Load-bearing wall? See the pictures

[Timca]

Hi!

New to the forum and new house!

I need help to know if I can (or how I can) tear down a wall in the kitchen.
The previous owners have already torn down the wall between the kitchen and dining area, marked in green on the picture.
They put up a beam because it was apparently load-bearing (not sure if that's correct).

I now want to open and tear down another wall in the kitchen, marked in red. Is it load-bearing? If yes, can you install a beam or something to still support the ceiling?

Pretty sure it’s a trussed roof...

Thanks!

 

[pjodden]

A bit difficult to see exactly how it looks, but if it's a single direction vaulted ceiling in a single-story house, you shouldn't have any load-bearing walls. (except for exterior walls then...) If there's an angle to the roof, it may be a bit unclear how it looks in the kitchen corner regarding whether it's load-bearing or not.

 

[Fjojtmehmet]

It looks like it is the partition wall because it is placed on the foundation wall according to the section. However, it would be interesting to know what is in the kitchen corner? The drawing refers to detail 3 but there is no reference. Is it a chimney breast?

 

[Mikael_L]

I strongly suspect that the green one was not load-bearing at all, and thus it was completely unnecessary to have a glulam beam there.

Then I strongly suspect that the red one is either a load-bearing heart wall, alternatively, there are completely free-spanning trusses, and thus no walls in the house are load-bearing.

These assumptions of mine presume that there are trusses across the house throughout its entire length, i.e., no angles on the house and/or that the trusses suddenly change direction.

 

[Fjojtmehmet]

I strongly suspect that the green one was not load-bearing at all, and therefore it was completely unnecessary to have a glue-laminated beam there.

Then I strongly suspect that the red one is either a load-bearing heart wall, or alternatively, there are completely free-spanning roof trusses, and thus no walls in the house are load-bearing.

These assumptions of mine assume that there are roof trusses across the house in the entire length of the house, i.e., no angles on the house and/or that the roof trusses suddenly change direction.

Given that the span is close to 8m, it feels a bit long to be completely free-spanning. I guess the red one is load-bearing and that in the kitchen corner there is some kind of supporting structure for the dining room, either through a chimney or glue-laminated/steel beam.

 

[thomasx]

Yes, I also strongly believe that the green one was not load-bearing, and the risk that the red one is load-bearing is quite high.

However, I have 11 meters between exterior walls and free-spanning roof trusses across a fairly low-sloping roof. So it could very well be free-spanning in your case. A glulam beam extending all the way from the exterior wall on the short side to the wall by the kitchen counter can be a secure solution. However, keep in mind to ensure that the posts supporting the glulam beam have adequate support as well.
But if you can get up into the attic and check the construction and dimensions of the trusses, perhaps you can determine whether they are free-spanning or not.

 

[big mike]

If you look at the attic, I think you have a glulam beam from the red-marked wall to the outer wall on the short side; then you can be sure that it is load-bearing.

 

[Timca]

Hmm doesn't seem to be as easy as I hoped. There is a chimney breast in the angle between the green and red wall, and the rafters span the entire roof. What do you think?

 

[Fjojtmehmet]

Hmm seems not as simple as I hoped.
There is a chimney in the corner between the green and red wall and the rafters go across the entire roof.
What do you think?

Can you not access the attic to take a photo so we can see the rafters?
It would be interesting to see if Thomasx is right about there being a glulam beam in the attic.

 

[thomasx]

You can't access the attic to take a photo so we can see the rafters?
It would be interesting to see if Thomasx is right that there's a glulam beam in the attic

I don't think there's a glulam beam in the attic, it was big mike who wrote that. I believe that the one or two rafters going over there are doubled if it's a center wall. It seems to be a common solution, I've noted.