How To Deal with Load Bearing Walls When Renovating

1. How To Deal with Load Bearing Walls When Renovating

2. Renovations are becoming more and more popular among Americans, especially as multi-family occupancies are making a comeback, and the desire to make our living spaces as functional and stylish as possible, has become a priority in recent years. However, some bigger renovations come with additional requirements and safety concerns, and load-bearing walls are one of them. If your remodeling project involves any load-bearing walls, your general contractor will take measures to ensure that the weight of the house remains supported while the wall is being worked on. This may involve temporary walls being installed or the use of jacks to support the structure.

3. With this in mind, it’s important to establish whether any load-bearing walls might be involved in your remodeling project, so that you can avoid any unpleasant surprises as work progresses. Here are a few things to know about load-bearing walls: Typically located along the perimeter of the property, load-bearing walls may also be found in the middle of the home, holding up a bean or girder. If you aren’t sure as to whether a wall involved in your remodeling project is load-bearing, you should always check with a remodeling contractor before starting any work yourself. For smaller projects, it’s entirely possible that a load-bearing wall won’t need top be touched, for larger renovations, they’ll likely be involved.

4. Load-bearing walls require special treatment during a remodel, and as mentioned previously, measures will need to be taken by the general contractor to ensure structural safety throughout the duration of the project. Identifying a load-bearing wall can be done in several ways, such as by looking at the way the property has been constructed. If it has been built with load-bearing beans or trusses, you’ll probably find the load-bearing walls along the external perimeter of the building. You can also check for studs on the walls, and if they’re spaced evenly apart and of a uniform size, the wall is most likely not load-bearing. If the studs are bigger at the bottom than the top, however, or if they’re spaced further apart at the bottom than at the top, there’s a strong possibility that the wall is load-bearing.

5. Additionally, you can talk to a general contractor about using a stud finder to see if the wall is solid or not. Lastly, you can look at the framing of the building; if you find that the wall is perpendicular to the joists, it will probably be load-bearing. To ensure that your renovation goes smoothly and the structural integrity of your home is protected at all times, always seek guidance from an experienced renovation company or general contractor. Mistakes involving load-bearing walls can be costly to repair, and simply put, aren’t worth cutting corners for.

6. RZ Construction Group Inc is the best fully inclusive general contractor in Queens NY. From initial design to final clean up, our results speak for themselves. We are fully licensed, insured, and bonded to provide both commercial and residential construction services and apartment renovation to customers in Queens and the surrounding area. Proud to serve New York State for 25 years. No job is too small nor too big. If you are looking for apartment remodeling in NYC or want to know more about our wide range of professional but affordable construction and repair services, reach out to us at (718) 938-9887.