How can I tell if a wall is low bareing? I want to take it down...
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Shirley
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I want to take down the wall between my living room and kitchen how do i tell if it's low bareing?
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The actual term is load-bearing - and it means a wall which is carrying the weight of upper levels of your house. It is not really a job for the amateur home renovator to try to determine if a wall is load-bearing. Even on the professional renovation shows on HGTV, they often require a structural engineer to determine what walls are load-bearing and what needs to be done to support the house structure if the wall were to be removed.
I would recommend at the least having a reputable construction contractor look at what you want to do and advise you. You do not have to ultimately have them do the work, if it is a load-bearing wall, you probably will want to have a professional remove it and properly support the upper portion of your home, the weight that is focused on the load-bearing wall, so that you do not harm the structure of your home and potentially ruin it and make it dangerous to live in.
A clue that a wall is load bearing is that it runs the length of any parallel exterior walls. The only way to be sure is to look at the attic and foundation, and see how the weight of the roof is distributed. The advice to get professional assessment is VERY GOOD ADVICE. Unless you have engineers willing to take a look at it for free, leave it in place. An exception would be a wall that was clearly added after the structure was built, like to enclose a closet. My dream of removing the wall between my den and dining room is not likely to happen because the wall goes from the exterior wall to a hallway, then is picked up again as a bedroom wall. All I can do for it is open it up and put in some additional headers and supports to make arches or openings. Without knowing what wiring, plumbing, etc. are in your wall, you are better off to leave it where it is.
Load bearing! Basically a load-bearing wall is a wupporting
sorry - a supporting wall that is an important part of the structure. All external walls are load bearing - some internal walls are. Best is to look at the plans, or consult a professional.