Removal of interior walls

Kipster

I am considering knocking down a few walls to accommodate a major renovation. I assume I'll need a structural engineer??

If so can anyone suggest one in oakville Ontario area or can a general contractor accommodate this?

Gary in WA

Welcome to the forum!

This is a do-it-yourself forum to help you do it yourself....... we can hep you there.
Ask locally.

Gary

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Just Bill

If you can't tell if a wall is supporting or not, yes, you need someone that can.

Kipster

How can I tell if a wall is a supporting or load bearing?

Daniel Holzman

The definition of a load bearing wall is one that supports more than its own weight. In order to determine if a wall is load bearing, you need to look at the framing above the wall to determine if any vertical load from above is transmitted downward through the wall. If you have plans for the building, you can determine which walls are load bearing by reading the plans. If you have no plans, you may be able to tell from exposed framing elements.

If the framing elements are not exposed, you are almost certainly going to need to open some holes to examine the framing. There are special cameras that work on the end of long, flexible, thin tubes that let you peer around through very small openings, and the pros often use these to do things like check for leaks, look for mold, or examine framing, through small openings that are easily patched.

oh'mike

You will need to take pictures of the outside of the house---the attic---the second floor--the first floor and the basement----a sketch will help---then we will have something to talk about.

Walls above basement beams are often load bearing---Center walls are sometimes LB walls--

We need more info. And someone with structural knowledge on site must verify our thoughts.-Mike--

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New members: Adding your location to your profile helps in many ways.--M--