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Asked by: Bismark Shakhansky
business and finance construction industryAre upstairs walls load bearing?
Types of internal walls
But others need more elaborate techniques since they support weight from above – the ceiling, any upstairs wall, the floor above, or a combination of all three. Non-load bearing stud walls can be removed without the need for temporary or permanent support of any kind.
In this way, are there load bearing walls on the second floor?
A bearing wall is one which supports the structure of the house. The primary bearing walls in most homes are the exterior walls. There are secondary interior bearing walls which support a second floor or the attic above the first floor. Interior walls which run perpendicular to the floor joists are often bearing walls.
Keeping this in view, are first floor walls load bearing?
Starting at the basement (or, if you don't have one, the first floor), locate your internal walls, which, as you can probably guess, are the walls inside your four external walls. If there is another wall, a floor with perpendicular joists, or other heavy construction above it, it is probably a load bearing wall.
Foundation is the foundation! Without any footings, homes may have uneven settling, and adding additional weight to the block could be disastrous. If your house's foundation isn't able to support a second story in it's current state, and you are dead-set on a second story, you might consider underpinning.