Homeowner Seek Clarity During Home Renovations

The Situation

The homeowner was in the process of renovating the townhome that was planned to be their full-time residence. The homeowner was concerned with a wall between the kitchen and living room; they wanted to take down the wall, but weren't confident in whether they

would be able to do so, or if the wall was load-bearing. Structsolve engineering was contacted to go into the residence and to determine whether the wall could be removed, if there is anything structurally needed to do so, or if it was load-bearing and not at all possible.

What We Observed

During the visit to the site, multiple factors were taken into account for the load of the wall.

The on-site engineer examined the wall itself and also looked at the space below and above the wall to find what the wall was supporting. Below the wall, there weren't any

additional walls, which meant that the wall didn't have a continuous load path directly into the footings of the building. The wall itself was also parallel to the floor trusses below the wall. Above the wall existed a girder truss, which, rather than putting the load of the roof onto the wall, instead directed it to the corners of the wall, leaving the wall by itself.

Next Steps

Based on the observations made during the on-site visit, it was determined that the wall was in no way a load-bearing wall and could be easily removed. This was communicated to the client through the provided report. The only stipulation to being able to take out the wall was that it still needed to be removed with caution due to the girder truss transitioning the load that would have been on the wall to the corners, which would need to be worked around.

Client Perspective

The client would recommend StructSolve Engineering to others because of the punctuality and ability to communicate and work well with others

“They answered my questions and did it efficiently, and I thought it was a reasonable price, and they did it very timely.”

- Steve Greiner, Client

Lasting Value

The solution gave the client a clear answer to the problem that was stopping them from continuing with their project. They are now able to properly renovate their kitchen and add the amenities and additions that they wanted, and make the vision that they had for the house.

Project Details

Location: Clive, Iowa
Client: Homeowner
Service: Observation & Report
Scope: interior wall removal and load on the wall