Hello!
I have been searching frantically online and this forum seems to be the best, so I'm trying it out.
I moved into a 1 1/2 story house from 1972 six weeks ago, entirely constructed of wood, and built on a slab. I have noticed quite a few cracks in the walls (settling?) and am beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with the construction. I think some interior wall should be load-bearing since the building area is about 11x9 meters. All interior walls seem flimsy (about 7 cm thick) except for one wall between the kitchen and bathroom. I therefore looked under the cabinets in the kitchen and saw that the wall facing the bathroom consists of 4.5x18 cm (2x8 inch?) studs on 60 cm centers, probably from the year of construction. However, these are cut off about 20 cm above the slab and are essentially floating. Newer 2x4 inch studs are attached next to the original ones, but these are also cut a few cm above the slab and are also floating.... No baseboard is against the slab under these studs. So my questions are:
1. Is the dimension of the original studs an indication that this wall is/has been load-bearing? All other interior walls are much thinner.
2. Is it customary to have studs floating above the slab?
3. Is there a risk of the wall (and even the upper floor) giving way under the weight of the kitchen cabinets if nothing is done?
I have contacted the municipal building archive but can't find any drawings indicating whether there is a load-bearing wall, except that the aforementioned wall is drawn twice as thick on the floor plan.
Very grateful for any help!!
I have been searching frantically online and this forum seems to be the best, so I'm trying it out.
I moved into a 1 1/2 story house from 1972 six weeks ago, entirely constructed of wood, and built on a slab. I have noticed quite a few cracks in the walls (settling?) and am beginning to wonder if there's something wrong with the construction. I think some interior wall should be load-bearing since the building area is about 11x9 meters. All interior walls seem flimsy (about 7 cm thick) except for one wall between the kitchen and bathroom. I therefore looked under the cabinets in the kitchen and saw that the wall facing the bathroom consists of 4.5x18 cm (2x8 inch?) studs on 60 cm centers, probably from the year of construction. However, these are cut off about 20 cm above the slab and are essentially floating. Newer 2x4 inch studs are attached next to the original ones, but these are also cut a few cm above the slab and are also floating.... No baseboard is against the slab under these studs. So my questions are:
1. Is the dimension of the original studs an indication that this wall is/has been load-bearing? All other interior walls are much thinner.
2. Is it customary to have studs floating above the slab?
3. Is there a risk of the wall (and even the upper floor) giving way under the weight of the kitchen cabinets if nothing is done?
I have contacted the municipal building archive but can't find any drawings indicating whether there is a load-bearing wall, except that the aforementioned wall is drawn twice as thick on the floor plan.
Very grateful for any help!!
I can also add that the current construction is probably from 2006 when a new kitchen was installed in connection with water damage in the kitchen and bathroom. 4 years earlier there was also water damage in all internal walls and these were replaced/repaired. I have concluded that this is why the original studs were cut and new ones were mounted next to them, and during the second water damage in 2006 it seems the new studs were also cut without doing anything further ...
It certainly sounds unlikely that one could achieve that span on the floor structure.
The normal situation is that there is a load-bearing inner wall, more or less in the middle of the house. It usually goes in the same direction as the ridge. The floor structure between the first and second floors in a 1.5-story house often has some of its beams as part of the roof truss. Therefore, the floor structure usually goes in the same direction as the roof trusses.
With a standard wooden floor structure, I believe the maximum span is 4.5 - 5m.
The normal situation is that there is a load-bearing inner wall, more or less in the middle of the house. It usually goes in the same direction as the ridge. The floor structure between the first and second floors in a 1.5-story house often has some of its beams as part of the roof truss. Therefore, the floor structure usually goes in the same direction as the roof trusses.
With a standard wooden floor structure, I believe the maximum span is 4.5 - 5m.
Thank you hempularen,
Yes, the wall I'm talking about goes in the same direction as the ridge and is approximately in the middle of the house.
The house is obviously standing and hasn't collapsed in the 2 1/2 years that the cut studs have been there. Is there a risk that the house will collapse over time... Who should I turn to to sort out such an issue (hidden fault?)
I'm not any less worried now,
Yes, the wall I'm talking about goes in the same direction as the ridge and is approximately in the middle of the house.
The house is obviously standing and hasn't collapsed in the 2 1/2 years that the cut studs have been there. Is there a risk that the house will collapse over time... Who should I turn to to sort out such an issue (hidden fault?)
I'm not any less worried now,
Get in touch with an inspector/constructor depending on what they say, then I would contact the seller of the house. It doesn't sound good at all.