I was helping a friend expand the width of a closet door, and when we pulled the drywall off the interior wall frame, we noticed some 45-degree wall braces in the interior wall.
I am pretty sure they are just for convenience during construction (e.g. a bother to remove once the frames are fully built or just there for drywall to be nailed into).
However, I am not an expert, so I wasn't sure if these were structural (maybe some type of shear wall support?) or not. In case it matters, the house was built in 1951 and is in western Georgia. All the wooden beams, including the angled ones, are held in place with 4inch nails.
Are these angle braces safe to remove and leave out? The entire cutaway area (sans drywall) would be a closet door with a frame of two 2x4s above and a vertical 2×4 on either side.
Best Answer
Temporary braces are nailed to the face of the wall, not fit into it. That was intended as a structural member by the carpenter.
That said, it's almost certainly not critical. The entirety of the other nearby walls and the roof structure likely provide many times what that one brace does in diagonal support. Also, you don't see that technique used anymore.
I wouldn't hesitate to remove the portion that impedes your progress.
I do suggest a doubled stud, however, and you might want to orient at least one of your header members vertically, for stiffness: