While it might seem like an obvious thing to say, the walls in a property are one of its most important elements.
They support roofs and ceilings, provide shelter and security, and also provide a place to contain important systems for a property such as plumbing or electrical wiring.
These days, contemporary interior designs are a popular choice, and this often includes open-plan rooms that seamlessly blend together kitchens and living spaces.
While these designs offer stunning aesthetic benefits, they often require walls to be removed in order for the appearance to be achieved. This process can be further complicated if it involves removing load bearing walls.
Load bearing walls are extremely important and are harder to remove than other wall types. With this in mind, it’s essential that you know how to properly identify load bearing walls before carrying out the work.
In this article, the team here at IKT Consulting will explain how to tell if a wall is load bearing. This will arm you with the knowledge you need to properly treat the walls and prevent any accidents from occurring.
Read on to find out more.
What is a load bearing wall?
First, let’s explain exactly what a load bearing wall is.
It can also be referred to as a structural wall, a load bearing wall is a type of wall within a property that is responsible for holding up significant parts of a building’s structure such as its roof and ceilings. It also holds a large proportion of a property’s overall weight, supporting it all the way from the top of the roof down to its foundations.
In short, load bearing walls help ensure a property stay standing, is structurally sound and is not at risk of collapsing - hence why they are considered so vital to the safety of any type of property.
With this in mind, it’s easy to understand why due care and attention need to be taken when working with load bearing walls, and they cannot simply be knocked down without careful consideration.
There are a number of ways that load bearing walls can be easily identified, but people often make the common mistake of assuming that if a wall has been constructed using timber studs then it must be non-load bearing. However, this is not necessarily the case, and you need to be absolutely certain whether a wall is load bearing or not before taking any action.
In the sections below we’ll explain how to tell if a wall is load bearing.
Why are load bearing walls important?
Before we examine the various ways, you can tell if a wall is load bearing, let’s first look at the importance of load bearing walls.
As outlined above, the primary focus of load bearing walls is to hold the weight of a property including the roof, internal ceilings, other walls and the foundations. If a load bearing wall is not properly constructed or is removed without the correct mitigations, then the results can be catastrophic.
A property can completely collapse or become at risk of doing so without its load bearing walls, making it incredibly dangerous to reside in. A house collapse is a disaster for everyone and as well as the destruction of a property and people’s belongings, it can be fatal or cause serious injury.
The importance of being able to competently identify which walls are load bearing cannot be overstated.
As well as this extreme example, other problems that can arise as a result of not properly taking precautions when removing load bearing walls include sticking doors, wall cracks, sagged ceilings and uneven flooring.
How to tell if a wall is load bearing
Before carrying out any work on walls within a property, you need to be absolutely sure whether or not they’re load bearing. Thankfully, there are a number of ways that can show if walls are load bearing and things you can do to check their condition.
This includes the following:
Look for walls above
Typically, if a wall is load bearing, it will feature posts, supports or other walls directly above it.
Plus, the small knee walls that tend to support roof rafters are also normally located directly above load bearing walls. Another sign that the wall is load bearing will be if you spot floor and ceiling joists over the wall.
All of the above are signs that a wall is load bearing so be sure to look out for them.
Look for foundation and floor joists
As well as looking up, looking down can also help you tell whether a wall is load bearing. Usually, a load bearing wall is perpendicular to floor joists so be sure to check for this.
You will be able to see these floor joists from basements by looking at the floor above or from attics by looking at the floor below.
As well as this, load bearing walls tend to be located directly above slabs and foundations so sourcing them here is always worthwhile.
Outside walls
In almost all cases, your outside walls will be load bearing.
This is because they need to support the roof so you can be fairly confident every wall on the outside of your home is a load bearing one.
However, it’s also important to be aware that if the property has had any extensions or additions take place, some of the interior walls were, in fact, exterior ones. As such, they will still be load bearing. Plus, any walls with door or window headers above them are likely to be supporting the overall structure in some way.
Masonry walls
Masonry walls are also very often load bearing walls.
A masonry wall is a type of structure that is made from materials such as concrete blocks, brick or other masonry products. For example, foundation walls are often made using structural masonry materials such as concrete and are favoured due to their durable wall bearing properties.
In many cases, these types of walls are selected as they are great at supporting the entire weight of a property.
With this in mind, if you spot a masonry wall in your property it is fairly likely to be load bearing.
However, this is not always the case as in some instances masonry materials are not capable of bearing loads. For example, veneers like manufactured stone are fairly lightweight and used purely for decorative purposes. In these cases, it is more like the wall is in fact not weight bearing and so you should make your judgment on the basis of the material that has been used.
If in doubt, always air on the side of caution and seek professional advice.
Check blueprints.
If in doubt regarding the type of walls in your property, you can always consult your home’s blueprints.
The blueprints should outline all of the details you need in regard to load bearing walls, and keep a careful eye out for the following sections:
- Beams
- Floor joists
- Foundations
- Internal walls
- The centre of the house
- Walls with large ends
- Steel support girders
Here, you should be able to clearly see what walls are marked as load bearing and which are not. If you’re struggling to decipher your blueprints or you require further support identifying load bearing walls, then it’s always best to consult the professionals.
Can load bearing walls be removed?
If you find yourself in a situation where the removal of a load bearing walls is preferable, then it is still possible despite the wall’s importance.
For instance, people may want to remove load bearing walls to enhance the aesthetics of an interior space by making it open plan.
It is possible for load bearing walls to be removed, but it’s fundamental that the necessary mitigations are put in place first.
The very first thing that must happen is a temporary support system needs to be installed. These supports need to go on both sides of the wall and then new beams or supports must be installed which replace the structural integrity previously offered by the load bearing wall. If this does not happen, then the property is at risk of collapse which is extremely dangerous.
While achieving an open plan look should be possible for every type of property, the process of removing load bearing walls is complex, and different buildings will have different requirements. With this in mind, it’s vital that you always consult professionals when conducting these types of renovations.
Here at IKT Consulting, we provide a wide range of structural engineering services to clients in East Midland beyond. This includes beam calculations, alterations and extensions and structural inspections and reports that can help identify load bearing walls. We regularly work with homeowners, landlords, property developers, architects, contractors and more, ensuring properties are kept in the very best condition and any renovations or refurbishments are conducted safely and in a manner that guarantees structural integrity. For more information, contact our expert team today.
