Identifying a Load Bearing Wall

[pelligrini]

I think the IRC (International Residential Code) calls for a double top plate in all applications. I think it's mostly for overlap on corners and ends.

Even if it's not neccessary it's usually simpler though, most jobs will order precut studs like 92 5/8".

[crokett]

No crawlspace. Building is on a slab. Also all walls around here have doubled top plates, or at least the walls in both of my houses do/did. I will crawl in the attic and have a look see.

[Tom Slick]

If the wall has openings (doors, pass-throughs, etc) and is load bearing it will have larger headers, non load bearing may not. Just like double top plates, it might have them even if it isn't load bearing but if it doesn't have them then you know it isn't load bearing. you could check with a stud finder.

[JimD]

My house had double top plates and headers at all door openings. I suspect it was just simplicity as has been mentioned. Ceiling joists or trusses have also always been firmly attached to the walls below in the 4 houses I have owned. Maybe that is not always the case but I am assuming it is typical because that is my experience. If the wall is firmly attached to the trusses, it provides support - even if that support is not necessary. In other words, if the trusses were to try and deflect downward, the wall would stop it (or reduce it dramatically).

Another clue that a wall is what is normally called "load bearing" is joists that overlap at the wall. In other words, two shorter pieces of lumber that do not span the whole distance meet and overlap at the wall.


Jim

[crokett]

I took a quick peek in the attic today and it is trusses. The panel point where the webs meet the bottom chord is a couple feet off the wall so I don't think the wall is load bearing. One of my concerns was the wall was there to support HVAC, etc but that is in a closet. I will climb up and look around in a couple weeks. I did not have a tall ladder today.

[Hellrazor]

David,

You know all of the stuff I work on and I will NOT judge if a wall is weight bearing. The last wall I helped look at, there was NO way it would have been weight bearing. We removed the wall and all of the ceiling plaster started to show stress cracking over the next few days. We landed up putting a beam across the room in place of the wall.