# Load-Bearing Wall Help



## Jfog18 (Sep 15, 2012)

I have done some research, but want to make sure the wall that I am looking to open up is not load bearing. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

I want to open a doorway from our kitchen to our living room to open up the space and add a bar in the kitchen. The house is a ranch -style home with a truss construction and a crawlspace. Exterior wall to exterior wall is 24ft. The wall in question is off-centered in the house. From one exterior wall to the center wall is 10 ft. 

I have attached some pictures. In the crawlspace, the wall is not supported directly underneath. The wall is about 2ft. away from the center floor joist support. I saw no stamp on the truss saying that a support wall is needed under a specific spot. I am also adding a picture of the construction of the truss. We have the same trusses over our carport turned garage with no wall in the same location as the wall inside. The doorway is 30 in. wide and has 2x4 framing above, no larger header. I am looking to open it up to 6ft.

Thanks again for helping me out with this question.


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## hand drive (Apr 21, 2012)

you should be good to go for a 30" opening. demo some drywall in the area that the door will go and look to see if there are any braces of any kind located inside of the wall, this would indicate some type of shear wall and should then be dealt with accordingly. I would still frame the opening with a header to prevent any unnecessary cracking of the drywall around the opening in the future.


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## Jfog18 (Sep 15, 2012)

Thanks, Hand drive!

Let me clarify. There is already a 30 in. doorway there, and I would like to expand the opening to 6 ft. If this wall is not load-bearing, then it would save me money and time by not building a tempoary support wall. Do you think I still need a large header even if it is not load bearing?

Thanks!!


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## hand drive (Apr 21, 2012)

oops, mis read the first time. To install the header you most likely can get by without building a temp wall, a temp wall holds either side of the joists ceiling weight as they break across and on top of the wall. You have trusses so no break in the joists but I do not know if the trusses are built from specs to span the entire distance across the width of the house. If you have an engineer calculate the span capabilities of the truss he/she may say that the opening does not need a header, otherwise it is a big guess??

One option with not having the header is to see across the two ceilings in both rooms without a wall blocking it.
Does the wall have a double top plate?


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## mae-ling (Dec 9, 2011)

Thanks for the great pics and info!!!!

Double top plate or not does not tell if it is load bearing. Load bearing walls can have a single top plate, non-loadbearing can have a double top plate or vice versa.
The beam off by 2' I have seen as a load bearing (Although not a good design).
Not much help!

Here is the best help anyone on this site can give.

Only someone on site can tell for sure.
I have my guess but that is all it as with with anyone on this forum.
Really need someone on site.


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## Jfog18 (Sep 15, 2012)

Thanks hand drive and mae-ling!

I was hoping that the information I had was going to help. I was surprised to see that a wall off the ground supports could still be a load bearing wall.

Do all trusses have stamps saying if it needs a bearing wall underneath?

I have the same form of trusses above my carport, and there is a wall in a different place. Does that help verify that it is not load bearing? The wall in the carport is parallel to the wall in question. The wall in the carport is 4 ft off the exterior wall, as opposed to the wall in question that is 10 ft off the exterior wall. 

Thanks!!


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