Is this wall load-bearing?

[igelkatten]

Hello!

I live in a group with semi-detached houses where all the houses have the same design. However, in our house, the first owner chose not to have a kitchen island but rather the fridge and freezer in a "pillar" in the kitchen where the others have their kitchen island.

I now want to build a kitchen island myself and wonder if the wall is load-bearing. My neighbor was in a similar situation 7 years ago and carried out the demolition, so considering that our houses are identical, I don't think there's any risk, but I still want to ask.

 

[a_w]

The wall looks too flimsy to be load-bearing. Additionally, there are no indications from the floor plan that the wall would be part of any load-bearing system.

I would:
- Investigate if I can see if there are any load-bearing elements that connect above the wall, such as a column or a roof truss that is joined there (probably not).
- Check how the wall is constructed by unscrewing some panels. If the wall is made of 45x70 or metal studs, then it is most likely not load-bearing.

 

[Kane]

If the wall is made of 45x70 or steel studs, then it is most likely not load-bearing.

Good thinking. But, I have a load-bearing wall with 45x70........

 

[igelkatten]

Okay, given that it would be 45x45, it is a clear indication that it is only a non-load-bearing wall?

 

[a_w]

Yes, absolutely, it's a clear indication. I would sleep peacefully.

 

[a_w]

Good thinking. But, I have a load-bearing wall with 45x70........

Absolutely, 45x70 can be load-bearing. But it is usually avoided to make walls in "modern" houses load-bearing with this type of timber, it's enough to drill a pex pipe with a 30 mm hole, and a large part of the strength in a stud is already lost.

 

[Kane]

Absolutely, 45x70 can be load-bearing. But it's usually avoided to make walls in "modern" houses load-bearing with this type of timber. Just drilling in a pex pipe with a 30 mm hole, and you've already lost a large part of the load-bearing capacity in a stud.

So far, the house is still standing, built in 1990. c/c 400 on the studs in the load-bearing wall.

 

[BirgitS]

I live in a group of semi-detached houses where all the houses have the same design. However, in our house, the first owner chose not to have a kitchen island but instead placed the fridge and freezer in a "pillar" in the kitchen where others have their kitchen island.

I now want to build a kitchen island myself and wonder if the wall is load-bearing. My neighbor was in a similar situation 7 years ago and carried out the demolition, so considering our houses are identical, I don't think there's any risk, but I still want to ask.

Which direction does the roof ridge run?
That determines whether walls going up-down or left-right on the floor plan could be load-bearing.

Do you have any beams in the ceiling anywhere?
Do the neighbors with a kitchen island have one?

 

[igelkatten]

This is what it looks like behind the plaster.

 

[igelkatten]

Sorry, I read carelessly. Yes, there is a beam at the green line.

 

[igelkatten]

Sorry, I read carelessly. Yes, there is a beam at the green line

The ridge runs straight through the house.

 

[a_w]

It looks like they built the ceiling with plasterboard before they built the wall in question. This is another indication that it is not load-bearing.

 

[igelkatten]

It looks like they built the ceiling with plaster before they built the wall in question. This is another indication that it is not load-bearing.

That's correct, the ceiling was done before the wall was put up.

 

[BirgitS]

Sorry, I read carelessly. Yes, there is a beam running along the green line

Then it is likely that the wall is load-bearing, i.e., supporting the floor structure above. It is unlikely that there is anything load-bearing in the walls around the fridge and freezer.