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So I want to take down a half wall in our laundry room
While I don't think it's a load bearing wall, I'm wondering if others can chime
and with their thoughts?
The wall is 28' deep and in our laundry room.
I want to take it down to make our room bigger.
Here is a pic looking into the laundry room from the kitchen.
The best way to see if a wall is load bearing is to go above it and see what is resting on it. If nothing spans across it, it's not load bearing.
If you remove what's covering it and see a doubled up 2x4 at the top, it's likely load bearing. However, this is not always the case. For example, I was removing a kitchen wall that I thought was not load bearing. While removing the sheetrock, I noticed a doubled up 2x4 on the top and thought, oh sh#t! When I looked in the attic space, nothing rested on the wall, not even a roof truss.
I would suspect your wall isn't load bearing, but I don't know what rests above it.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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I don't think there is a real formula for it, but you need to know what you're looking for and what is above it. I have seen little half walls similar to the one depicted in your picture that were supporting bathtubs above. Don't assume anything and if you don't know, don't guess. It's only your house, afterall.
If you take the wall down and the house falls down, then it was a load bearing wall. Before you take the wall down, look in the attic and see what is above the wall. Do what akck says to do. It's really easy and saves alot of trouble in hindsight.
No I don't, I deleted that picture.
The wall looked something along these lines but with no yellow beam going across top of the ceiling.
So imagine if you will, just the yellow wall on the right side:
Exposing the wall framing usually reveals nothing as to load bearing or not. You have to expose the floor system to know if it's load bearing.
It does appear that there is a double joist (looks like dimensional lumber)above the doubled stud- that may or may not mean anything.
Even if the floor joists span across this wall (as opposed to ends resting on the wall) doesn't mean it's not load bearing. You'd have to know the grade of the joist(s) and their overall length to determine loadbearing or not. It's never a hack it out and cover with d/wall.
Without seeing the entire floor plan and the framing plans its really impossible to determine.
However, just looking at the yellow photo, and your photos I would guess it is not load bearing.
BUt without knowing the framing layout and sizing, its just not possible to tell from the limited info thats here.
Take it out and if you start to hear cracking, then put it back in a hurry.
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