Removing a bearing wall in your home can make the interior look completely different. The role of a bearing wall is to support the roof, floors or other walls. Structural engineers design every house differently, so some bearing walls may not be able to be removed. However, people like to remove these walls, when possible, if they need more open space to put in different objects or to just have more room in general.

There are plenty of benefits to removing a bearing wall in your home, but before you jump right into the construction, you need to make sure you know exactly what you’re doing. Most people can’t do it on their own, so here is what you need to know about the process.

Role of Structural Engineers

You can do a little legwork before you even contact a structural engineering company. First off, you need to determine if the wall you want to remove is actually a bearing wall. Check if the ceiling or floor joists are discontinuous over the wall, or if another wall is above it. If this is true, then you’re working with a bearing wall.

When it doubt, you can always call structural engineering services to quickly identify the type of wall needing to be removed. Structural engineers will look at the details of the wall, including the loads, materials, measurements and anything else needed for the project. They will then put together documents for you in order to get the necessary permits and to provide information to a contractor.

The Process of Removing a Bearing Wall

Structural engineers do the majority of the design for removing a bearing wall, but a contractor or architect is needed to do the work. Most of the time, a good contractor is all you need to remove a bearing wall. However, if there are any complications or other work to be done, the structural engineering company may suggest hiring an architect instead.

The process takes a long time and can be difficult to do on your own. That’s why the only way to do it is by using the services of structural engineers and contractors. You never want to put your family’s safety at risk, so hire the professionals to do the work from the beginning.

At BE Structural, we work on designs for bearing wall removals on a daily basis. Be sure to contact us when you’re ready to get your bearing wall removed and open up the floor plan of your home!