Our house was built in 1900. How do I tell if a wall is load bearing?

Answer by  lwillis (40)

If your wall is perpendicular to your upstairs floor joists then it is a load bearing wall. When a wall runs the entire length or width of the house it is load bearing. If there are doors or entrywall on that wall it is still considered a load bearing wall.

Answer by  randiegrl (110)

Typically if the wall is running parallel to the floor and ceiling joists it's not a load bearing wall. If it's running perpendicular it's a load bearing.

Answer by  Freddie12 (77)

Examine the joists in the ceiling above, directly or with a stud finding device. If the joists run parallel to the wall, your wall is not load-bearing. If the joists are perpendicular to the wall, then the wall may be load-bearing. Consult a professional as needed.

Answer by  Latin4 (11170)

Our house is 1917. We remodeled the kitchen a contractor told us a wall was not load bearing and it was. Go outside and measure where the wall inside the house extends you can see the difference. It had a a porch in 1917 and that's where the mistake was. We put in a support beam.

Answer by  BillyD (14)

I would start by noticing if the wall is exterior indicating it is load bearing. Then I would look to see what is above and below. A wall above or below will indicate this to be a load bearing wall.

Answer by  KRobinson (96)

Go into the attic and follow as best as you can the celiling joists, and if you can determin if there is a wall under that joist, its load bearing.