Is a Partial Wall Load-Bearing? Design load: Floor live load: W L = 30 psf. When applied to repetitive framing walls, the prevailing consensus in the engineering community is that live load reduction is intended for an individual element—e.g., a header or single stud—and not for the total load on the bearing wall system (for an example, see this article). Floor dead load: W D = 10 psf. ABSTRACT The fire performance of loadbearing light timber framed walls is noc generally well understood, and considerable professional judgement is required in their design. For example, the builder may have installed a microlam beam to span across the opening and carry the load above. Timber: Southern pine, moisture less than 19%, used in normal room temperature. Solution: Refer to Design of Sawn Timber Columns and Compressive Members article for concepts. Therefore, you cannot assume that a partial wall is a partition wall. Here's a strighforward approach to removing a wall with the help of a temporary stud wall and a new LVL beam. A good wood design textbook is still indispensible for basic design principles. iff its a up stairs wall you need to put a timber joist above the joist and hang the others from it thanks tim its unlikely to be a load bearing wall iff its a stud wall but iff it is it needs looking at . Superimposed dead load: W SD = 5 psf. It provides structural integrity and makes your house safe to live in. Most importantly, the unbraced length. Optimisation; Structural Adequacy; Structural Design; Studs-W; Testing; Timber. The sheathing prevents the stud from buckling out of plane in the weak axis. There are factors that increase the carrying capacity of the member. If the wall is a partial wall, meaning it stops short of an adjacent wall, it may or may not be load-bearing. 1. A load bearing wall conducts the load (or weight) from the roof and upper floors of your home, as well as any extra weight added by people and furnishings (otherwise known as ‘live weight’). So its capacity sheathed is much greater. By Official Fine Homebuilding Post. There are a number of ways to remove a load bearing wall. How you decide to do it will depend on what you are trying to achieve. Hinge support at top and bottom of stud wall.