Load Bearing Wall Question

[celticsoc]

I want to move a wall. The house is a wood frame ranch in the

60-years-plus age range.

The wall runs directly under the peak of the roof, but only runs about

10-15 feet. There are two walls perpendicular to it, and both of these run essentially from front to back of the house, and they have doorways. My assumption is that the wall which I want to move is not load-bearing because it runs only a short span, along the same line as the peak of the roof.

Is this a reasonable assumption? If more information is necessary, let me know.

Thanks!

[Chris Lewis]

According to [e-mail] :

No. It's more important to find out whether the wall you want to move is running at right angles to the ceiling joists, and/or whether the top of the wall frame is being used as a support point for the ceiling joists or roof structure. The roof peak could be running any old direction compared to the joists.

Even then.

If in doubt, ask a professional.

[kevin]

No, infact you have it backwards. If the peak of the roof runs say from side-to-side of the house, then most likely your joists run front-to-back (part of their job is to tie the opposite eves of the roof together, else the eves would spread and the peak would collapse flat). So your wall is perpendicular to the joists, most likely, which generally hints that it is load bearing.

Doors have nothing to do with anything, and neither does the length of the wall. A wall just 1/2 a foot long could be critical, depending on the construction. (aka, a post).

You can get a better idea by looking in your attic at the joists, and even try to see how the various walls are attached.

On the other hand, some roofs are designed to span the whole distance without support. It is hard to tell from here, but it sounds like it IS load bearing.

[Joseph Meehan]

It may be reasonable, but it may not be correct. If it were my roof, I would not guess. I would have a it checked by a structural engineer.

[Frank Boettcher]

No it is not a reasonable assmumption. Yes more info is needed.

In that age construction you could have roof trusses instead of stick framed rafters and joists. Normally they would be designed to use a center wall for support. The part of the center wall that is missing could be supported by a jack truss or a header. You need to do a little more investigating before you make that assumption.