As a general rule of thumb, garage door walls are load-bearing. This is especially true of the exterior walls. Exterior walls throughout the home are generally load-bearing as well.
The exterior walls in a garage aren’t necessarily load bearing because it has anything to do with the garage door, but because the roof of the house transfers its weight into the exterior walls and down into the foundation.
Are Interior Garage Walls Load Bearing?
Interior garage walls aren’t generally load-bearing, for instance, the wall in between the garage and the house is usually just a wall, without any additional load-bearing framework.
Although the interior walls of a garage aren’t load-bearing, they generally require insulation, depending on state regulations, because garages are often open to the outside and the single interior wall will expose the home to outside temperatures.
Are Door Walls Load Bearing?
This largely depends on the door framing. It’s always a safe assumption that exterior walls are load-bearing—doors or no doors—and that interior walls with doors could be load-bearing.
To tell if an interior door wall is a load-bearing, there are several clues to look for.
- Is there a solid header above the door? A header generally consists of two (2 x 8”) or two (2 x 10”) sections of plywood for weight redistribution.
- If there’s a second floor, does the wall continue from the first floor to the second? If so, it’s probably a load-bearing wall.
- Is the wall perpendicular to the frame above it? If it is parallel to the joists, it’s often not a load-bearing wall.
- Find the original blueprints for the house.
Are Detached Garage Walls Load Bearing?
The exterior walls are always going to be load-bearing. They don’t necessarily bear the weight of the roof down the center, but they have to bear the weight of the wind as it pushes the roof in a lateral motion.
Interior walls can be load-bearing, but most likely they aren’t and are just the studs spaced 16” apart, sheetrock, and/or insulation.
How Do You Tell If A Garage Wall Is Load Bearing From The Attic?
To determine if a wall is load-bearing from your attic, look to see where the braces are—framework traveling from the rafters down to the joist—and where those bracers meet on the floor of the attic, if there is a wall beneath that, then it is a load-bearing wall.
Your exterior walls are also load-bearing, which is visible from the attic where the exterior rafters meet the ceiling joists. Also, anywhere that joists are cut, where the cut end sits on top of a perpendicular frame, that is a load-bearing wall.
How Do You Know If A Garage Wall Is Not A Load Bearing Wall?
Your exterior walls are always going to run perpendicular (90 degrees) to the ceiling joists. Anything running parallel to the ceiling joists, including the wall separating the garage from the house, is most likely non-load bearing.
There are exceptions, such as partial walls in the garage which may be also running perpendicular, or a side/adjoining room within the garage itself. Occasionally, a parallel wall can be a load-bearing wall if it is running directly beneath a single joist.
You’ll have to confirm this by checking the attic or underlying floor space if either is available. If not, you can check above the garage door—the one leading into the home— to see if the joist is running directly over the door frame.
Is A Firewall Required Between The Garage And The House?
Since 1927, the Uniform Building Code (UBC) requires the installation of a firewall between the garage and the home. Garages generally have more combustible items in them, including leaked oil or gas, lawnmowers, gas cans, paint, thinner products, etc.
A firewall usually consists of fire-resistant sheetrock that works to slow the flames down in enough time that the homeowner realizes that there is a fire. At least that’s the idea.
How Big Of An Opening Can You Have In A Load Bearing Wall?
You can’t have an opening any larger than the 16” space between the studs. Anything more than this requires a building permit and a temporary framework built to support the load until the job is complete.
An opening smaller than 6’ requires 2 x 4s to support the beam. A larger opening requires more 2 x 4s to support the additional weight and redistribute it into the footer.
What Happens If You Remove A Load Bearing Wall?
If you remove it without a permit or any intimate knowledge of the consequences, it will quite possibly mean the collapse of a portion of the framework above it.
To remove a load-bearing wall requires a building permit, temporary structures on both sides of the load-bearing wall, and columns or other structural support to replace the load-bearing wall after removal.
How Much Does It Cost To Take Down A Load Bearing Wall?
Removing a load-bearing wall will cost up to $3,000 and the price skyrockets to nearly $10,000 if that wall extends to a second story.
That’s not including the cost of replacing it with another load-bearing structure or the cost of what it is you have in mind.
Do I Need A Structural Engineer To Remove A Load Bearing Wall?
Unless you’re a professional carpenter and are familiar with local, state, and federal building codes, you should hire a structural engineer to either remove the wall or supervise its removal.
A structural engineer can inspect the structure, advise on supports, and determine whether or not the project is even feasible.
Do You Need Planning Permission To Knock Down A Wall In Your House?
If it is a non-load-bearing wall, you do not need a permit to take it down. You will need a permit to remove any load-bearing structures within the home.
Even if you’re removing a non-load-bearing wall, you’ll still need a permit for window installation, plumbing, electrical, or structural changes.
What Part Of A Wood Frame Carries The Floor And Ceiling Loads?
As far as the floor is concerned, the baseboards carry the load, with joist bridges at the corners. That load is transferred into the foundation beneath, usually concrete. Floor joists bear the load from the load-bearing walls.
The ceiling is supported by ceiling joists, load-bearing walls, and girders. The ceiling load is distributed by ceiling joists that run perpendicular to wall frames that bear the brunt of the load from the ceiling and rafters.
