Walls – Alter existing load bearing wall

Determining if this segment is load bearing should be evident to a competent contractor. There are a few things to look for. You have to look above and below the wall in question. In the floor or attic above, you have to determine if there is structure bearing down directly or via headers to this wall segment. Next, you need to look below in the basement level to see if a beam, post or other structure is directly below the wall segment carrying the load to the foundation. While not always true, this wall segment may be load bearing if it is parallel to the longest dimension of the house, usually perpendicular to a gable end and located half way between the two longest exterior walls. There are a few methods of framing that could make this a load bearing wall, even if you have full trusses for roof support, ie; ceiling joists that rest on a center beam directly over the wall in question. As I said, most competent carpenters could look at this and determine it's load bearing status. Obviously, a set of plans would be helpful as well. Even if it is load bearing, a good carpenter will be able to design a header to span the new opening, support the load and allow you to remove the section of wall you want gone.

The exterior wall above this indicates that it is almost certainly load bearing. To remove the studs in the wall, you'll need to remove the weight with a temporary support that runs to the foundation floor. Then with the weight off you can remove the studs and reroute any wiring and plumbing in the process. You'll need to construct an appropriately sized header for the load it needs to carry, and that will rest on jack studs that need a continuous path all the way to the foundation and footers inside the foundation. The sizing for all of this depends on how much load you're carrying, and for that, you'll need an engineer that can review the floor plans and give the proper advice.