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Removing Basement wall, load bearing?

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Removing Basement wall, load bearing? sjajsa 01-28-2008
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Posted by sjajsa on January 28, 2008, 5:59 pm
My husband and I just recently purchase a split level home and would like to
make the bottom level (basement) one large room. My husband says that the
joists that runs above the wall we want to tear down are diagonal. I had
heard that if the joists are diagonal above the wall that means it is not a
load bearing wall and that we can tear it down. Please advise?


Posted by dpb on January 28, 2008, 6:32 pm
sjajsa wrote:
> My husband and I just recently purchase a split level home and would like to
> make the bottom level (basement) one large room. My husband says that the
> joists that runs above the wall we want to tear down are diagonal. I had
> heard that if the joists are diagonal above the wall that means it is not a
> load bearing wall and that we can tear it down. Please advise?

Direction isn't the determining factor; it's whether they're
transferring load to the wall--you need somebody who knows what they're
looking at to assess the situation.

--



Posted by Craig M on January 28, 2008, 9:36 pm
Contact your local building inspctor, have him come out and tell you what
you have there, thats what taxes are paid for, let him earn his money.
> My husband and I just recently purchase a split level home and would like
> to
> make the bottom level (basement) one large room. My husband says that the
> joists that runs above the wall we want to tear down are diagonal. I had
> heard that if the joists are diagonal above the wall that means it is not
> a
> load bearing wall and that we can tear it down. Please advise?
>



Posted by Robert Allison on January 29, 2008, 12:20 am
sjajsa wrote:
> My husband and I just recently purchase a split level home and would like to
> make the bottom level (basement) one large room. My husband says that the
> joists that runs above the wall we want to tear down are diagonal. I had
> heard that if the joists are diagonal above the wall that means it is not a
> load bearing wall and that we can tear it down. Please advise?
>

Diagonal? If the joists are perpendicular, then the wall is probably
load bearing. If parallel, might not be. Diagonal? Who knows? You
need an expert that knows what he is looking at.

A wall may be load bearing for many reasons besides whether or not the
joists are parallel or perpendicular, or for that matter, diagonal.

--
Robert Allison
Rimshot, Inc.
Georgetown, TX

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