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When constructing a house, both load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls are created. The primary distinction between these walls is simple – some walls are designed to bear the weight of the building's structure, while others (often referred to as 'partition walls') are solely used to divide rooms and bear no load. Before modifying any walls in your home, it is essential to be certain about which walls are load-bearing and which are not, as removing or altering a load-bearing wall could jeopardize the structural integrity of your home with potentially dangerous consequences. Refer to Step 1 below to locate the load-bearing walls in your house.
Steps
Look for Clues in the Structure
Start at the lowest point in your house. To begin identifying the load-bearing walls in your home, it’s best to start with the most fundamental structural element of any house – the foundation. If your house has a basement, start there. Otherwise, try to begin at any point on the first floor where you can identify the concrete 'floor slab' of your house.
- Once you reach the lowest point in your house, look for walls that have beams directly connected to the concrete foundation. These load-bearing walls transfer the structure’s weight onto the solid concrete foundation below, so any wall that is directly connected to the foundation can be considered a load-bearing wall and should not be removed.
- Additionally, most of the exterior walls of your house are load-bearing. You should examine them at the foundation level, whether wood, stone, or brick, as nearly all exterior walls connect to the concrete foundation.
Locate the beams. Start by searching for thick, solid wood or metal beams, known as 'joists'. These beams explain the load-bearing capacity of your house, transferring weight down to the foundation. Beams typically extend across multiple floors, and as such, may be part of several walls. If a beam runs from the foundation to any wall above it, then that wall is load-bearing and should not be removed.
- Except in unfinished rooms, most beams will be hidden behind drywall, so it’s advisable to check building plans or contact a contractor if you can't find them. Beams are easiest to spot in unfinished basements (or attics), where parts of the structure are exposed.
Look for the horizontal supports. Check the point where the beams meet the ceiling (if you’re in the basement, this will be the underside of the first floor, or if you’re on the first floor, it’ll be the underside of the second floor). Look for long horizontal supports, called 'joists', which help support the floor above. If any of these joists intersect perpendicularly with a wall or a main load-bearing beam, then the wall is bearing the load of the upper floor and should not be removed.
- As before, since most load-bearing parts of walls are behind drywall, they may not be visible. To confirm if a joist intersects with a given wall, you may need to remove some floorboards on the floor above the wall to get an unobstructed view of the load-bearing elements.
Trace the internal walls across the floors of your house. Begin in the basement (or on the first floor if your house has no basement) and locate the internal walls, which are, as you might guess, the walls inside the four exterior walls. Trace all the internal walls up through the floors of your house – in other words, precisely locate a wall on the lower floor, then go up to the floor above it to see if the wall continues across both levels. Pay attention to what rests directly on the wall. If it’s another wall, a floor with perpendicular joists, or a heavy load-bearing structure, then that wall is likely load-bearing.
- However, if there’s an unfinished space like an attic with an incomplete floor, the wall may not be load-bearing.
Check internal walls near the center of the house. The larger the house, the further apart the exterior load-bearing walls tend to be, which means more internal load-bearing walls are required to support the floors. These load-bearing walls are often located closer to the center of the house, as the center is the farthest point from any exterior wall. Look for internal walls that are relatively close to the center of your house. There’s a good chance these are load-bearing walls, especially if they run parallel to the main load-bearing beams in the basement.
Look for internal walls with wider ends than other locations. Internal load-bearing walls might combine with structural beams within the house’s framework. However, since these beams are typically larger than other non-load-bearing columns, the walls are usually designed to accommodate the additional size of the beam. So, if an internal wall has a larger, box-like section or a column is thicker at the ends, it could conceal a main load-bearing beam, indicating that the wall is load-bearing.
- Some structural features might appear as decorative elements, but be cautious – often, painted columns or intricately decorated wooden structures could be hiding crucial beams essential to the building’s framework.
Look for steel beams, girders, and columns in the structure. Sometimes, instead of relying on internal load-bearing walls, builders may use special load-bearing structures such as steel beams, girders, or columns to transfer some or all of the building's weight to the exterior load-bearing walls. In such cases, it’s possible (but not guaranteed) that the nearby internal walls are not load-bearing. Search for large, sturdy structures made of wood or steel running through the ceiling and intersecting with a wall that you know is load-bearing or an exterior wall, such as horizontal rectangular projections running across the ceiling. If you find them, the nearby internal walls 'may' not be load-bearing.
- This method can give you clues about areas that might not be load-bearing walls, but you can’t be certain without further verification. If you're unsure, consult with a contractor to confirm if this type of structure was used.
Look for evidence that the building has been remodeled. Many houses, especially older ones, have been remodeled, expanded, or altered multiple times. If your house is one of these, an exterior wall may have been converted into an internal wall. If so, what appears to be an innocuous internal wall may actually be a load-bearing wall from the previous architecture. If you suspect that your house has undergone significant remodeling, it’s best to contact the previous contractor just to ensure that your current exterior walls are truly exterior.
Study Your Building
Look for the original blueprints of your house, if you can find them. Based on the design of your home, it may be impossible to predict exactly which walls are load-bearing and which are not. In such cases, the original blueprints or sketches of your home could be a valuable resource. A blueprint can give you an idea of where load-bearing beams are located, which walls are original exterior walls, and much more. You can use this information as a reference when determining whether a wall is load-bearing.
- It’s not uncommon for homeowners to not have a copy of their home’s blueprints. Fortunately, they can be found at:
- The county clerk’s office
- The previous homeowner’s possession
- The former contractor’s or construction company’s possession
- Finally, you could hire an architect to redraw the plans of your house. However, this could be costly.
Study the blueprint of your house. Take the time to determine whether a wall you’re unsure about is load-bearing or not. Look for clues listed above – does it contain a main load-bearing beam? Are the joists connected parallel to it? Was it ever an exterior wall? Never demolish a wall until you're confident that it is not load-bearing. Even an experienced home renovation expert cannot always accurately determine which walls are load-bearing based on visible clues alone. Refer to Mytour’s guide on how to read an architectural blueprint for more information.
Understand the impact of home renovations. Generally speaking, the more your home has been renovated, the harder it becomes to determine which walls are load-bearing and which are not. Throughout the renovation process, non-load-bearing walls may be converted into load-bearing walls (and vice versa). For example, installing or removing beams, adding a staircase, or expanding the attic often requires turning a non-load-bearing wall into a load-bearing one. Consider these changes when identifying load-bearing walls – if the blueprints show walls that no longer exist, or you spot walls not shown on the blueprints, clarify which alterations have been made before proceeding.
- If you’re unsure about your home’s renovation history, contact the previous owner and contractor for more details.
Get Help from External Experts
Call the original contractor if possible. The person (or company) who built your home can provide accurate information about its structure. If the home was recently built, they might not even charge for a quick call or consultation. Even if they do charge, remember that a small fee is nothing compared to the potential structural damage from removing a load-bearing wall.
Hire a home inspector if you have any doubts. If you can’t figure out which wall is load-bearing and no one you’ve contacted seems to know, you may want to hire a professional home inspector. It’s worth paying for an hour of inspection if you want to make sure your renovations are safe.
- Home inspections typically cost a few hundred dollars. This price can vary based on the market and the size of the home – upscale homes may cost as much as $1,000 for an inspection.
Hire a home renovation consulting company. Some independent companies offer services that guide home renovators on how to proceed with their projects. These companies can hire construction managers, interior decorators, and other experienced renovation professionals. When a company comes to work on a wall you’re unsure about, they can tell you what changes are feasible, which ones are unsafe, or even immediately answer whether a wall is load-bearing. If you're interested in this route, research local companies to ensure you choose a reputable and reliable one.
Above all, exercise caution. Avoid removing any walls yourself unless you are absolutely certain they are not load-bearing. As mentioned earlier, removing a load-bearing wall can compromise the structure of the building and potentially cause a dangerous collapse. Remember, home renovations are semi-permanent, so removing a non-load-bearing wall might alter the possibilities for future additions to your home.
Things You’ll Need
- Bluprints
- Design modification details
- Building contractor
- Home inspector
