Can a stud wall ever be load-bearing?

[Jim K..]

Maybe a past tense or two needed in there...

[Dan S. MacAbre]

I doubt it, but I want to saw a big hole in one, so I need to ask. Our stairs go up the middle of the house, at 90 degrees to all the beams. There is a breeze block wall on one side, and a stud wall on the other, which continues down into the kitchen. I'd like to open up the space under the stairs a bit by removing a big chunk of the stud wall. In the void, above this wall is a larger-than-the-others beam at 90 degrees to all the others, and fastened to another very large one in the region of the top of the stairs by a metal bracket. The beams in one upstairs room are similarly fastened to this first large beam, so they are aligned with all the others. I'm assuming that the paramount (I think it is called) board, and the vertical bits of wood that hold it in place (about an inch and a half square section) are not supporting this large beam; but before I start sawing through it all, I'd like to hear some opinions :-)

I know this description probably doesn't help at all, but is it ever the case that a paramount board stud wall can support a beam going across the top of it? I mean, if it ever got wet, it would be catastrophic :-)

[harry]

Yes they often are load bearing even in traditional houses. Timber frame houses have all load bearing walls "stud".

[spuorgelgoog]

Even if it isn't load-bearing for directly vertical forces, it may be preventing the beam - or your house - from twisting like a corkscrew or sliding like a paralellogram into next door.

Owain

[Dan S. MacAbre]

I'm afraid it's a very boring breezeblock and brick 1980's cube house.

[Dan S. MacAbre]

Next-door wouldn't be too chuffed about that :-) I'm hoping that the breeze block walls downstairs (this is the only bit of stud downstairs) would prevent that. There is also breeze block parallel to this bit, on the other side of the stairs. Perhaps I ought to 'get someone in'.

[Brian Gaff]

I think I'd want a signature of an expert on a bit of paper first here. Somebody in Kingston did something like this, then went on holiday and the whole insides collapsed when they were away.

Unless one is sure of the history of a property, never expect people to do the sensible thing! Brian

[spuorgelgoog]

Building Control will probably want to see a structural engineer's sign-off for the hole in the wall and any lintel required.

Owain

[Chris B]

Whether yours is or not I don't know but they certainly can be. A friend has a dormer style house. The main bedroom has a vertical stud partition wall with "Dead space" behind it - between the stud wall and the sloping roof (Other smaller bedrooms have the sloping roof intruding into the room).

Investigations into using the "dead space" has revealed the the vertical struts in the stud partition wall are helping to support the roof.

[John Rumm]

Yup, contrary to popular belief, stud walls can be load bearing.

Photo would help.

However inch and a half square sounds unlikely to be structural. Normally it would be 4x2 or better.

The board would provide none of the structural strength, in a structural stud wall, its the uprights that do the work normally.

A straight run of stairs will normally be adequately supported at the top and bottom. However they might also provide a pulin style timber at mid span to add rigidity. (stairs that "wind" (i.e. turn a corner) will need proper support at the turn.

[Andy Burns]

But the struts in a paramount wall are likely to only be 1.5" square timber, not 4x2"

[Steve Walker]

On the other hand they'll have no interest if it is non-loadbearing (unless it is for fire purposes). So as the OP is not able to determine by himself, the key is, as he suggested, to "get someone in" to at least determine that.

Fire purposes should be pretty obvious from a quick look at the building regs to see why and where a wall may be required.

SteveW

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Very much so.

My Victorian house had doors between front and back ground floor rooms, within a lath and plaster wall. Timber studs, of course. Structural engineer did the calcs and I ended up with an RSJ in there when I wanted it all one room. His calcs also said the original studs were distinctly marginal for the load.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Aboslutely it can

Many houses are totally timber framed.

Mine is, and some of the stud walls are much closer studs and feature double skins of plywood AND plasterboard to prevent bowing

The oputer walls are all 6x3 skinned with plywood for structural strentgh

I'd pay a couple of hundred to a structural engineer.

Stuids dont mind wet.

The boarding is at best only there to prevent bowing and 'slender column failure' (Euler)

[spuorgelgoog]

This isn't yours, is it?

Owain

[John Rumm]

While probably true, Chris was addressing the main question about whether a stud wall can be load bearing. A dwarf wall replacing a pulin on a roof is a common example of one that will be.

[Andrew]

Looks like the lady of the house wanted full width bifold doors downstairs to 'make the garden part of the house', judging by all the acroprops along that huge steel beam.

Now she has full width bedrooms open to the garden too.

[jrwalliker]

Our bathroom had exactly that kind of arrangement. A previous owner decided to open out the "wasted" space. Soon afterwards the roof started moving downhill. The rapidly bodged repair transferred the roof load to a single floor joist which was not strong enough for the job (instead of about six joists when the stud wall was doing its job) and the downstairs ceiling sagged. We now have steel in all the right places.

John

John

[Jim K..]

I suspect the 1.5" square "studs" are only there for something to nail the boards to...