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Non Load Bearing Exterior Wall

azroyal
12 years ago

As part of the rebuild to our fire damaged house, we are considering adding a shower to our master bath that would require moving the exterior wall between the master bath and the porch (essentially enlarging the master bath area and decreasing the porch area). This wall has been determined to be non load-bearing, but does serve as the exterior wall between the bath and the porch. Does this wall require a footing in its new location or can it be fastened to the existing porch slab? The answer will help us in budget discussions with the contractor.

Thanks in advance!

Comments (9)

  • worthy
    12 years ago

    This wall has been determined to be non load-bearing

    By whom? I don't see how an exterior wall isn't supporting something above it--at the least, a roof.

  • GreenDesigns
    12 years ago

    All exterior walls support something, even if it's on a gable end with no second floor. And all walls require footings, unless there is a way to engineer a cantilever over the floor below.

  • brickeyee
    12 years ago

    "All exterior walls support something, even if it's on a gable end with no second floor. "

    That means the wall is only supporting its own weight and is not considered a 'bearing' wall.

  • snoonyb
    12 years ago

    You would be well advised to hire a replacement for the person who told you that an exterior wall is not load bearing.

    There is more to "load bearing" then dead load, (the weight of the wall).

    A simple example would be a square cardboard box.
    Tape the perimeter to a solid surface and attempt to overturn it. thats, in part the effect of a foundation.
    Next, attempt to deform the box in any direction, without destroying it.
    Now remove any one of the side panels of the box and again attempt to deform the box, in any direction.

    In addition to that is that any wall over 6' in height is governed by wind loads.

    Kapish!

  • azroyal
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    To try and clarify: the porch on this house is recessed in 4 feet from the outside perimeter of the roof, and the master bath is adjacent to the porch so that it butts up against the side of the porch area. The wall in question forms the boundary between the bath and the porch, and is 4 feet long and connects the outer load bearing wall that forms the edge of the house along the bath, with the inner load bearing wall that runs parallel with the outside perimeter wall and forms the back of the porch. This 4 foot wall section runs parallel to the rafters and has no other connection to the roof framing, and is what needs to move two feet out into the existing recessed porch area to make room for a shower. It sounds like the answer is that even though it supports no part of the roof, it still needs a footing?

  • Billl
    12 years ago

    This isn't really an "internet" question you are asking. Get a structural engineer out there to look at it and give you a definitive answer. You assuredly are going to need a permit to move an exterior wall, so you may as well bring the pro's in from the beginning.

  • sierraeast
    12 years ago

    Ditto Bill! You need a reputable set of eyes to see your project. That wall still needs to be anchored same as the rest of the exterior walls, hence the footing is needed if for nothing else. adequate anchoring.

  • brickeyee
    12 years ago

    "A simple example would be a square cardboard box."

    It is a god thing houses are not made like cardboard boxes.

    Gable walls of typically roofed houses bear their own weight, and not a lot more.
    The walls perpendicular to the rafters bear the roof weight.

    It does affect required header sizes in the gable walls.

    Major changes may well require an engineering stamp on the plans.

    Without access to all the original plans it is not always obvious how loads have been transferred.

  • live_wire_oak
    12 years ago

    It will all depend on how the ceiling joists are laid. In a typical ranch house like mine, the center hallway bears the load of the joists from the two long parallel exterior walls. In my house, in order to have a larger master, the gable end wall is also load bearing for the ceiling joists, as they turn 45 degrees and rest on that exterior wall and the bathroom wall. So, even though the gable wall doesn't bear any weight of the roof, it does support the ceiling and drywall (and storage above). If the gable wall were attempted to be removed, then the ceiling of the master would collapse.

    This is why it's important to have someone who knows what they are doing involved. They need to crawl around in your attic and basement in order to be able to determine exactly what load that wall may be bearing and the consequences of removing it. That means getting a structural engineer and contractor in for an assessment.