I am renovating a room. There were previously two closets built into the wall, and even the chimney was behind a wall.
I have now taken down the wall in front of the chimney, no problem. However, it seems like the wall around what used to be two closets is load-bearing in some way. But I absolutely want to take it down.
How should I think? The house is a 1.5-story villa from the 1940s, and the wall doesn't seem to be original. The wall looks very patched together. If it's a load-bearing wall, at most three out of ten studs are supporting. But the entire house is pretty much a botched construction from the start, so I'm not surprised.
I believe it was originally unfinished upstairs, and this is the wall that divided the space with full ceiling height and the loft under the sloped roof. However, I can't see that this wall is actually needed. On one side of this room, we have a bedroom, with no corresponding wall. On the other side of the current room is the staircase that goes down under the sloped roof, so there is no corresponding wall there either. What I know about how trusses and houses are constructed says that this wall isn't needed. But it seems unwise to take any chances.
So what do I do? It's a matter of 1.5 + 0.5 meters of wall, which are perpendicular to each other, the short wall in the middle of the long one.
I'm considering if I can remove the wall and place a column where it seems there is a load.
I understand that one can't answer the question directly without seeing the whole thing. But maybe some guidance? How cautious should one be? Would a picture of the setup help?
I have now taken down the wall in front of the chimney, no problem. However, it seems like the wall around what used to be two closets is load-bearing in some way. But I absolutely want to take it down.
How should I think? The house is a 1.5-story villa from the 1940s, and the wall doesn't seem to be original. The wall looks very patched together. If it's a load-bearing wall, at most three out of ten studs are supporting. But the entire house is pretty much a botched construction from the start, so I'm not surprised.
I believe it was originally unfinished upstairs, and this is the wall that divided the space with full ceiling height and the loft under the sloped roof. However, I can't see that this wall is actually needed. On one side of this room, we have a bedroom, with no corresponding wall. On the other side of the current room is the staircase that goes down under the sloped roof, so there is no corresponding wall there either. What I know about how trusses and houses are constructed says that this wall isn't needed. But it seems unwise to take any chances.
So what do I do? It's a matter of 1.5 + 0.5 meters of wall, which are perpendicular to each other, the short wall in the middle of the long one.
I'm considering if I can remove the wall and place a column where it seems there is a load.
I understand that one can't answer the question directly without seeing the whole thing. But maybe some guidance? How cautious should one be? Would a picture of the setup help?
