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+-- Thread: Load Bearing Or Not? (/showthread.php?tid=7182831)
Load Bearing Or Not? - crokett™ - 01-02-2016
The dormers on my house are attached to roof rafters that are tripled up. There are studs running from under the rafters down to the subfloor. This creates a small (about 5'x5' area between the gable end and the dormer. I'm starting to frame out the unfinished space. A request was made to turn this small area into a doll play area. Do I need to head these studs off or can I just remove them? I don't think they are bearing, there is no wall downstairs directly under that area.
Re: Load Bearing Or Not? - barnowl - 01-02-2016
Wrong place to ask is on a forum, with just a verbal description.
Call your building Inspector, as him for a visit, a look see, and a determination.
Re: Load Bearing Or Not? - woodhead - 01-02-2016
Are we talking about the knee wall? If we are, it should not be load bearing, but that might also depend on the size/span of the rafter.
Al
Re: Load Bearing Or Not? - Splinter Puller - 01-02-2016
From your description if the tripled rafters, no, the wall is not load bearing. Can you check to see if there are doubled or tripled floor joists below the wall in question? If not, then your good to remove it.
Re: Load Bearing Or Not? - John Mihich - 01-02-2016
Take a picture if you can. You can be sure we wouldn't steer you wrong. We like stories about roofs falling.
(Just as long as no one gets hurt.)Truthfully w/o actually seeing it it would be hard for us to tell. If there is no support under the dormer - probably not a supporting wall. But there are so many variables that we can't tell from your description.
Re: Load Bearing Or Not? - Estrogen Hostage - 01-02-2016
Splinter Puller said:
From your description if the tripled rafters, no, the wall is not load bearing. Can you check to see if there are doubled or tripled floor joists below the wall in question? If not, then your good to remove it.
Spot on.
Re: Load Bearing Or Not? - crokett™ - 01-03-2016
Splinter Puller said:
From your description if the tripled rafters, no, the wall is not load bearing. Can you check to see if there are doubled or tripled floor joists below the wall in question? If not, then your good to remove it.
thanks. that's what I thought also. I've already checked there and there is a single floor joist below the wall.
Re: Load Bearing Or Not? - Snipe Hunter - 01-07-2016
A knee-wall by definition is part of a rafter truss so it's load bearing. They are there for a reason. That reason is to support the rafter while allowing space where otherwise the webs, collar tie or a king post would be in a traditional truss..
Re: Load Bearing Or Not? - Robert Adams - 01-07-2016
Most likely it's load bearing and if removed will cause roof sag over time. I'd ask a framer or engineer to look at it. I wouldn't ask an inspector as they rarely have the training or experience to make the judgment. Some do but my experience with inspectors is that most are taught in classes and don't really know much about construction.
Re: Load Bearing Or Not? - theeviltwinn - 01-07-2016
It's easy enough to head them off and not worry about it.
Twinn