Yea baby!!!😂
Exactly.
Sounds good to me can I try it with your house first lol or should I try the nabiour's that name is Karen ?
In contracting I've seen guys try but was to way to nice just watch that
I use a neodymium magnet as a stud finder. It will locate the screws/nails in the drywall to show you where the studs/joists are and is way more reliable than a stud finder. Doesn't work so well on plaster and lath though. I haven't used a electronic stud finder in many years. If you use a magnet to locate a stud always check more than one location to be sure the fasteners are in a straght line, drywallers don't always hit the bulls eye and will leave a screw that has missed the mark which can lead you astray. Sorry for the repeat comment, didn't see that Jerry Strader also made the comment. For plaster and lath walls, the magnet can work to find studs in a wall if you use it on the base trim to find the nails used to attach that which is usually nailed on before the lath and plaster so most of the time the nails in the base molding are dead on the studs.
Good explanation on determining if wall is bearing or not. But there is s huge problem with the concept that it is acceptable to remove any non-bearing wall. The wall could be non-bearing and still be a shear wall, which is part of the lateral load resisting system for the structure. Removing a shear wall, even if it is non-bearing, could render a building unsafe in case of large wind or earthquake loads.
Correct. Just an overview. Where we are, residential structures don't often require shear wall strength other than exterior sheathing/structural framing. But I agree. Nothing should be removed without the proper diligence. Thanks for watching!
Boy, I wish I had invisible drywall like you
clarker011 😂😂😂
I was skeptical watching a 10 minute video, but you hooked it up with all the knowledge. Perfect, ty.
I appreciate that. Make sure to check out the next video this week that goes through an 8000 sqft, $4Million home line item breakdown! Thanks for watching!
Only confused why so many commenters are confused. I found this super helpful and easy to understand. Thank you so much!
HELLO, from chihuahua mexico, yes it is real, is a state in the north of Mexico, I just like to say that, this video is very good and helpful, thank you and GOD BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.
juantransportador thank you and I appreciate you!
Thank you for your videos, they are constructive and more important they are full of knowledge, I'm from chihuahua mexico and I'm living in Las Vegas Nevada in this moment, I'm 51 years old and I'm learning from the future.
Thank you and GOD bless you and your family.
you really cleared the idea of load bearing and non load bearing walls and I really appreciate that!
Another way is using a magnet. I carry strong but small magnets in my truck, plus a harbor freight camera. The harbor freight camera has a small head and only requires a quarter inch hole to view what's behind the drywall.
Thank you, very helpful! 👍
Wonderfully simple to understand. I’ve always considered finding a generally simple way to determine a load bearing wall and your clear, yet simple to understand, direction gave me the confidence to move forward with installing a small, recessed medicine cabinet. Much appreciated.
Great job describing by details how to find load bearing walls . You have a new fan .
I appreciate it. Thanks for watching!
Load bearing is not the only thing to consider when your removing walls, walls are also used to stop racking forces (wind)
I live in a duplex where the upper floor is supported by the the two outside walls and the party wall which is parallel to them, as well as one wall beside the stairs also parallel. However the roof system is carried by the two walls perpendicular to those walls. In this way all interior walls on the upper floor are nonloadbearing. Knowledge of structural engineering is the real key.
These are all great rules of thumb, but as an architect I can assure you that houses are not always framed to plan. The safest way is to open up dry wall following these rules of thumb and look at the framing. You can also look in the attic to see if there is any roof bracing attached to the wall. I have seen framers put point loads on walls running parallel to the joists also.
All great points. Thanks for watching!
Thank you thank you thank you thank you. Have been wondering this for so long 👏🏻 you did such a good job explaining
Here I the western US, we generally don't have basements, and houses are built on a slab. But we usually have access to the attic, and there we can see the roof tresses and any internal perpendicular beams.
Yup. Geography usually dictates the local building norms.
Attic access is quite easy to check load bearing
A general rule of thumb is the joists can span 1.5 times their height. A 2x6 can span 9 feet before it needs support.
Thanks for watching!
This is terrible advice.
Hungry by Nature why? It’s the new standard you’ll find if you google info about load bearing walls. My building inspector told me that as they started to run out of the old growth wood. The span lengths would shrink. My house is framed with 2x6 (full dimension lumber) and has unsupported 17’ spans. Under the modern code, I couldn’t do that without supports.
Billy bob Smith I just googled it and it said for decks. That’s funny because my friend is suing his contractor for building his house floor joists based off of decking info.
It’s terrible advice because you can just google the international residential code (IRC) and get the correct information on floor joist construction for houses. Also, not all wood species are the same. Anything after that is irresponsible information because the average person does not understand live load, dead load, or tributary area.
In some houses not all floor joists run in the same direction. If your house has stick built rafters the ceiling joists may not sit on the same interior wall and the ceiling joists may not always go in the same direction. A magnet is a good way to find the nails or screws in the sheetrock.
Yes and Yes. Thanks for watching!
Hi Emmett , Excellent video man . I found it really
Helpful and respect that you shared the knowledge for others
Much thanks for us all . Best wishes from Canada
I appreciate it! Thanks for watching! - Dan
Your homes look amazing.... I wish houses in the UK looked this good!
Thank you for saying that. I appreciate you watching!
Yeah what’s the deal with UK homes? Even new homes in the UK are designed terribly.
TomCook1993 hahaha move to Canada!
Emmett Leo Homes your not wrong there! It’s not easy to get accepted in Canada though
@@TomCook1993 it’s more to do with the price of land
Whats in the basement under those heavy verticals you built to hold each end of the beam? Wouldn't they transfer that well-distributed load onto just two random points on the main beam in the basement? Does it need support posts under your new load points? But if you can't just put a post anywhere because it needs a special foundation to be poured for it, do you start by cutting into the basement floor to pour the footers for the posts that support the main basement-beam directly under your heavy verticals that hold the beam upstairs? Or would you build-up the basement beam so it could transfer the point loads laterally to the existing posts?
Simple......remove the wall you don't want and if the ceiling caves in, then that means you've found a load bearing wall ! Kidding aside, On two occasions I've come across people removing gyprock with the intension of removing that wall to have more space (living room). Questioning the layout I gave him a heads up. On the second occasion, the wall was almost completely removed except for two jack studs supporting an 8 foot header ! Again I happened to arrive in time for a heads up. The entire length of that wall was some 30 feet. It only required small hydraulic jacks to rebuild the entire wall. The ceiling had dropped nearly a half inch. Both times I had stopped by to see how renovations were coming along ! The Do It Yourself people quite often take on projects that are way over their heads. Structural, plumbing, electrical and mechanical are all subject to DIY people and they often make for great stories.
Great video. If you don't know, don't touch.........Watch the video, understand the subject then get someone who knows !
Thanks for taking the time to help them out!
It’s important for people to KNOW about this stuff, but also to know that they need professionals for certain parts.
Well done! Thanks for watching!
if you are in a single lvl house with modern trussing rather than a stick frame you very likely do not have any interior load barring walls in addition the gable end walls are not load bearing they are however shear walls but you can open them up quite a bit to extend out those two ends of the structure.
Seems so easy with an unfinished house, but try getting up into the attic with blown insulation and walls in an older house for renovations?
You should be able to find your home blue prints at the Office where are you pay your fall and summer taxes… Loadbearing also changes from house design whether it is a two-story or a ranch style home
Question: my home had a double garage but at some point half was converted to a bedroom towards the back section and a small mud room directly in front of the bedroom, the other half remains as a single garage . in the mud room there is a closet which id like to remove. I believe I am ok as there would not have been any support when this was a full double garage? Just making sure before I fire up the sawzal!
I am on phase 2 of cleaning land taking roots and rocks an stumps! Waiting to do siding and doors windows,.on a trailer on a reserve
Cool
A little knowledge is dangerous, the only thing that can be worst is teaching people with little knowledge. Good luck dude!
Any tips on locating a load bearing wall in a house with a hip roof?
This is a great video. Thanks for explaining in a simple way. Really appreciate it!
Anne-Claire Siegert you’re very welcome. Thanks for watching!
Yes simple answers are best for your piece of mind with several tons of material above your head. Don't want to be troubled with a few simple details. Mechanno Toy 101 is sufficient.
super important to note that this only applies to homes that were built after about 1950s era. I've got a 1900 house, and literally every wall is load bearing.
Especially the walls in the 2nd floor that some idiot in the 80s moved around to where they are not on the bearing walls below.
TheFiremonkeyman thanks for the comment. There were still partition walls built prior, however none of our modern floor truss systems were around then.
Thanks for the comment and for watching!
This was a fantastic video. Love the graphics and diagrams that help reinforce the ideas you’re proposing. Cheers.
My wife found me with a stud finder😂😂
Eric Baker yeah she did!
NAILED IT !!!
Must've detected AC/DC....LOL
But it’s a king stud😁
Why would my first floor joists run one way (supported by a steel beam at the sister) but then run the opposite way for the 2nd floor? (2 story SFH)
Good video! My tract ranch home has trusses going from north to south and floor joists from east to west. I have a doorway I would like to open up about 6”. The door is going east to west, is the support above the door load bearing, and the wall? Thanks!
Great job on this video
very informative christ weidman, I hope your leg break is recovering well. Did not bear the pressure very well on the last fight.
Thanks
Nice video!! Great help!!!
Thanks, this is a very helpful video. Much appreciated.
Great! - but can you or someone clarify something? You mentioned if a wall is perpendicular to the joists then it is load bearing. it doesn’t necessarily mean it is load bearing though? The wall sitting on the main beam was deemed load bearing because 1) perpendicular to joists and 2) because it was sitting on main beam. So that other wall next to it that is perpendicular to joists is deemed NOT STRUCTURAL only because it wasn’t sitting on a main beam? @minute 6:45 😊
Very well done video. Very clear. Very concise. Very helpful. God bless.
Thanks Tom.!
Well articulated explanation maybe you could have added roof configuration that determines truss placement and therefore understanding joist orientations. You must do well for your clients!
this is a big piece of information that he forgot to explain in the first place if you decide to take out your load-bearing beams without reinforcing the upper floors you could basically have your house cave in on you in one story I went looked at a house the guy was dumbfounded on y all his floors where sagging and yet his base molding was running straight the previous owner took the load-bearing walls out without reinforcing the floors started to cave in the base molding was where the floors used to be I ended up condemning the guy's house it was unsafe to live in he was not happy that he bought a house that was on safe to live in because the previous owner decided to do his homework it's very important to find out and if you going to remove a low bearing wall you must build a wall on each side first before removing the bearing wall because also become temporary until you replace with an I-beam to hold the floors up then remove those temporary walls
P.U.N.C.T.U.A.T.I.O.N
@@kohdez I believe that's a thing of the past
Joseph Malinowski son please delete your TH-cam account and never access the internet again. You are absolutely and completely wrong. How can so much stupid come from one idiot.
I love your simple explanation to how to find out the load bearing wall, I really appreciate it for this clip
Good video one thing at the end of your talk forget to stress those posts have to be continuous point loaded under them. Nice job
Good point! Thanks for watching!
Excellent information on what I needed to know about load bearing walls. Thanks.
Kirk Rains you are welcome
Thanks for watching!
How much would it generally cost to add a beam where the structural wall was?
Thank you, very informative
Thank you so much! You answered a lot of questions!
Thank You Emmet for an awesome video. Great info!
I appreciate it! Thanks for watching!
That was extremely informative. Thank you.
Seth Harris I’m really glad it helped! Thanks for watching!
I can generally see joists just by them bowing... No need to damage the ceiling ...
Just making big posts don't mean much. The entire load is now directly on those posts, rather than distributed through the entire span. You need to know if whatever is directly below can support the weight as well.
LightGesture you bet. Understand where the load is at the bottom (which is why we say start from bottom up) is imperative. Thanks for watching!
i removed a partition wall. when above neighbor walks i hear squeaking. he claims removing partition wall might have done that. (1) a structural engineer said "it is it clear if the wall contributed to the load path" what does that mean? (2) he said the noise can be due to the minimal deflections in the floor joists/beam which were crossing the omitted "partition wall). although these deflections are minimal and do not significantly affect the structural integrity, they can cause the wood nails movement even at very small values. is he just saying deflections happen or his he blaming me for the removed partition wall? (3)is there permit necessary for removing a partition wall in california? my contractor didnt do that. PLEASE HELP.
You could use a magnet to detect the screws or nails in the ceiling.
I usually cut the wall out and if it caves I know it was load bearing😂
Great video!
Thanks Steve. Appreciate you watching!
1:21 A single jack on each side of a greater than 60" span wouldn't fly here in the states anymore, how old is this photo? 7:00 new wall in an existing room and I see new copper instead of PEX, I build in the Colorado Mountains (9000') do you not worry about freezing pipes? Good stuff
Gobuilditbetter 1:21, yeah, not here either. No idea about the photo, I’m sure the editors snuck it in here. Post has to be as deep as the beam is wide. Typically 3 ply 2x4 (or 2x6).
7:00, that’s an interior wall you are seeing. We use mostly PEX here too. We only worry about freezing on exterior walls, which we then build out secondary or stub walls. Thanks man. Thanks for watching! Stay safe out there!
@@EmmettLeoHomes Editors? Now I'm jealous. Good production. Be Blessed
You are the best 👌
Not all basement beams are load bearing through a first floor wall to the roof trusses. The basement beams are necessary for the floor joists that span the same width as the roof trusses but are not ‘triangulated’ like the roof trusses. thx for the vid.
I live in a 30's-something house that has rough-cut joists, rafters and studs, etc... what I'd love to do is remove most of the center wall, around 60' long, as it was I believe built to be a duplex, but would like to repurpose the studs into one maybe two long arch instead of the beam, possible? way too much $$$?
This is the biggest mess of an explanation I've ever heard
Thank you! I feel I now know less than nothing
That's probably the case.
I totally agree, just look in the attic
@@EmmettLeoHomes For me, I wished that you could have gestured which plane you were speaking of when you kept pointing and saying "wall", especially when there were no actual drywalls to be seen
G. Stevens, Weren’t you ever taught : If it’s not nice , Say Nothing. Especially When Not Asked ! Just Saying
What's a telepost? Lots of technical terms that don't understand.
Gable is the most common roof but hip style roofs tend to make the shingles on the roof last longer
It's a very different look. Also, hip is a lot more prevalent where we are these days. Thanks for watching.
I have a house that was tiny and someone added on a kitchen & bedroom..... How do you know if the roof was just added on to a outside wall?
Great question. The only way for that is to stick your head up in the attic and look at the framing. YOu can also tell by the spans and how wide they are, but the simplest is just looking at the framing. If you don't know what you are looking for, bring someone in that does. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for responding!
So I just bought a rancher. The wall between the living room and dining room is the load bearing wall. It has a standard size doorway between the two, but I want to open it up about a foot and a half on each side. Is that something I can do or would it have adverse affects?
Christopher Spencer is it is load bearing, the opening will have a header above the opening. This has to be elongated for the new opening.
However, and this is the most important part, the structure underneath which is currently holding the posts or carrying the load of the wall must be analyzed and if you are moving any weight point load, they have to be carried down to whatever foundation structure is below.
Best to start at the foundation and plan up from there for load bearing.
Best to consult an engineer or architect, and they will be able to draw a plan, and stamp it to avoid any liability issues for yourself.
Make sense?
Thanks for watching.
@@EmmettLeoHomes
Thanks for responding. It is a load bearing wall but the support column in the basement isnt directly under the door opening. The door is directly over the beam however
I noticed that you retained the support post in the basement that was directly below where you installed the LVL beam (in the video you said it was right below where you were standing) why didn't you remove that post as well? If the load on the first (and subsequent floors) has been transferred to the outsides of your 20' LVL I would assume the beam you were standing no longer supports the rest of the house, it would now only support the floor you are standing on, therefore you could open up the space in the basement below as well.
No. The upstairs structural wall was replaced entirely with a post and beam (instead of the entire wall. That post upstairs had to be supported by on downstairs. You cannot have a post upstairs unsupported from below unless you are redoing the ENTIRE structure below to support it (which wouldn't make sense in this application financially or practically) . Thanks for watching.
Would there ever be (ceiling) drywall between a top plate and a ceiling joist? I have a truss roof. Wall is running perpendicular to the ceiling joist (middle of house). Seems like it is non load bearing?
metalmassacre84 good observation. Partition walls with drywall between the two means that they installed them after the initial ceiling drywall was up, and then someone else renovated and left the small drywall piece there (and the wall).
Granted, there are times where people do stupid things, so beware and confirm prior to remove especially if it’s perpendicular to the trusses, but you have the right idea.
What does the support directly beige the wall look like? In the basement or crawlspace. That will be your best indicator.
Thanks for watching!
Emmett Leo Homes its a 1960s house. This wall separates the kitchen and dining area. Im trying to open it up. It seems to me that the load goes to the outside walls (not this interior wall). At first i thought it was load bearing but took off the wall drywall and saw the ceiling drywall sandwiched between top plate and ceiling joist. This makes me look around more. Im thinking its not load bearing
The part about the joists being perpendicular to a gable roof is not necessarily true. It can be either/or, depending on the shape of the building. A gable is often on the short end of a rectangular structure (for example a colonial house is a rectangle with gables on the short ends and hips on the long sides). Usually there will be a beam running lengthwise near the centre of the house, and the joists will span from the foundation wall to that central beam. Engineered joists (instead of typical 2x10's) can span further, so if the span is approx. 20' or less, there might not even be a beam. In either case though, that means the joists are running parallel to the gable, not perpendicular, and this is typical. I am currently drafting a house where the beams span the short end, thus the joists run perpendicular to the gable, which we're doing so the basement design is what the client wants, and the ductwork problems for the second storey are a headache.
Hate to rain on your parade. Everything you said about a bearing wall is true. But you make it sound so simple. Unfortunately not a single mention of plumbing, hvac or electrical. Open wallet; plumbing $$$$, hvac $$$$, electrical $$$$. Nothing some bucks can’t fix though.
Chris Moody not raining on my parade at all. The video is not about the cost of removal or all the steps. It’s clearly about identifying and overview of removal, not every step. You do make some great points however, and you are on point about the costs being much higher if there are mechanicals services in there. Thanks for watching.
If there are 2 walls near the center of the house (as in a hallway) running perpendicular to the trusses above them, is it possible that NEITHER one is load bearing and that the trusses were designed to span the entire width of house from outside wall to outside wall? OR is a truss that is designed to use a bearing wall near its center be less costly and, therefore, almost always used by a builder?
munsters2 you are correct in both your thoughts. They MAY not be load bearing, but chances are, depending on span, that at least ONE is.
Excellent, thanks!
Liked and subscribed! Thanks for the video. My wife and I found it very informative and helpful. 👍
That's great. I appreciate you watching and commenting!
A great video
Very informative
Glad you liked it
Too confusing...
Beto G then don’t remove any walls...
@@EmmettLeoHomes lol
I guess correctly. I'm planning to do similar in my kitchen.
Nice! Good luck!
Sweet
Don't you just love these guys telling you things that are not accurate, and possibly quite dangerous?
Worse, it took him almost ten minutes to give us bad information.
Felt like I was watching CNN.
Buddy mine goes to remove this "non load bearing wall" in the middle of his house. Plans say not load bearing, expert he brought in said not load bearing.
Buddy tears off the plaster....its mostly non load bearing. 2 huge iron/steel beams at the 1/2 and 3/4 mark.
If the beam can't be tucked in someone would just have to sheet rook around it and have a box in your open room right?
Correct.
it'll be a lot easier to understand using images or drawings
I'm wonder if the wall under my stairs in my laundry room is load barring. It does have a door. Not the wall on the other side, just the one in my laundry room.
I want to knock out the wall to open it up.
A R stairs on the main floor or basement? Most new stairs are hung in place and then supported on the top and bottom, not typically by the wall that creates the small storage underneath.
Does the all continue up above the stairs and support anything else?
Thanks for watching.
@@EmmettLeoHomes thank you for responding. No basement. The stairs are on the main floor. 2 steps, then a landing, turns rt, then about 9 steps, another landing, then 1 step rt to the loft. The wall is attached to my wash room ceiling. The wall meets up with the hall upstairs, but not further to a ceiling. There's a railing along that upstairs hall/wall, which would probably be the wall from the side of the stairs I would like out. Just that one side.
The other side of the stairs, the wall goes up to the second story ceiling. As I walk up the stairs, there a wall on my left, but open on the right and open above head. So as I walk up, the wall on the right gets shorter and turns into a railing.
Also, I have a few areas in my house where there are pop outs and hollow. The builder could have put cabinets or something to use that space. There attached to the walls, so when I pond on the wall it's hallow. I really need space to put a cabinet. How would I go about doing that? Carve it out? Do I put a prebuilt cabinet? What to use or how to repair the dry wall (frame)? Do you suggest a video on this? Thank you so much!
A R there’s a lot packed in there. I would suggest simply getting a recommended contractor in there to give you his honest opinion. Maybe hire him for an hour to run you through it.
In most cases you could access the original floor plans, that’s the safest way !
So if I go into the basement and the joists are running north to south and the wall in the kitchen I want to take out runs north to south, it it not structural-meaning I can take it out...? “Should be able too”
Melody L well, it doe so dictate that it may not be load bearing. No second storey? Any other architectural features that may change the load bearing?
Using this video as a guideline is great. I would dig deeper now as chances are good that it is simply a partition wall.
Make sure to have someone local come in and make sure 100% prior to removal.
Remember that you may have mechanical, plumbing and electrical that needs Re-routing if it is in the wall you want to take out.
Thanks for watching!
Emmett Leo Homes there is a second story. Gabled roof...there is no plump or electrical on the wall at all. In the other side of the wall is a wall length closet. I am pretty sure it is not load bearing but I will ask a contractor friend to verify. Thanks for your response and your video!
Kick the wall out - if the ceiling caves in - it was load-bearing............
This was going to be my suggestion
XD
TOMMY WATKINS hahahahahahaha
What about shear wall???
Video starts at 1:10
You my friend, are a pro! SUBBED!
djexclusivee thanks for watching!
Loan bearing?
I'm a licensed ID and lighting designer. I find it best when everyone stays in their lanes. Let the owners own, the designers design, the engineers engineer, and the contractors build. When they start supplanting each other you get problems. I'm always open to, and in fact WANT, input from each person's expertise, but when contractors start telling owners they don't "need" things, or designers start making assumptions about - well, load bearing walls and electrical panels, or architects only want to design a "style box" that only THEY would live in instead of the client - that's when everything goes to hell. In this case - consult an engineer. Go ahead and spitball some ideas if you want - but consult an engineer before any other money or design effort is expended.
Great video. I would lose the music, it's you we want to hear really. Thx
You didn't talk about transferring that load to the slab in the basement. A 20' span carrying that kind of weight would require you to break of the basement concrete and pour a larger pad to take that load.
Good info
mco Glad you found it valuable. Thanks for watching.
Bro I hope by now you have changed your big ass sign 😂😂
okay, nice and cheeky. What if your "little" house is built on a concrete slab? Perimeter is load bearing, but interior walls?
David Balicki Then you don’t have any interior load bearing walls...
Before you pour the slab during initial construction, you pour structural footers to support posts that would be flush and level with the final slab. For a remodel, you would have to demo a hole and pour a footer for a post to be able to bear the load to support a beam.
@6:44...mind blown.
Stumped!