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More info about

Removing bearing walls

Load-bearing walls are an issue for many renovators today, as more homeowners are opting for an open concept layout instead of individual rooms. Unfortunately, these walls can’t be ripped out haphazardly as load-bearing walls play a vital role in the structure of a house. They distribute the weight from the roof, through the floors, and down to the foundation.

removing bearing walls

Thinking about removing walls in your home?

Sectioning the house into separate rooms does have its advantages. It allows you to heat and cool rooms individually, plus it cuts down on the transmission of sound throughout the house. But removing walls and significantly widening doorways makes the house feel more open and airier and updates it. Plus, it's usually good for resale.

Load bearing walls and non-load bearing walls

Removing a load-bearing wall and replacing it with a beam is significantly different from removing interior non-load-bearing walls. Load-bearing walls are structural elements that help support the weight of the house.

Non-load bearing walls, also called partition walls, do not support loads from above and are simply there to divide spaces.

removing bearing walls
removing bearing walls

How to know if it's a load bearing wall

To determine if a wall is a load-bearing one, Tom suggests going down to the basement or attic to see which way the joists run. If the wall is parallel to the joists, it’s probably not load-bearing. If the wall is perpendicular, it’s most likely load-bearing.

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