How to Identify and Remove a Load Bearing Wall | Ask This Old House

Summary by Krater

A carpenter uses a dollhouse model to demonstrate how to identify and safely remove load-bearing walls without compromising structural support.

From the video

Answers: How do you know if a wall is load bearing?

• load-bearing walls
• floor joists
• framing
• temporary walls
• structural support

What it concludes

• A wall is likely load-bearing if it is perpendicular to the floor joists and transfers weight down to the foundation.
• A wall is likely not load-bearing if it runs parallel to the floor joists.
• Removing a load-bearing wall requires installing temporary walls to support the ceiling before replacing the load-bearing structure with appropriately sized posts and beams.