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I was hoping to open up my kitchen to living area and make an island where it the pantry and coat closet is. All I have are these floor plans. Is that wall structural?

Thanks!

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Dustin Janzen
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  • We get this question from time to time, and [here](https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/37301/43874) is an answer that covers the important parts. That answer mentions looking at blueprints, but what you have is actually just a floor plan that doesn't show any structural elements of the design, so that is not considered "blue prints" in the scope of that answer. Right now, there is not enough information to answer this. – JPhi1618 Jan 06 '20 at 20:33
  • Thank you. I appreciate you letting me know. All I could really tell is the floor joists in the basement below run parrallel to the wall. I might have to have someone come out and look at it. – Dustin Janzen Jan 06 '20 at 20:43
  • @DustinJanzen you may want to [edit] that tid-bit of info to your OP - it's pretty vital to answering the questions. – FreeMan Jan 06 '20 at 20:51
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    Does this answer your question? [Are there ways to determine if a wall is load bearing?](https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/4/are-there-ways-to-determine-if-a-wall-is-load-bearing) – Machavity Jan 06 '20 at 23:26

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I doubt the wall between the living and dining area is structural.

It appears you have a one-story (in that area) living space with roof trusses spanning 26’ from front to back of your house indicating no load don that wall.

Things to consider:

  1. I’d go down in the basement below that wall and see if there is any posts coming down through the wall above, (you have a loft area so it’s not clear if the roof changes in that area),
  2. verify that the ceilings in the living room and dining room match in height and texture (or can be modified adequately),
  3. verify that there isn’t any plywood on the wall. If there is it could indicate that it’s a shear wall. Do you live in a high wind area or seismically active area? (I would suspect the other wall by the bedrooms would be a shear wall, if any.
  4. verify that no heating ducts are in the wall. (If no registers, then I doubt there are any hidden in the wall.) I’d check by looking in the attic and basement.
  5. There are no plumbing fixtures on the wall so I doubt there are any plumbing vents, etc. in the wall.
  6. The dashed line directly below the words “Future Pantry” bothers me. It could indicate an electrical line, but it’s drawn perfectly straight, which usually indicates a wood furring space. If so, make sure no heating ducts are in it and it is not hiding a beam. (Make a small hole and look in over by the Pantry.)

Don’t forget you’ll need to patch the ceiling and floor where the wall is removed, so you’ll have that expense too.

FreeMan
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Lee Sam
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    The fact that the roof trusses run parallel to the wall in question as do the floor joists (as noted in a comment on the OP) are _very_ strong indicators that this isn't a load bearing wall. – FreeMan Jan 06 '20 at 20:54
  • Thank you Lee! We do actually have a large bedroom above the area and a basement below. There are no support beams in the basement but I did just find a structural support that runs perpendicular to the joists and that wall. I will make that small hole and verify the other items you suggested. Thanks again! – Dustin Janzen Jan 06 '20 at 22:50
  • BTW, what is "a wood furring space"? I've not heard that term... – FreeMan Jan 07 '20 at 13:24
  • @FreeMan A wood furring space is a hollow space created by non-structural framing members. It can be a hollow space that extends vertical or horizontal. It’s usually created to hide (or enclose) something, like a duct, post, etc. – Lee Sam Jan 07 '20 at 15:51