Hi
I want to remove parts of the attic wall on the upper floor of our house, but I'm not 100% sure if it's load-bearing, so I'm wondering what to look for to know.
The wall consists of tongue-and-groove plank, about 2*5 inches, with various coverings. It runs along the long side without breaks for braces or cross-standing planks. In the bedrooms where we want to remove the attic wall, the distance from floor to roof angle is about 130cm, and between floor and roof angle at the outer wall inside the attic about 60cm. Slightly elevated wall height, in other words.
This should indicate that the actual attic wall is not load-bearing but just very sturdy? But how to know for sure?
I've broken up some floorboards and in the beam layer, the planks rest on the beams but hang in the air in between. There is no wall under the attic wall.
I want to remove parts of the attic wall on the upper floor of our house, but I'm not 100% sure if it's load-bearing, so I'm wondering what to look for to know.
The wall consists of tongue-and-groove plank, about 2*5 inches, with various coverings. It runs along the long side without breaks for braces or cross-standing planks. In the bedrooms where we want to remove the attic wall, the distance from floor to roof angle is about 130cm, and between floor and roof angle at the outer wall inside the attic about 60cm. Slightly elevated wall height, in other words.
This should indicate that the actual attic wall is not load-bearing but just very sturdy? But how to know for sure?
I've broken up some floorboards and in the beam layer, the planks rest on the beams but hang in the air in between. There is no wall under the attic wall.
If there are blueprints of the house, you will get more and probably better answers....
Unfortunately, neither I nor the municipality have any drawings, and my paint skills are severely lacking.Enk Projektet said:
If you turn the question around; when is a knee wall load-bearing? Do you have to examine the rafters? The attic is unfortunately not inspection-friendly at all.
S
swirve
Electronics enthusiast
· Östergötland
· 1 515 posts
swirve
Electronics enthusiast
- Östergötland
- 1,515 posts
Sounds like what I did last summer. Check this out: http://www.byggahus.se/forum/tak-vind/239082-riva-kattvidsvagg.html
We did it by installing studs of 170x45 on existing trusses, ensuring support all the way out to the wall timber and up to the opposing truss from the other side. That also created just enough space for 145 insulation and an air gap.
Our kattvindsvägg was double 2x5 and 5cm plaster. On the floor, the wall was supported by a crossbeam over the trusses.
I don't really think the wall was load-bearing, but it felt good to reinforce the whole thing.
We did it by installing studs of 170x45 on existing trusses, ensuring support all the way out to the wall timber and up to the opposing truss from the other side. That also created just enough space for 145 insulation and an air gap.
Our kattvindsvägg was double 2x5 and 5cm plaster. On the floor, the wall was supported by a crossbeam over the trusses.
I don't really think the wall was load-bearing, but it felt good to reinforce the whole thing.
Sounds quite similar and the picture reminds me of how it looks at our place. There may be an upper and lower stringer in the plank wall, which would possibly indicate that it's part of the load-bearing structure. I'm going to tear down a bit more.swirve said: