Load Bearing Wall Construction | How to Tell If a Wall Is Load Bearing | Load Bearing Beam | Non-Load Bearing Wall | Non-Load Bearing Wall Framing

Load Bearing Wall Construction:

How to Tell If a Wall Is Load Bearing?

While one should consult a professional architect, such as a carpenter, architect, or structural engineer, to ensure that the wall is Load Bearing or non Load Bearing, there are a number of indicators you can check for to get the initial answer. We can do this without removing the drywall or other destructive steps. A good place to start is to dig out the actual building plan if they are available. The original building plan will tell you which walls carry the load and which are not. If the wall is marked “S” in the building plan, this means “structure,” thus indicating that there is a load-bearing wall. Look at your roof to identify any beams that carry loads across the house. Any walls under these beams are probably also carrying the load. If there is no load-bearing beam under the wall that you can consider removing the wall as it may not be Load Bearing. Look in your building basement or crawl space for metal beams or joists. If you see joists in your basement and there is a wall that goes perpendicularly, then this wall may be Load Bearing. If the wall is situated parallel above the joints, it may not be a load-bearing wall. Read more

Load Bearing Beam-

An opening you can have on a Load Bearing Wall should be six feet or less. This creates a carrying point 1.5 inches wide. Any open space more than six feet should have at least 2x4 no of beams under each edge of the floor. We cannot have wide openings on any load-bearing wall as it is not well supported. Proper support varies depending on the weight of the load, the base under which it is supported, and the materials used to support it. While constructing a building, one must need a civil engineer to inspect it and design that support. Read more

Non-Load Bearing Wall-

Hollow Concrete Block Wall. Facade Bricks Wall. Empty Bricks. Brick Walls. Read more

How to Make a Load Bearing Beam?

To make a load-bearing beam first assemble the two pairs of beams from the 2x4 pairs and attach them to the tire plate and bottom with 3-inch screws. Cut the beam long and cut the notches (if necessary) to erase the binding plates from the joined walls. Slip the beam members into place and place them on a temporary bed. Drive the shims between the support studs and under the pole until the beams are firmly across the bottom of the binding plate. Cut two suitable cutters at each end of the beam. Give them the foundations under the beam and tap them in place. Face or nail each one with at least six 16d nails. Cut the block to fit between the joists down directly below the beam crossing trunks. Claw and finish the nails on the surrounding flowers. Read more