Expert: Nazim Nice - 9/8/2009

Question
I have a L shaped wall dividing my kitchen and dining room that I want to remove.   The long side runs parallel to the floor joists and perpendicular to the rafters above (one story house).  Its about 5 ft long.  The short wall runs perpendicular to the floor joists and parallel to the raftes and is about 3.5 ft long.  In the corner there is a large cutout/shelf that leaves only about 3 ft on the long wall and 2 ft on the short wall of solid wall.  There are also 2 main beams in the basement supported by steel posts.  Neither wall sits directly over either beam.    The roof has a very mellow slope to it.      Is it safe to assume that neither of these walls bears weight??

Answer
Hi Nick,

My experience working with a structural engineer on issues like this is that it is not always safe to assume that walls like this are non-load bearing, even if the load path is not clear or straight down.  In older homes, often times load paths did not align very well. And you mention that the roof rafters are perpendicular to one of these walls, so it's possible in some way it is supporting the roof.  It often depends on the era of the home.  Newer homes generally have more clear structure and transfer of loads. In older homes, if there is uncertainty, we usually end up assuming it is structural.  

How would you know for sure? Probably an actual visual inspection by a structural engineer.

Nazim Nice
Principal / Architect
http://www.motion-space.com
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