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Removing wall perpendicular to outside wall

3K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  vanish 
#1 ·
Hello again. Still working on pantry solution. Header issue will be properly addressed.

Later I will have to remove a 6' 6" wall perpendicular to former outside wall on gable end of house. It is also perp to the joists above it.

From attic view, wall does not have anything above it. Only joists above it.

The joists begin at the outside wall, span a 12 foot room, pass over the wall I want to remove, span another 4 feet to a central load bearing wall and then continue across the house. Length of wall to remove is 6 1/2 feet.

Odd feature in wall to remove is "let-in brace". I think it may have been placed there because wall is perp to gable end and provided some sort of stability.

My guess is that it does not bear a load but I do not want to just remove it without thought. Would a "strong-back" of 2x4 and 2x8 be a safe way to go to hold joists in place?

What are your valued opinions?

Van
 
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#2 ·
Kind of odd that there's a let-in brace in the wall if it isn't serving a stuctural purpose. Normally, in a modern home anyway, any time there's a let-in brace or x-bracing of some sort it is indicative that the wall is serving as a braced wall which helps the home resist lateral forces from wind load. Usually braced walls are bearing walls. Not always, but usually.

In the old days it wasn't uncommon for framers to let in 1x material in just about every wall. When was the house built?

The best advice you can get is to spend a couple hundred bucks on an engineer to come by and check out the situation and recommend any necessary modifications if needed before removing the wall.
 
#3 ·
The house with the Let-in brace was built in 1985. It may be in place to support the outside wall which is the gable end of the house. Oddly enough, the wall with the let-in brace is perpendicular to the outside wall and another interior wall which has a let-in brace in 1/2 of it. I figured that they hired an old carpenter to frame those two walls and when they came back, the braces were in. :)

the lower end of the brace is against the outside wall. I would have thought that it would be the other way if it really provided support.

Could be as simple as the wall they were framing was floppy even if it was only 7 feet long. So, in with the brace.

All the other wood used in framing is in good shape but the 1x4 they used for this brace looks like it laid around in the dirt for years. Real rough.

But who knows.

I have 3 walls to cut thru, 2 walls to remove and 3 walls to build. I think I am at the point that an engineer may be my solution. I really like the DIY side of things but suppose I gotta find an engineer I trust.

thanks for your comments......
 
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