It is important to understand and be able to differentiate between non-load bearing or partition walls and load bearing walls. A partition wall is an architectural feature which can be moved with no effect on the stability of the house or change in the framing. Load bearing walls are walls which take load from the roof or floors and transfer that load down to the basement and into the foundation system. These walls are integral parts of the structure and are critical in the stability of the house. Load bearing walls cannot be moved without the input of a structural engineer. Moving load bearing walls will usually involve the addition of an alternative support beam to take the load and transfer it to the exterior walls. This type of change usually requires a building permit and drawings from a professional engineer.

There are ways to determine which are load bearing walls and which are partition walls. Some general signs of a partition wall are walls that run parallel to the joists, walls with thin door jambs (2” or less usually), and walls with studs spaced at 24” or more on center. Load bearing walls generally run perpendicular to joists and are stacked from roof down to the basement. Additionally, exterior walls are almost always load bearing.