John and Susie have called in the carpenter to discuss their main floor renovation plans.
"Just Tear Down the Walls"
With the open concept kitchen becoming the standard in today’s design\, lots of renovations involve removing interior walls, some of those walls may be load bearing which require special precautions. Non-load bearing walls simply divide the interior space (or housing mechanical work) while load bearing walls provide double duty, supporting dead weight, live weight and roof loads. Some walls may also be required for shear strength.
Removing a load bearing wall is significantly different from removing a non load bearing wall. A good clue for determining if a wall is load bearing is to check if the beam runs perpendicular with the floor joists below.
Regardless, it is best to ask for the experts when it comes to keeping and removing walls. You will likely require a building permit and if it’s a load bearing wall you’ll most likely require an engineer’s stamp of approval for the correct beam sizing. Beams come in many shapes, forms and sizes (ie. timber, steel, reinforced. You may also opt for a flush beam (hidden in the ceiling) or a drop beam which is below the floor joists. There are many other factors that may affect when can be used in what situation.
reference https://www.thespruce.com/removing-a-load-bearing-wall-1821964
Removing a load bearing wall is significantly different from removing a non load bearing wall. A good clue for determining if a wall is load bearing is to check if the beam runs perpendicular with the floor joists below.
Regardless, it is best to ask for the experts when it comes to keeping and removing walls. You will likely require a building permit and if it’s a load bearing wall you’ll most likely require an engineer’s stamp of approval for the correct beam sizing. Beams come in many shapes, forms and sizes (ie. timber, steel, reinforced. You may also opt for a flush beam (hidden in the ceiling) or a drop beam which is below the floor joists. There are many other factors that may affect when can be used in what situation.
reference https://www.thespruce.com/removing-a-load-bearing-wall-1821964