How to determine if a wall is load bearing? How can you tell if a wall is load bearing? What does load bearing wall mean?

Many are faced with the desire to make some adjustments to the existing project of the apartment. And here the question arises - which walls are load-bearing, and which are ordinary partitions.

Let's be clear about what is bearing wall? This is the wall on which the structural elements that are on subsequent floors are based. And what is remarkable, load-bearing walls can be replaced by beams and columns, as they perform the same function - supporting the integrity of the entire structure.

If the redevelopment is carried out incorrectly and the load-bearing wall is demolished, this is fraught with big problems- starting with cracks in the structure and ending with the collapse of the ceilings. In order to competently rebuild your apartment, you need to know in advance which walls can be demolished during redevelopment and which cannot.

Correct, competent and safe redevelopment can only be carried out by professionals - engineers and builders. Regardless of the scale of the reconstruction, be it a small niche in the wall or the demolition of an entire wall.
Therefore, the first thing that is done before planning is to invite specialists from the BTI, who must give you permission for redevelopment, in which all walls that can be changed or demolished will already be marked. And only after that it is possible to discuss the subtleties of redevelopment with builders and architects.

In addition, if you receive all permits before starting work, there is a chance that this issue will not be shelved. After all, apartments with unauthorized redevelopment cannot be sold, and if such a need suddenly arises, it is rather difficult and problematic to legalize a ready-made alteration. But if you are interested in knowing about the gradation of the walls in the apartment before the official verdict, we will tell you a few simple ways how to do it yourself.

Methods for determining load-bearing walls

So, the first, simplest and most accurate is to find a constructive plan of the house, which is stored in the capital construction department, which is located in the city Executive Committee, also known as the Executive Committee. Is there some more technical certificate apartment, which all apartment owners have, but you can only figure it out if you can read construction drawings.

If you could not get a plan, then you can try to determine the load-bearing wall by its thickness and location.

wall thickness

AT brick house- all walls thicker than 38 cm are load-bearing. The thickness of the walls in such houses is determined by the number of bricks laid out in a row. One brick is 12 cm, so simple arithmetic works: 250 mm is a wall of two bricks + a 10 mm seam between them. 380 mm is a wall of three bricks + 2 seams of 10 mm each. 510 mm is a wall of four bricks + 3 seams of 10 mm each. 640 mm is a wall of five bricks + 4 seams of 10 mm each. etc. Interior partitions are built of brick or concrete blocks and are 12 to 18 cm thick. The walls between the apartments are slightly thicker - 25cm.

In the panel - all the walls, thicker than 14cm - load-bearing. Unfortunately, in these types of houses it is very difficult to implement all your ideas, since most of the walls in such houses are load-bearing. Partitions in panel houses are much thinner than load-bearing walls - only 8-10 cm. There is still a nuance - the thickness of the bearing walls in panel houses can be 12 cm, it depends on the series of the house. And how to be? Consider such a wall a thickened partition, or bearing wall? The final answer will be given to you only by an engineer in the relevant organization that issues an opinion on the terms of reference for your project.

Wall thickness is measured excluding plaster and wallpaper. So it is better to take measurements after cleaning all the walls from the old finish.

In monolithic houses - a wall thicker than 20 cm - a load-bearing one. The surest way for such houses is to take the floor plan from the developer. Since there is now a huge variety of design solutions, in such houses it can be very difficult to determine the load-bearing wall simply by its thickness. For example, in a monolithic-frame house, there may not be load-bearing walls at all. And there are times when a simple partition is thicker than 20cm. So only an architectural plan can clarify this issue.

By location

The outer walls make up the "building box" and are load-bearing. Load-bearing walls also include walls that face the flight of stairs and interior walls that face the neighboring apartment.

So, when you managed to determine the load-bearing walls in the apartment, and it so happened that you need to change them, remember: you cannot completely remove the load-bearing wall, leaving the upper floors without support. You can remove only a small part of it, and place metal retaining structures in the resulting opening, which are then easily hidden under false beams. Or removing the entire wall, you need to provide reliable support with racks or columns. The thickness and location of which can only be determined by specialists during the issuance of a permit for the reconstruction of an apartment.

Remember! It is very important not to neglect the opinion of professionals during redevelopment and not to engage in amateur activities, which can be fraught with consequences, not only for your apartment, but also for the apartments around you.

Capital repairs, reconstruction and modernization of the building or only part of it require clarification of certain information. In order not to violate the integral structure and safety of a residential building, it is important to find out which walls in the apartment are load-bearing. This can be done in several ways at once. The information received should not be ignored, as it allows you to competently plan work, as well as ensure the safety of all residents. apartment building after all work has been completed.

To define such a thing as a load-bearing wall in a two-room apartment (as well as other rooms), you can look into a special floor plan of the room. It is here that it will be indicated which wall in the room is the carrier. It is she who will have to take on all the weight, the load of all floor slabs, beams, structures that are located above.

For each housing, even before its construction, a detailed plan apartments - load-bearing walls are immediately visible here. Do not ignore the fact of their presence and make a decision on the modernization or reconstruction of this design.

How to find out which wall in the apartment is load-bearing?

If for some reason it was not possible to find a floor plan of the premises, then obvious signs can also be used to determine. There are several. You can find out which walls in the apartment are load-bearing by the thickness of the material used, the support of beams and floor slabs, as well as by the location of the structure.

Thickness

It is the load-bearing wall in one-room apartment(as well as in other rooms) is thicker than the rest. This is done so that the load-bearing wall in a three-room apartment, another housing, an office can withstand the serious loads of all structural elements buildings above. How to determine load-bearing walls in a panel house or a brick, block structure? To do this, it is enough to measure the thickness of each overlap. Bearing wall in a four-room apartment or any other room:

1. Brick - from 38 cm. This is far from the limit, the thickness of the brick floor can be more, but not less than the specified value.
2. Reinforced concrete panels - 14–20 cm. This is enough to withstand the huge load of all the structures above.
3. How to determine the load-bearing wall in an apartment in monolithic house? Here, any structure whose thickness exceeds 20–30 cm will be considered the main one.

Location

How to find out if the wall in the apartment is load-bearing? To do this, pay attention to its position. Surface of interest to us:

1. External - they are all self-supporting.
2. Overlapping between two adjacent living quarters.
3. Overlapping, which goes to the landing.

How to determine the bearing walls in a brick house? It is enough to use the proposed one, accept the fact that there can be several main overlaps.

Supporting beams and slabs

The plates rest on the walls with a short side. In other words, the load-bearing wall in a four-room apartment or in another room should be perpendicular to the beam or floor slabs.

To understand whether it is possible to demolish a load-bearing wall in an apartment, you should contact normative documentation. It strictly forbids touching such structures, so as not to damage the integrity of the structure, not to start deformation processes. Experienced builders know exactly how to demolish a load-bearing wall in an apartment and not provoke deformation of the entire building. Most often, they still will not do this, and they will work carefully with the rest of the partitions. Before any such action, it is necessary to obtain permission from the BTI.

Bearing wall in a two-room Khrushchev apartment

Bearing walls in Khrushchev in a two-room apartment can be found in several ways:

1. The first option is to study all the technical plans, diagrams that are attached to the apartment.
2. Second option. If there is no technical documentation, you can find out which walls in an apartment or office are load-bearing by external signs. Often they become an overlap between two different apartments. In other cases (in the vast majority), the rest can be demolished and the space opened up. However, in a two-room apartment, a common wall between different rooms can also be the main (inviolable), this is especially true for spacious rooms.
3. How to find out which walls in the apartment are load-bearing, except for those that were indicated earlier? You can’t exactly touch those structures that separate the flight of stairs from the space of living rooms.

In Khrushchev, the layout of the room was carried out so that the outer wall - the one connected to the balcony, was not the main one. It can be demolished and the space combined with a loggia. Bearing walls in Khrushchev in a two-room apartment were also not installed in the bathrooms, even in separate ones. That is why, during redevelopment, such premises can be combined. The same is often carried out with the kitchen space adjacent to the sanitary unit.

A detailed plan of the apartment bearing walls allows you to find, but not always a document at hand. You can find out which walls in the apartments have become load-bearing in a proven way. Often it is not possible to measure the thickness of the partitions with a simple ruler. You can use a drill. If one standard drill is not enough to create a through hole, then we are talking about the main barrier.

What walls can be demolished in the apartment?

To clarify whether it is possible to demolish the load-bearing wall in the apartment, it should be in a special regulatory authority. It is strictly forbidden to carry out such work without the knowledge of the controlling authority!

If, nevertheless, the walls were demolished, then this process should be legalized. Otherwise, you can earn a fine. Some cases exclude the possibility of demolition, and therefore the inspection authorities may require the restoration of the partition.

It is the regulatory authorities that should address the question: how to demolish a load-bearing wall in an apartment? In the vast majority of cases, such a procedure is strictly prohibited. In a panel house, as well as in Khrushchev, you can part with partitions between the kitchen and the bathroom, as well as between the bathroom and the toilet, but only after obtaining permission. Other structures are not allowed to be touched. It is important to understand what a load-bearing wall in an apartment means. This is a structure that does not involve its demolition.

If the wall has been partially dismantled (an arch or a small passage can be made connecting two apartments to each other, etc.), it is important to strengthen the structure. The plan of the apartment clearly defines the load-bearing walls, and therefore it will not be difficult to find one with a document.

How is a load-bearing wall indicated on an apartment plan?

The upcoming repair, reconstruction or even the purchase, sale of an apartment will require the use of technical documentation. The plan of the apartment created by the builders clearly indicates the load-bearing walls. Often on diagrams, load-bearing structures are marked with a bold, double or just a thick line, which will differ significantly from others.

Important! When figuring out how load-bearing walls are indicated on the apartment plan, it is important to contact a BTI specialist for clarification. Not always all the main partitions are indicated by thick lines. This most often applies to those that are located between two apartments or along the entire parameter of the room. Similar partitions may also be present inside it.

In an effort to find out how load-bearing walls are indicated on the apartment plan, you should contact the regulatory authorities. Some cases require calling a specialist at home to get the most accurate and complete answer.

How to find out which wall is chosen in the apartment as a carrier, you can use the following documents:

• BTI technical passport. It is such a document that is more detailed, since it can carry clarifications regarding the main structures, as well as clarifications about the year of construction and the selected materials for such work. It also indicates not only which walls in the apartment are designated as carriers, but also the parameters of the room.
• Step by step plan. It is not always this document that is able to clarify the situation to the end. The presented drawing often does not have explanations, extracts, clarifications. The plan is simply presented here, and its accuracy will depend largely on the master who compiled it. How to determine the load-bearing wall in the apartment in this case? Use for clarification should be the information that will be provided above - measure the thickness, find out how the beams are supported, the location of the partition.

How to find out if the wall chosen for demolition in the apartment is definitely load-bearing? Invite a specialist from BTI if there is no plan. You can go to an appointment with him if you have a plan in hand.

Much simpler everything is presented by modern developers. The plan often shows which walls in the apartment are load-bearing. Often the document is presented in color. Here the design of interest to the owner is indicated in red. The developer himself is often ready to tell what a load-bearing wall in an apartment means, what function it performs. Some modern layouts are presented in a free style - without a single partition. The secret is that there are no internal load-bearing walls in the room, and therefore the reconstruction is easy to carry out.

Bearing wall in one-room apartments

How to find out which walls in the apartment are bearing, if the housing has only one room? The most simple configuration does not involve a large number of main partitions. Often a load-bearing wall in a one-room apartment is one that:

1. connects two various apartments- adjoining panel.
2. Separates the living space from the stairs.
3. Goes out into the street. If the room is angular, it may have two or more external walls, which will be load-bearing.

How to determine the load-bearing walls in a panel house? Often they are no different from those indicated in the block, brick structure.

Bearing wall in two-room apartments

The owners of multi-room housing are interested in how to find out if the load-bearing wall is in the apartment or not. It is important to answer this question, since owners often try to increase usable space in their own housing precisely by demolishing partitions. Serious redevelopment of living space will require clarification. How to find out where the load-bearing walls in a kopeck piece are in the apartment?

With such housing, not everything is as simple as with odnushki. The load-bearing wall in a two-room apartment is often not alone. She is:

1. Connects different apartments - becomes an adjacent partition. How many neighboring separate living quarters, so many walls.
2. It can delimit the space of the kitchen and other rooms.
3. Often becomes an outer wall.

If the rooms inside the apartment are spacious, there may also be load-bearing walls between them, but often this is still not the case. That is why it is possible to re-plan the interior space of residential premises, to connect them with a corridor, but not with technical premises. Experienced Master, who undertakes redevelopment, knows exactly how to determine the bearing walls in a brick house, monolith or block building.

Bearing wall in three-room apartments

If redevelopment is required in the process of work, a floor plan will be required. It is important to know how to determine the load-bearing wall in the apartment so as not to disturb the core of the entire building. Often a three-ruble note is a typical layout of rooms:

1. One small one is located separately, and two spacious ones are not far from each other.
2. Premises can be dispersed different parts Houses.
3. There are options that provide for complete isolation of rooms from each other.
4. Bathrooms are located nearby, and not far from the kitchen area.
5. There may be one or two balconies. Some Czech projects include a single large balcony for two rooms.

Since there are always a lot of rooms, the load-bearing wall in a three-room apartment is always not alone. This is necessarily the one that serves as an overlap between two apartments, a landing and goes out onto the street. Some types of layouts also provide for the main structures between the bathroom, kitchen, and bedrooms.

Bearing wall in four-room apartments

If redevelopment is to be done, it is important not to touch the main partition. How to find out where the load-bearing walls are located in the apartment? Use the plan, determine the thickness of the structures. In a panel house, it reaches 14–20 cm, in a brick house - from 38 cm, and in a monolithic house they may not be at all. In such premises, the main panels may be inter-apartment, interior and those that connect the staircase and the living space.

Often, instead of walls in a monolithic house, pylons and columns are used, which can cope with a serious load.

It is also important for owners to take into account the years of construction of buildings. AT Soviet times all the buildings were typical, and therefore, in the absence of a plan, you can look into the neighboring one. But since the beginning of the nineties, individual projects have been used to create residential complexes, and therefore it is impossible to do without measuring the thickness of the walls. It is important to clean them from a layer of plaster and other materials before such work.

How to find out if the walls in the apartment are load-bearing?

To do this, wizards can use various methods:

• Tapping - the sound of a thick ceiling is much quieter than a simple partition. However, the masters will not rely only on their own hearing.
• Drilling. How to determine load-bearing walls in a panel house, brick or monolithic without a plan? Just measure the thickness. The easiest option is to drill through the wall. A standard drill should be enough to go through a simple partition.
• Material - brick was often used for laying, reinforced concrete wall, cinder block, wood, foam block is not used for such purposes, especially in high-rise buildings.

What does it mean: load-bearing walls in an apartment?

How to find out which walls in the apartment are load-bearing? Use the plan or above suggested options to determine. It is impossible to demolish the found central panels, because they:

They take on almost the entire load of the higher floors.
Responsible for the integrity of the building. Without such panels, any load can be fatal.
Ensure the safety of all living people. Without partitions to carry the load, even the strongest building can easily collapse like a house of cards.
An independent decision on the need to demolish a structure that takes on the load is unacceptable. There are no single parameters for determining inviolable panels - much will depend on the parameters of the material used, the height of the buildings, the year of its construction and the layout of the interior.

Is it possible to demolish a load-bearing wall in an apartment?

Having found technical documentation or otherwise determined the location of the load-bearing wall, the property owner will wonder if it is possible to demolish them. BTI categorically prohibits such work, and this applies not only to the main panels, but also to those that connect the living space to each other. It is strictly forbidden to touch the load-bearing walls.

You can remove the interfering wall, but only in some situations:

• If an equally strong supporting structure is installed that can replace the panel. This option is suitable for Khrushchev and brick houses, but not all. To make a final decision, you need to inspect and study the technical documentation.
• Only partially - to make a passage, an opening, an arch, but to strengthen the remaining elements and only after receiving the appropriate permission from the regulatory authorities.
• In a panel and monolithic house, you can’t touch the walls at all. In rare cases, the BTI allows removing partitions between the bathroom and the toilet.

If a person owns two adjacent apartments, he also cannot remove the partition between them. This will invariably weaken the ceiling. If a doorway is made here, it must be substantially reinforced with special structures.

Do not neglect the need for measurements. You should also not miss the opportunity to receive comments from BTI specialists. Only a professional can say exactly what object the owner is dealing with. After assessing the condition of the property, a ban on its reconstruction or recommendations for work will be given. They are documented.

Having learned which walls in the apartment are load-bearing, do not forget about elementary security. Even the fact that such a panel has been demolished at a neighbor does not give the right to clean it in his own apartment. The gradual removal of partitions increases the level of danger, and therefore it is dangerous to live in a house without load-bearing structures. It is not worth risking your own and other people's lives. For clarification and obtaining permits, you can always contact the BTI.

When planning a large-scale renovation with redevelopment elements, pay attention to the material of your walls, as well as the general layout of the room - after all, not all of them, especially in panel houses, are allowed to be removed. Lest the results repair work were a joy, let's talk about how to determine the load-bearing walls in Khrushchev.

Regardless of which house your home is in - a panel Khrushchev or a brick nine-story building - it will definitely have load-bearing walls, and just interior partitions. The latter can really be removed without any consequences, in violation of the integrity of the former, it will cause serious troubles that threaten not only your apartment, but even the whole house. But sometimes the conceived project requires that a through opening be made in one specific place, or maybe the wall interferes with it at all? In any case, you should not resort to dismantling without familiarizing yourself with the floor plan. If this is not at hand, contact the technical inventory bureau or try to determine the load-bearing walls yourself.

In panel houses

Without finding the technical documentation for the apartment, the load-bearing walls in a panel house are easy to determine by their thickness: the fact is that the main walls supporting the floor panels are always a little thicker. So, the minimum thickness of the bearing wall in a standard panel house is 12 cm, not taking into account the layer of plaster, finishing materials, and additional partitions are 2 cm thinner.

Usually, the inner walls do not affect the stability of the whole house, but only serve to divide the single space of the apartment into rooms. It is allowed to start work on alteration and demolition only after all the walls have been carefully measured, key structures have been identified.

And one more thing: nine-story panel houses in most cases consist of the main walls - such a structure is very similar to a classic house of cards. When planning the renovation of an apartment in such a house, it is still better to familiarize yourself with the detailed plan before starting work.

In Khrushchev

There are several ways to understand which walls in Khrushchev are load-bearing:

• the first, most correct one is to study the technical documentation;
• the second method suggests paying attention to the purpose of the wall - if you have Khrushchev, then here the load-bearing walls usually divide the floor into separate apartments, and the secondary ones already divide each of them into rooms;
• the same applies to areas separating the premises from flight of stairs or common corridors - they are always the main ones;
• but the wall between the room and the balcony, unlike brick houses, on the contrary, does not carry an important load, but retains heat;
• in a shared bathroom, you can safely demolish the partition - this will not affect the integrity or stability of the building.

There is another way to determine which walls are load-bearing - this is drilling: the thickness of the main partitions is such that one drill is not enough for a through hole.

Which ones can be demolished?

Removing an interfering wall in Khrushchev is somewhat easier than in a panel house. The only partitions that can be safely dismantled in the socket are the wall separating the bathroom and the partition between the room and the kitchen. In Khrushchev's houses, remove (in whole or in part) those of them that do not have an important function.

It is impossible to remove the main walls that hold concrete floors in any case. Their dismantling will certainly weaken the ceiling, the load on the foundation will be significantly reduced. The only acceptable option is partial dismantling with mandatory reinforcement of the opening. And the last thing: all work related to changing the layout of the premises requires obtaining special permits from the relevant authorities. We received the document - get to work!

Do not neglect the mandatory stages of work - measuring the thickness of the partitions, studying the plan of the apartment. And the best thing is not to be too lazy, and visit the BTI, and understand for sure what object you are dealing with. Only in this case, the premises after the repair will not only improve, having received an updated look, but will also remain safe for residents.

Good luck with your projects and safe repairs!

Video “How to dismantle a non-load-bearing wall in Khrushchev”

This video shows one of options dismantling of non-major partitions in the apartment. On the record, the work was carried out with minimal noise and a small amount of dust.

If you are going to redevelop, be sure to find out which walls are load-bearing. Many owners of small Khrushchev houses are trying to turn them into spacious studios with the help of redevelopment. However, it is not at all easy to change a doorway or a wall in a high-rise building, where almost every wall can be a load-bearing one, without endangering the safety of other residents.

If the redevelopment is carried out incorrectly and the load-bearing wall is demolished, this is fraught with big problems from cracks in the structure and even to the collapse of the ceilings. Correct, competent and safe redevelopment can only be carried out by professionals - engineers and builders. Therefore, the first thing that is done before planning is to invite specialists from the BTI, who must give you permission for redevelopment, in which all walls that can be changed or demolished will already be marked. And only after that it is possible to discuss the subtleties of redevelopment with builders and architects.

There is another reason why redevelopment should be carried out in accordance with the rules: apartments with illegal redevelopment cannot be sold, and if such a need suddenly arises, it is quite difficult and problematic to legalize an already finished alteration. But if you are interested in knowing how to determine the load-bearing walls yourself, we will show you some simple ways.

What is a load bearing wall?

What is a load bearing wall? A load-bearing wall is a wall on which structural elements of subsequent floors rest. Most often, redevelopment is associated with the demolition of interior partitions. But which walls can be touched, and which not - not everyone knows. Reckless demolition of structures leads to a change in pressure on the remaining surfaces and rooms below. In addition, ceilings left without support may not withstand the load and collapse at any time. In some cases, load-bearing walls can be replaced by beams and columns that perform the same function - supporting the integrity of the entire structure.

What is needed to demolish the wall?

Before proceeding with the demolition of a particular wall and its transfer, you need to consult a qualified specialist. In addition, a complete calculation will be required, taking into account the distribution of loads that must be transferred from old structures to new ones. You may need to change the power supply scheme along with redevelopment. Keep in mind that uncoordinated demolition of the walls of the premises can become an obstacle to the sale of an apartment and registration of a donation, but also entail penalties, which is why it is so important to agree on a redevelopment project. To do this, you will need a plan developed by the BTI service specifically for this type of redevelopment, drawing up a technical opinion on the demolition of the wall and obtaining a positive conclusion from the housing inspection at the place of registration.

What is rescheduling?

According to the housing code, redevelopment means changes in the configuration of the apartment, which require their inclusion in the technical passport. Redevelopment includes, for example, changing the location of load-bearing walls and partitions, moving window and door openings, re-equipment of storage rooms, arrangement of internal stairs, re-equipment of bathrooms, separation of large rooms, expansion of living space due to household premises, glazing of a balcony or loggia, replacement gas stoves to electric, transfer of bathroom, kitchen or toilet. Perhaps you did not know, but all these types of changes in the apartment are redevelopment and require approval from the relevant authorities.

What is a load bearing wall?

The purpose of the wall can be determined independently by its thickness or the material from which it was built. In panel houses indoor units(or partitions) have a thickness of 80 to 120 mm., and the load-bearing wall has a thickness of at least 140 mm. Most often, in such houses, the outer walls are made with a thickness of 200 mm or more. In brick houses, external load-bearing structures have a thickness of 380 mm or more, inter-apartment structures - 250 mm, and partitions - 120 or 80 mm. To accurately determine the load-bearing wall, it is best to use the BTI data - a detailed floor plan. There, thicker lines mark all the main walls, and partitions that do not have such functions are marked with thinner lines.

Methods for determining load-bearing walls

The easiest and most accurate way is to find a structural plan of the house, which should be kept in the capital construction department of the local executive committee. If you are able to read construction drawings, the technical passport of the apartment, which every owner should have, will tell about the location of the load-bearing walls.

Another way involves determining the load-bearing walls by the thickness of the wall, as we described above. True, there is a nuance in the case of panel houses, since most of the walls in such houses are load-bearing. There is still a nuance - the thickness of the bearing walls in panel houses can be 12 cm, which depends on the series of the house. The thickness of the wall is measured without taking into account plaster and wallpaper, so it is better to take measurements after cleaning all the walls from the old finish. And how to be? Only a qualified engineer will give you the final answer. Since there is now a huge variety of design solutions, in such houses it can be very difficult to determine the load-bearing wall simply by its thickness. For example, in a monolithic-frame house, there may not be load-bearing walls at all. So only the architectural plan and the conclusion of a specialist will be able to clarify this issue.

Another way is by location. The outer walls make up the so-called box of the building and are always load-bearing. Load-bearing walls also include walls that face the flight of stairs and interior walls that face the neighboring apartment.

Look for structural clues

Start at the lowest point in your house. To determine which walls in your house are load-bearing, it is best to start from the place where the main load falls, father-in-law from the foundation. If your home has a basement, start here. If not, try starting from the ground floor where you can locate the lowest concrete slab. Pay attention to the walls, the beam system of which rests directly on the foundation. Any walls that are located directly on the foundation should be considered as load-bearing and it is strictly forbidden to demolish them.

View the interior walls of the entire structure. Starting in the basement (or, if you don't have one, the first floor), determine the location of the interior walls. Track each interior wall through all the floors of your house - in other words, find out exactly where the wall is in relation to the bottom floor, then go upstairs to see if the wall goes through subsequent floors. If there is another wall, a floor with perpendicular beams, or another heavy structure above this wall, then it is probably a load-bearing wall.

Look for steel beams or pile beam structures. Sometimes builders use special load-bearing structures, such as steel support beams and pile-and-beam structures, to transfer some of the building's weight to the exterior walls. In these cases, there is a chance (but not a guarantee) that the nearest internal walls will not be load-bearing. Look for signs of the presence of large, sturdy wooden or metal structures, crossing the ceiling of the room and entering the wall, which is known to be load-bearing or external, such as volumetric horizontal protrusions crossing the ceiling.

Look for signs that the house has been remodeled. Many houses, especially old ones, have been changed, expanded and rebuilt several times. If this applies to your home, then the former exterior wall can now be the interior. If this is the case, then the innocent-looking inner wall may be the original structure's load-bearing wall. If you have any reason to believe that your home has been seriously altered, the best choice will turn to professionals to make sure that your external walls really external walls.

Explore the building's history

Turn yourself into a historian for a while and carefully examine your home. Find the original building plans if you can access them. Depending on the design of your home, it may not be possible to accurately guess which walls are load-bearing and which are not. In this case, the original drawings or building plans can be a source of valuable information. House drawings can tell you where the supporting beams are, which walls were originally exterior, and so on. The original drawings can be found at the office of the relevant official structures (for example, BTI), from the former owners, from the original builder and / or. In the end, you can pay an architect to draw the drawings of your house, although this can be expensive.

Contact the experts

Contact the original builders of the building if you can. The person (or organization) who built your home may have an idea of ​​the exact structure of the building. If the structure was recently erected, you may not even be charged for a short phone call or consultation. Even if they do, remember that a relatively small fee is nothing compared to the catastrophic structural damage that can result from the demolition of a load-bearing wall.

If in any doubt, call the building inspector. If you can't figure out which walls are load bearing, you can hire a professional building inspector. Paying an hour for a building inspector is definitely worth it if you want to make a safe renovation.

Hire a Renovation Consultant

Some independent companies offer their services to building owners. These companies may have construction superintendents and other experienced home remodeling professionals on staff. When it comes to modifying a wall that you're not sure about its load-bearing role, these companies will be able to tell you what changes are possible, what changes are dangerous, and even unambiguously answer your question whether the wall is load-bearing or not. If you're interested in this solution, do a little online research of companies in your area to be sure you've chosen a trustworthy, reliable company.

So, when you managed to determine the load-bearing walls in the apartment, remember: you cannot completely remove the load-bearing wall, leaving the upper floors without support. You can remove only a small part of it, and place metal retaining structures in the resulting opening, which are then easily hidden under false beams. Or removing the entire wall, you need to provide reliable support with racks or columns. Only specialists can determine the thickness and location of the supports.

Remember that it is very important not to neglect the opinion of professionals during redevelopment and not to engage in amateur activities, which can be fraught with consequences not only for your apartment, but also for your neighbors. As stated above, demolition of a load-bearing wall can cause structural weakness and even potentially life-threatening structural failure. Keep in mind that all renovations can only be considered half-final, because the removal of a curtain wall may affect the possibility of changing the house in the future.

Those who decide to do construction or redevelopment in an already erected building should know what a load-bearing wall is and what threatens its destruction. The purpose of the load-bearing wall is the ability to take on loads from other parts of the building, ceilings and roofs. In order not to face the danger of destruction of the building, before starting work, you need to determine which walls are load-bearing and carry out all the planned activities without touching these structures.

What's the Difference

Walls are the main structural part of a building, but not all of them are able to withstand the load coming from floors and roofs. For this purpose, each building is equipped with load-bearing walls. To divide the space in the built house, partitions help, which can only withstand the load from their own weight. Such walls are called self-supporting. The purpose of each non-bearing wall is to act as a space delimiter, if necessary, simply allocate a separate room.

Simply put, load-bearing walls are structures on which something rests. In each building, load-bearing and non-bearing walls play an important role, but if the load-bearing is a reliable support, a high-quality frame of the building, then it is not a load-bearing partition, which, if desired, can be demolished during redevelopment without causing damage to the building. All walls are divided into load-bearing, self-supporting and non-bearing. Already by the name it becomes clear which of them are being built in order to take on the main load.

Such a partition can be built from:

• brick,
• aerated concrete.

As self-supporting walls in panel houses I install monolithic slabs. Such non-load-bearing walls can be used to create an additional passage by cutting openings into them and installing doors.

To correctly recognize which walls are load-bearing means to successfully carry out redevelopment without violating building codes and rules, without risking creating a situation, the end result of which will be the destruction of the building. , means to change the distribution of the load, and this will lead to a skew of the building, collapse of the ceiling and cracking of the remaining capital structures.

They provide security not only for the apartment in which repairs are underway or redevelopment is planned. The safety of dwellings located on the lower floors depends on their quality and integrity. The main difference between load-bearing structures and self-supporting structures is. Knowing the differences is not enough, you need to be able to correctly determine which wall is load-bearing.

It is necessary to know exactly which walls can be demolished during the redevelopment, and which should remain intact, at what thickness it is permissible to make an opening in the wall, and when it is too dangerous to perform such work.

There are certain requirements that I impose on load-bearing walls:

1. Strength and stability.
2. Compliance with all fire safety standards.
3. High level of heat, hydro, sound insulation.

Another feature of the load-bearing wall, thanks to which such structures differ, is the uniform distribution of the horizontal load exerted by the floor slabs. An important criterion for strength, reliability and stability is the thickness of the bearing wall. This value is set for brick, solid and panel interior walls.

Strict adherence to established standards makes it easier to determine the load-bearing wall in any building or room.

Definition

Having learned what a load-bearing wall is, you can understand how important the construction of this structure is in strict accordance with all existing norms and rules. Such walls are a natural continuation of the building itself, the beginning of which is the foundation. To avoid great difficulties and troubles in the process of redevelopment, you need to know how to determine the load-bearing wall in the apartment. In most cases, it is enough to carefully study the technical documentation and determine the location of the load-bearing walls on the building plan. However, it happens that there is no plan and you have to independently establish the quality and purpose of the erected structures.

The peculiarity of the construction of panel buildings is that in a monolithic house, reinforced concrete panels are used as a supporting structure. Their thickness is from 100 to 200 mm. The role of interior partitions are structures made of gypsum concrete panels, and their thickness does not exceed 80-100 mm. Thus, by measuring the thickness of the wall, it is possible to recognize the load-bearing wall, which is strictly forbidden to be demolished in such a building. Failure to comply with the established rules will lead to inevitable deflection and collapse of the floor.

One of key indicators is the thickness of the bearing walls in brick houses. To distinguish a load-bearing wall, you need to know its thickness, but it is better to have a building plan on which all load-bearing structures are marked. Self-supporting walls in the apartment, as a rule, much thinner capital structures. The thickness of the walls that take the load from their own weight varies from 5 cm to 400 mm. Such a partition can be built of drywall, but more often it is a wall built of brick (half-brick masonry).

An experienced craftsman will tell you how to find out whether it is a load-bearing wall or not in a brick house, but the size of the structure will also help to understand this. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that the thickness brick wall a multiple of this brick parameter, plus the thickness of the adhesive layer and finishing material. Thus, it is possible to find out which wall is in front of the builders. The thickness of the partition does not exceed 380 mm, and for a load-bearing wall, this size is minimal. The greatest thickness of the bearing wall in a brick house reaches 640 mm. The peculiarity of this structure is that it is possible to make an opening in such walls. This is justified by the ability to provide additional reinforcement to maintain a uniform distribution of the horizontal load.

To distinguish which walls can be demolished and which are strictly prohibited, their parameters will help:

• from 80 to 380 mm - an interior partition that can be demolished if necessary;
• from 380 to 510 mm - an internal load-bearing wall to be demolished, subject to high-quality strengthening;
• from 510 to 640 mm - external load-bearing wall.

Brick houses or were built according to a constructive plan, hallmark which is the presence of 3 longitudinal load-bearing walls (green on the plan) and transverse walls, called stiffening diaphragms (highlighted in blue).

The owners of apartments whose windows overlooked the front side of the house had the opportunity to build an extension or even make an additional window. You can get more detailed answers to all existing questions by watching the video.

When starting to carry out work on the redevelopment of housing, you need to carefully study the plan of the apartment, which indicates the dimensions and purpose of the walls, if there is no opportunity to familiarize yourself with the documentation, then you should not make responsible decisions without measuring the thickness of the walls.