Probably Not Very Load Bearing

[jyl]

I need to make a passthrough in this wall.

It is a very thick wall. Hmm, maybe load bearing. Cut it open. Ah so, it is thick because it used to contain pocket doors, just like the adjoining wall.



It still could be load bearing, of course. Look at the stud that I want to remove.



Just a novice am I, but that doesn’t look “very” load bearing.

I’ll sister new studs to the original studs on either side, prepare a header, then cut the stud out below the header.



Then go and do the same to the other side.

[LWJ]

Which way does the peak of the roof go? Perpendicular to that wall? If so, almost certainly not load bearing. And, given the pocket door the craptaculous stud in the wall? It isn't supporting much if so.

[look 171]

What do you want to do, John? You are looking to create a larger opening or another door or passage way?

[gregpark]

That stud isn't bearing a dang thing, it's hanging

[look 171]

A structural wall sometimes have their studs notched or cut out in these old homes and they will stand for a very, very long time. Maybe a little split on the plaster and that's normally it.

John, there's already a header sitting on those studs supporting the opening on the right side. Best way is to go up and see what's above that wall or tear open a hole and look inside. I suggest the later remove the lath and plaster all the way up to the top. Open up the ceiling to see if there anything sitting on it like ceiling joists. Which way do the ceiling joist run? If you take a flash light and shine it across the ceiling, sometimes the wave of the plaster will show the joist

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by gregpark

That stud isn't bearing a dang thing, it's hanging

It looks like it would swing

[jyl]

I’m making a passthrough from coffee bar in foyer to the living room, there will be a shelf there and extending to the other side where the barista places for-here drinks to pick up.

The joists above run perpendicular to that wall. So I think the wall is load-bearing, even if the pocket doors make the structure a bit marginal and that particular stud is not doing much.

The header you see is for the doorway that had the pocket doors.

Anyway, I’ve added enough wood to make things, I’m pretty sure, at least no worse than they were.



I cannot finish it off until we decide how high the shelf will be, which will depend on how high the coffee bar will be.

[look 171]

More then likely its just holding up the joist but it must be looked at up above. Is that the size of the opening about 32" in width? If that's was part of the pocket door then I think you are fine.

[jyl]

The opening I made? From original stud to original stud, about 26”. The actual opening is smaller because of the additional studs I added.

[A930Rocket]

If that header over, the current opening is load bearing, it’s now transferring the weight down one or two studs. What’s below?

[jyl]

The header over the wide former pocket door opening, which is the passage from foyer to living room, is supported by four studs where your big red arrow is. They are thinner than normal studs, to make room for the pocket door, and they are not touching each other, so think a cluster of four skinny studs. The header reaches the stud I removed, but isn’t supported by it, the end of the header is just toe-nailed to the face of the stud.

Below the big red arrow is an interior wall of the finished basement. Since it is finished I can’t say for sure how it is built, but I suspect there was a post right there, then later a wall was built around it.

This is a four square house. The wall with the pocket door runs down the centerline of the house. I think it is the main load bearing interior wall.

At some point, ducting was run up through the section of wall I removed. Looks like some older galvanized duct and some newer insulated flex duct. To do that, they cut the rail for the pocket door. All four of the wheeled upper hanger things were still in there, I retrieved them and will think of something cool to make from them - maybe groovy track lighting.

The house is interesting as it has a central chimney but no sign of ever having had a fireplace. I think the chimney served an oil furnace that provided central heating, which would have been quite advanced for 1908 in Portland. The oil furnace is long gone. I have thought of installing a gas furnace to use the existing ducting, but the condition of the ducting I removed was pretty bad, as in, parts were disconnected. I’m going to heat and cool the place with heat pump minisplits instead. Since its not going to be a house and won’t be occupied in the evenings or at night, the heating needs aren’t the same as for a house.

This house had two sets of pocket doors, one for each passage to the living room. The other set is still there and functional.

I tried out a new tool for cutting lath and plaster walls. A reciprocating saw shakes the lath too much and the plaster cracks and separates, so the section of wall you want to retain gets damaged. Same with a multi tool. I bought a tiny little 12v circular saw with a 3.5” blade. It looks like a toy, was very cheap, is light enough to operate it with one hand, and it is pretty weak but adequate for lath. The little blade will just barely reach through the lath and plaster. It also cuts very cleanly without shaking the plaster off the lath, you can cut out a whole section and lift it out intact, and more importantly the remaining wall is completely intact. I have a 36v Makita circular saw but I don’t want to try to use that heavy thing on a wall or ceiling, I think the risk of it kicking back or getting away from me is too high.

[look 171]

If I understand this correctly, there should be already an existing header up there for the old pocket door that goes into the left corner. That header should be able to carry the weight of your opening with no issue including that area that's open now and the wall area where the duct is. The entire wall can be gone.

This should be it?

[cabmandone]

IDK, you've got two ceilings in separate rooms that appear to meet at that wall. Without knowing what direction the floor joists run on the second floor, I can't say for sure. But it looks load bearing in that pic. If you're ever in doubt, just build a support wall on both sides then build up the jack studs supporting the header you installed. My .02.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by look 171

More then likely its just holding up the joist but it must be looked at up above. Is that the size of the opening about 32" in width? If that's was part of the pocket door then I think you are fine.

And below.

[jyl]

Look, your drawing is what I have! x2 because the wall with the pocket door is essentially two walls close together.

Here is the best pic I could take from the opening I made looking away from the pocket door. I haven’t quite finished, will add blocking that ties the two headers together.



Here is a pic looking toward the pocket door. You can see the newer wood that closes up the pocket opening.



Today the stairs wanted to be relieved of their ugly carpet, so I got sidetracked by that. Carpet rips up quickly, padding and staples are more irritating, then the old linoleum and . . . either I have a lot of sanding to do, or I’ll pull up the treads and flip them over. Lovely old wood, super tight grain fir, just a 100+ years of paint and mastic and staples.

[look 171]

You will be OK. As long as the weight is transferred onto the lower section that is supported.

Be careful of old Linoleum. It may contains asbestos

[LWJ]

As for the furnace. It is highly probable that it was a sawdust burner. This is the PNW. We have trees and used to have a large number of sawmills. Sawdust was cheap. My 1914 house had a sawdust chute into a big old octopus furnace. It burned gas when I bought it with a somewhat modern furnace but the old beast was still in the basement.

[look 171]

That is a modern corrugated duct not good for anything but to vent a bathroom IMO.

[A930Rocket]

If I’m seeing the picture correctly, it looks like the floor joist above are running perpendicular to the double wall, and sitting on top plates. I don’t see a header.

Speaking of the wall below, is it a double wall like above, or is it sitting under one of the walls above?

Edit. Changed a few things.




This side looks the same, but I can see a joist just barely hanging over the double top plate on the left.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

If that header over, the current opening is load bearing, it’s now transferring the weight down one or two studs. What’s below?

Repeat. Because it's important.

From roof to ground..
An entire section of 2nd floor floor joists might be using that header and wall to split the load in half. Long span.
From the look of it it probably is.

Take a measuring tape and go in the basement. There should be a supporting wall under that one.