You love the open-concept look, and you really want to take down that wall on your main floor, but can it be done easily? If taking down a wall is part of your renovation plans, you need to know whether it's load-bearing or not. We're going to talk about some of the simple things you can do to try to determine if your wall is load-bearing, what the steps are to start the process rolling, and what your options are once you decide that wall must come down.

What Is a Load-Bearing Wall?

If a wall is deemed structural or load-bearing, it supports the weight of a floor or roof structure above it. Load-bearing walls can support a significant amount of weight, so you can't just take those walls down without replacing them with suitable structural support.

Structural support can be in the form of a beam, a column, or sometimes both. Under certain circumstances, additional or larger footings may also be required in the basement of the home. The purpose of putting in beams or other suitable support is so that they can bear the same load that was supported by the wall that is coming down. This step is critical and must be taken to prevent serious damage to the home over the long term.

By contrast, a non-load-bearing wall, sometimes called a partition wall, does not hold up any weight and can easily be removed without installing any structural supports.

The most important part in all of this is to determine whether your wall is load-bearing or non load-bearing. This will determine the type of construction that is needed in order to remove the wall. It will also drastically affect the price and the steps required in the process to remove the wall.

How Can You Tell if It’s a Load-Bearing Wall?

Although we will talk about some of the ways that you can tell if your wall is structural or not, you should always... Let me repeat that... ALWAYS consult with an architect or architectural technologist to confirm before you start swinging a sledgehammer.

Most architects or architectural technologists will charge a very small fee to come to your home and confirm whether a wall is load-bearing or not. If it turns out to be structural, you will need to enlist their services anyway in order to do a complete set of architectural drawings for your permit. The small fee you will pay is worth its weight in gold for peace of mind to ensure you're not taking down a load-bearing wall because you believe it to be non-supportive.

Conversely, if you believed your wall to be structural and it turns out not to be, you may have opted not to do your renovation project because it seemed too complicated or costly. Call a local architectural technologist to confirm whether the wall is load-bearing or not before you make a final decision on whether to proceed with your project or not.

There are a few clues that you can look for to determine whether the wall is load-bearing. First, measure the thickness of the wall. If it is greater than 4.5", there is a good chance it's a load-bearing wall. This is not a hard-and-fast rule. However, most 2x4 walls are not load-bearing. Most structural walls are built with 2x6s.

A second thing to check is whether the wall is parallel or perpendicular to the joists. Generally, if the wall in question runs parallel to the floor joists above it, it is not a load-bearing wall. If it runs perpendicular to or at a 90-degree angle to the joists, there is a good chance that it is structural. Again, this is not a hard-and-fast rule, but it is a guideline of something to look for.

One mistake many homeowners make is assuming that if it is only a partial wall, it can't be load-bearing. We remove between five and seven load-bearing walls per year for our clients. There have been many instances where the main wall was load-bearing and the wall adjacent or 90° to it was also load-bearing, even though it was only a partial wall. Just because a wall is short and doesn't span the entire distance doesn't mean it doesn't carry part of the load.

The age of your home will also play a factor in whether the walls are load-bearing. For example, if you live in a relatively new bungalow, most, if not all, of your interior walls will be non-load-bearing. The load-bearing walls in your home will be the exterior walls only. This is because newer homes are built with roof trusses, which are self-supporting and will support the weight of the roof coming down through the exterior walls only.

However, if your home is 50 years old or older, there will likely be load-bearing walls within the interior of your home. Older roofs are a rafter or stick-built system, and there are times when they require interior walls to support the roof structure in order to distribute the load of the roof to many different areas of the house.

In almost all instances, exterior walls are load-bearing. Usually the only instance where an exterior wall would be taken down is if an addition is being built on the house. In those instances, architectural drawings would be required along with a building permit, so a consultation with an architect would be your first priority.

If the wall you want to remove is on the first floor of your house and you have a basement below it, you can check in the basement to see if there is another wall or a beam or column directly below it and following the same path as the wall. If there is no structural support below the wall in the basement, that wall is most likely a non-bearing wall.

While you're at it, check if you have walls in the exact same location on floors above the wall you want to remove. If walls are built in the exact same place on each floor of the home, that's a great indication that these are most likely load-bearing walls. Keep in mind that these walls can still include door frames and still be considered load-bearing.

Another rather simple option to check if a wall is load-bearing is to have a look at the original blueprints for the house. You may have had a copy of these when you purchased your house, but if you didn't, they are often located at your city's planning department. The planning department is usually located within City Hall.

Give them a call before you go, especially if you have an older house. They may only have copies of blueprints from the past 20 or 30 years. There will likely be a fee if you want a copy of them, but most building departments will allow you to have a look at them on site without any charges. They will generally have a Plans Examiner on site who can review them with you as well.

Next Steps

Now that you've identified whether your wall is load-bearing or not, there are some important next steps in the process. If you believe the wall is load-bearing, connect with an architect or architectural technologist to have a set of professional drawings done. Do not skip this step, and most importantly, do not skip the step of getting a building permit for your project. This is crucial to ensuring that the load-bearing wall is removed properly and can be a vital document for your insurance company should any problems crop up in the future.

If you believe that your wall is non-structural, it is still a very strong recommendation that you consult an architectural technologist to confirm that detail. We don't even recommend that you trust the word of a contractor. Even though we have been in business for over 30 years, we always call our architectural technologist and pay to have him make a site visit to confirm whether a wall is structural or non-structural. It is worth our clients peace of mind to know that things are being done correctly.

The next step is to select your contractor for the project. The most important piece of advice I can give you is to ensure that your contractor has experience with load-bearing wall removal. Ask them for the names of projects they have done where load-bearing walls were removed. Connect with those clients and go on site to take a look. Ask to see before and after pictures, and ask for the architectural drawings that were used. You want to ensure that your contractor doesn't cut corners and take out load-bearing walls without permits.

This is not a job to be taken lightly and should not be attempted by a handyman. If load-bearing walls are not removed properly and the appropriate supporting structures are not put in place, your whole building could collapse or at the very least start to sag. You may not see this immediately, but over the course of several years, you will start to notice cracks in the ceiling and sagging. Ensure you hire professionals who have lots of experience with load-bearing wall removals.

Many people believe that if they get a permit for the renovation, their taxes will increase the following year. This is simply not true. The only thing that will increase your taxes is putting an addition on your house because you are adding square footage to the property. Simply removing a load-bearing wall will not affect your taxes at all. Building departments want you to take out permits and will not do anything to deter you from doing that.

In summary…

Opening up a space within a home by removing a wall is a great way to change the look of your home and make the space feel more airy and spacious. It’s one of the most requested renovation projects we get asked to do. However, finding out whether the wall is structural or not is a key step that should never be skipped. Call the proper professionals to ensure your project is done right.