Load bearing wall??

[08quadram]

Don't know if you fivured it out yet, but just because the trusses span the entire width of the bouse doesn't mean that that wall won't/can't be a bearing wall. Very difficult to tell by attic pics, but one of your photos show the camera next to a vertical web. Does that line up over the wall below? If so, likely load bearing. I spent 3 years designing roof truuses for a truss manufacturer and for the past 18 years, i am a project manager/designer in an architectural firm.

Mike

 

[Daren Todd]

Don't know if you fivured it out yet, but just because the trusses span the entire width of the bouse doesn't mean that that wall won't/can't be a bearing wall. Very difficult to tell by attic pics, but one of your photos show the camera next to a vertical web. Does that line up over the wall below? If so, likely load bearing. I spent 3 years designing roof truuses for a truss manufacturer and for the past 18 years, i am a project manager/designer in an architectural firm.



Mike

Yes, that last pic from the attic shows the top of the wall between the kitchen and dining room and the triangle wall that comes down for the cathedral ceiling. Those two 2x4's coming down for the center of that triangle piece tie into the top of the wall between the kitchen and dining room.

Attic view

View from living room. Attic pic is showing where the two walls intersect.

 

[RCW]

Daren - if it is load bearing, all isn't lost.

Like Hokie, we have a similar deal in our kitchen. Opened up the doorway on the main load bearing wall under the roof peak, carries everything to main beam/posts in cellar.

The beam you see close in the photo is a flitch plate (if I spelled it right). 1/2" steel sandwiched by 2x10's. Carries the wide doorway.

 

[Daren Todd]

Daren - if it is load bearing, all isn't lost.



Like Hokie, we have a similar deal in our kitchen. Opened up the doorway on the main load bearing wall under the roof peak, carries everything to main beam/posts in cellar.



The beam you see close in the photo is a flitch plate (if I spelled it right). 1/2" steel sandwiched by 2x10's. Carries the wide doorway.

That's what we were thinking about doing know. The issue we're running into, is where it needs to be supported. Since the wall comes out part way and stops, we would need a support for the end.

Here's where it end

So the issue now would be now, is you have a post coming down.

The plan was to build a knee wall that comes up to hide the back of the stove.

Have a raised counter top on top of the knee wall for a breakfast bar.

So, how to tie it all together and have it look decent and tasteful with a post right in the way is the million dollar question

 

[RCW]

Trust me - I'm no designer. But, couldn't you still do as you planned, but integrate the post into your design?

I mean, that's just a 2x4 wall? Probably double 2x4, plus double or triple again for jack studs would only be 7x4.5" or x 6" with sheetrock. Or, go with 2x6, and you'd be 7x6 or x7.5". Just thinking of combinations that would produce something close to square. Extra layer of sheetrock would make it square. Actually, the header size might dictate whether you're using 2x4 or 2x6.

Probably quadram would be a MUCH better resource as far as framing it goes. It's not a huge span, one floor, and guessing you guys don't sweat 30lbs/sq ft snow load like we do here.

With some creative trim work, etc., might look pretty cool. Better yet, maybe skip the sheetrock, and encase it in wood to match your cabinets.

Just thinking out loud.......

 

[SLIMSHADIE]

Daren, nowadays people want to open up there kitchen, I would too. Lose the wall, lose the soffit.

Im not a fan of the higher breakfast bar but too each their own. I would replace the stove with a flat top, i prefer gas but electric is an option. Could you push the island out a foot to the end of the new post? Just google "post in middle of kitchen island", lots of different ideas. Heres one ex:

 

[Daren Todd]

We're gonna pull the upper cabinets first and soffit. Then see if we can come to a decision.

The big issue is my wife keeps finding crap on pintrist that she wants to do. But no clue how to make it work. Just shows a picture and says this would look good. I gotta keep asking her to look at what we have to work with. And that she does realize that she's looking at a transition from one room to another, and that in our case there is gonna be a wall half way up through part of the opening

Replacing cabinets isn't in the budget. So we are trying to make the best out of what we got.

Replacing the counter tops is in the budget

 

[RCW]

Just had a thought - check to see how your garage door header is framed.

You're looking at a similar span in the house.

Check mine, door headers are double 2x10's with 1/2" plywood spacer in the middle. Matches 2x4 garage wall framing. My garage is single story too, but we have to accommodate snow load.

 

[Daren Todd]

Daren, nowadays people want to open up there kitchen, I would too. Lose the wall, lose the soffit.

Im not a fan of the higher breakfast bar but too each their own. I would replace the stove with a flat top, i prefer gas but electric is an option. Could you push the island out a foot to the end of the new post? Just google "post in middle of kitchen island", lots of different ideas. Heres one ex:

View attachment 22180

You da' man!!!!! That's what I was trying to suggest to my wife but couldn't find any pictures That settled a huge argument with my wife

 

[RCW]

Slimshadie - not my project, but thanks from me, too.

When I was posting to Daren, that was what I was thinking, but too darned dumb to articulate it.......

And Daren - what slim said regarding the higher breakfast bar - he's exactly right. We did the same thing, with countertop height bar with stools.

 

[RCW]

Here's a better pic.

 

[seanbarr]

I had a similar problem. The original kitchen from the first remodel waayyyy back in the 70's had a wall between the posts where the short breakfast top is now. That side was once the back end of the house. We wanted the open concept and built some headers & beefy posts to carry the weight to the foundation and it worked out great. The long part of the breakfast bar had hanging cabinets which we took out.

It's just to show that there are ways to make it work.




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[seanbarr]

By the way, I would have taken better pics but we sold that house. Certainly made a 70's house into the most expensive house on the block when we sold it, quick!


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[RCW]

Wow, Sean - that's nice!!!

You've got more square footage in a couple pics than we have in our whole downstairs!!

 

[seanbarr]

Thanks. If you asked, we sold it because,... we wanted more room. This was a 2,400 sqft, 3 bd/ 3 bt home on a tiny lot in SoCal to a bigger one with ACRES. Lord knows I want my space!

I spy your double oven, Kitchenaid? Can't say for the stove, my wife would have killed for that!

Another pic to show the other view of the kitchen I did for my wife. I've never done a kitchen remodel, go figure. Everything was gutted! Let's just say that after 3 months of work, I've collected enough brownie points that I got land, a shop, ATV's, tractor, and four flat screen TV's out of it.

OP, Sorry for going off topic. If you were close, I would have given you a hand and show you the possibilities & ideas. Your pics were strikingly similar to the old kitchen we had.


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[Daren Todd]

Seanbar, no worries love the kitchen

Here's where we are at. Starting to clean up for the day, since both of us work tomorrow got a big pile of scrap to go toss a match in as well

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[RCW]

See, Daren is getting some ideas from your pictures!

The double oven is Frigidaire - convection both ovens. Don't remember if they were Whirlpool by then or not - many brands now are Whirlpool.

The rangetop is Viking Professional, with matching hood. My pride and joy. I cooked in restaurants through high school and college. Still pretty good at it, and REALLY wanted the 6-burner commercial-type.

My wife really wanted granite counters, but at $6-8K just for the tops, was a deal-breaker. We had formica for almost 20 years with no issues, and these are formica tops with cherry banding to match the cabinets. At $1,000, much better deal.

 

[Tooljunkie]

So one option is a beam across house, under the gable wall or an island with a post up the center.

I just gutted my kitchen and re did insulation and put in a nice set of second hand cabinets. Three weeks, still have two corner shelves snd trim to do. Then new laminate flooring for entire main floor.

 

[RCW]

Daren - it looks great!

I love the demolition part - I'm good at it!!

 

[Daren Todd]

So one option is a beam across house, under the gable wall or an island with a post up the center.

I just gutted my kitchen and re did insulation and put in a nice set of second hand cabinets. Three weeks, still have two corner shelves snd trim to do. Then new laminate flooring for entire main floor.

This all started because of four posts used to seperate the dining room from the living room I hated the posts since we moved in. And all they were was decorative. And both my wife and I hated the laminate flooring in the house. Plus the claustrophobic feeling of the kitchen. Floors are gonna end up being stained concrete since the house is on a slab