[cyberfire]

We're in the middle of a bathroom remodel and looking to remove an interior wall that enclosed the shower, so that we can expand the shower footprint. Things were going pretty well until I found that the interior wall appears to be tied in to the exterior wall. That said, it really just looks like it may be tied in to keep the interior wall stable, but before I cut it out, wanted to see if anyone can confirm.

After we got the permit the inspector looked at it for 2 seconds (didn't even look inside) and said it should be fine to remove. I have no idea what his qualifications were. I've reached out to a structural engineer as well, but we're on a timer and hoping someone may have a quick answer as to what's going on here.

Lots of crazy stuff as we go through this remodel process. Outside of this, it's the first time I've ever seen drywall GLUED to 2x4's with no fasteners!

 

[Nealtw]

The block above the wall is just to hold the wall in place.
The bigger question is why they built the interior wall there? It does not appear to be load bearing.

 

[cyberfire]

I wish I knew why they did half the things they did in this bathroom. The amount of extra framing for "aesthetics" is crazy. Soffits on every wall with different styles and angles...part of the reason I'm trying to tear it all out!

 

[Chris616]

One of the issues when renovating another amateurs renovations is that we'll often use five screws where two would be sufficient. I feel sorry for the person who has to take my stuff apart (which has unfortunately been me on a few occasions!). Soffits are often built not for aesthetics reasons, but instead to hide things. I've added them to two of our bathroom renovations to hide a duct for the HRV that we added to the house, and to form a chase for running the countless new electrical wires needed when renovating a kitchen.