Looking to remove a wall between kitchen and living room! Assumed it was a load bearing wall so I had a SE come out and write a report to remove the wall. Then had contractors come and give estimates! The only person to actually go into the attic and look was the 3rd contactor and he says it's not load bearing with the truss system I have!! Need help determining if it is or isng load bearing!!! Have pics upon request as I started opening up the drywall to see what I'm working with! Thanks in advance!
Load bearing walls?
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I am guessing the term SE means structural engineer. Any structural engineer with a license should look in the attic to see what is bearing on the wall. Assuming you paid the SE, and had a contract, I would contact the SE and ask them for a no cost update to their report based on the attic condition.
Yea a structural engineer...he assumed it was bearing and took some measurements..let me ask this, if the wall i want to take out it directly above the main beam in the basement but is not in the center of the first level floor...it's offset 2 ft to the right of,the peak (cathedral ceilings), does it sound load bearing?
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Nate,
It would help if you post a few pics of the trusses. We removed a wall separating the kitchen/dinette with the living-room/dining. I was worried it was bearing, but it isn't.
The trusses span about 25 ft. and I learned the bearing points are the two contact points at the perimeter, the center walls did almost nothing and were not necessary. Of course someone has to inspect and certify/guarantee it.
Jaz
It would help if you post a few pics of the trusses. We removed a wall separating the kitchen/dinette with the living-room/dining. I was worried it was bearing, but it isn't.
The trusses span about 25 ft. and I learned the bearing points are the two contact points at the perimeter, the center walls did almost nothing and were not necessary. Of course someone has to inspect and certify/guarantee it.
Jaz
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Truss above cathedral ceiling in living room looks like this (scissor truss)....once It gets to the other side of the house where the cathedrals are gone the truss changes a bit...the wall I want to take out sits about 2 ft to the right of the peak
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This is the layout of,the 3 rooms..the wall between the DR and KT is non load bearing and it's gone almost out already...the one with the red arrow is the wall in question...it's running perpendicular to the trusses and that wall is directly on top of the main beam of the house
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So you had a SE and contractors (plural) come out and visually inspect your home with differing opinions?Didn't like the outcome so decided to get advice on an internet forum? How's that work?
Spent years dealing with SE;s on a daily basis .They are not always correct but bottom line is if he wrote a report and put a stamp on it nothing the contractors say will mean diddly to the inspector.
Spent years dealing with SE;s on a daily basis .They are not always correct but bottom line is if he wrote a report and put a stamp on it nothing the contractors say will mean diddly to the inspector.
Truss system has little to do with load bearing.I can have free span trusses designed for a 40' span or I can have trusses designed for a 40 foot span with a load bearing wall at 12' or 20'.I recently had some 43' 11" trusses designed with a 8' cantilever on one end.
I don't know the details because you gave few but it's possible the SE didn't go into the attic because he obtained the original plans for the house from the building dept. and reviewed them before coming out.
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So let's review the bidding. The definition of a load bearing wall is one that holds up more than its own weight. The load typically comes from joists that bear on the wall, another wall directly above the bearing wall, or framing elements that bear on the wall. There is NO WAY to determine if a wall is load bearing without physically inspecting the space above the wall to determine if any framing elements bear on the wall.
I find it amazing that a registered professional structural engineer would declare a wall to be load bearing without verifying the conditions above the wall. Even if the engineer had stamped, as built plans, he still needed to go into the space above to verify that the house was actually built the way the plans show.
You stated that the engineer was a structural engineer. You did not note if you had a contract with the individual, or whether the engineer was paid for services. If you had a contract, and/or if you paid this person, you have a right to demand that they come back at their own expense to update the report based on actual conditions in the house. No one on an internet chat forum can tell you with certainty whether that wall holds up anything above without looking at the framing, but that is what you presumably paid for, so a call to the engineer would be in order.
I find it amazing that a registered professional structural engineer would declare a wall to be load bearing without verifying the conditions above the wall. Even if the engineer had stamped, as built plans, he still needed to go into the space above to verify that the house was actually built the way the plans show.
You stated that the engineer was a structural engineer. You did not note if you had a contract with the individual, or whether the engineer was paid for services. If you had a contract, and/or if you paid this person, you have a right to demand that they come back at their own expense to update the report based on actual conditions in the house. No one on an internet chat forum can tell you with certainty whether that wall holds up anything above without looking at the framing, but that is what you presumably paid for, so a call to the engineer would be in order.
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