Load Bearing Walls

Load bearing walls in ‘residential’ projects are usually constructed from brickwork, blockwork, concrete or even timber studwork.

The definition of a load bearing wall is a wall which supports weight in addition to it’s own self weight.

Examples of ‘additional weight’ include: floor, roof, another wall and wind pressure [buttress walls only]

Unfortunately for most home owners, this ‘additional weight’ is not easily determined by an observation alone. Sometimes we will need to remove part of a floor or a ceiling to expose these elements. An experienced Builder or Architect may be able to correctly identify whether a wall is loadbearing or not, however, a Structural Engineer will be able to correctly list all of the individual loads (weights) landing on top of a load bearing wall.

You have load bearing walls, and you want to move or remove them. What happens next? 

Well, the answer to this question is specific to the home improvement project which you have in mind. In most circumstances a Structural Engineer will specify a beam or lintel, capable of supporting the wall(s). They will also provide an engineering report or calculations, for submission to an Approved Building Control to obtain Building Regulations Approval. Obtaining approval is essential for ‘peace of mind‘ and should you wish to sell your home in the future. Very often, during a home buyers survey, internal alterations to load bearing walls in your home will be correctly identified by a Surveyor.