How To Support A Load Bearing Wall From The Attic

Wall removal and hidden beam in attic remodeling contractor talk.

How to support a load bearing wall from the attic.

There s a good chance this wall is load bearing especially if it runs parallel to a central basement support beam. Especially critical is the beam you use. A new beam goes in. You also have to support the ends of the beam with posts that carry the load to the foundation.

In the attic look down at the ceiling joists and ask yourself these. The most common support system used to replace a load bearing wall is a beam under the ceiling and columns or posts which carry the weight down to the foundation. The joist span depends on the wood species grade applied load and joist depth spacing but a good rule of thumb would be that a joist will span between 10 and 20 feet 3 and 6 m. To assemble the support wall cut three plates 2x4s 1 in.

It s simple and effective. If you answered yes to either of those questions the wall on the floor above is most likely load bearing. Blind beam in attic to support sagging load bearing walls 17 s to removing an interior load bearing wall how to tell if a wall is load bearing load bearing or not and install a header. There s no need to cut another slot.

The old framing tied into the new beam with proper joist hangers and strong tie type connectors. Floor joists that frame into an exterior wall will need to be supported at the opposite end by a bearing wall or beam. If you move the point loads to two locations these need to bear down all the way to footings. Typically either side of the new beam the walls and framing is shored up.

One way to construct a beam is to sandwich two 2x8 boards around a layer 1 2 inch plywood. Away from the load bearing wall to leave room to work and to slide the beam into place. Often these load bearing walls are roughly near the center of the house because the center of the house is the farthest point from any of the exterior walls. This is the easiest method because you don t have to cut into the joists or other framing above the beam.

The second wall can be mounted directly under the drywall. The most common method to support the structure after you remove a wall is to add a beam under the ceiling. Replacing a load bearing wall with a support beam requires surprisingly few materials. This method is popular because it does not require alterations to joists or framing above the beam.

Short of the full length of the wall. Look for an internal wall that s near the relative center of your house. This project is more about labor than materials.