Load Bearing Wall and the Hip Roof

I need to determine whether or not the two walls that form three adjacent closets between two bedrooms are load-bearing. I’ve attached a rough diagram of the layout of our raised ranch. I’ve also attached some pictures from the attic and the basement.

Although (what I have always thought to be) the two main support beams in the basement are not under the walls in question, the following comment regarding hip roofs (posted elsewhere on this site) have me suspecting that I’ve been wrong.

“ ...a bearing wall will run in the same direction as the ridge of your roof. The exception would be in the case of a hip roof were ceiling joists often change direction at each end of the house and a wall is run crossways to support the inside ends of the joist.”

The ceiling joists appear to change direction directly above one of the walls. So, it appears to me that, although not bearing the load of the roof rafters, the wall is bearing the weight of the redirected ceiling joists.

Based on your experience, is my new (amateur) assessment correct?

I sincerely apologize for the sideways pictures.

 

The wall towards the dining room, yellow rectangle, is probably a bearing wall.
The way you can tell is to measure distance from this wall to North exterior wall at floor level, go up in attic and see if ceiling joists bear on this wall. (Not roof rafters, ceiling). And of course verify my line directions are correct N to S above.

No one can tell you for sure though without being there. An architect or someone qualified would have to look at structure.

That said, I don't see any major walls you're trying to remove?
It looks like just the South of B, and North of A?
What's there now, sliding closet doors?

 

Finally back from work. Thank you for the reply.

You're correct. Our desire is to remove the walls running east and west between bedrooms A & B, which form the closets for each room. Currently, there are sliding closet doors in them.

The yellow rectangle that you drew is right on the mark as far as where the north-south ceiling joists meet the first east-west 2x6. The north-south joists are toe-nailed to that first east-west 2x6. They do not set on top of it as do the first floor joists on the beams in the basement (there are no interior walls in the basement).

I'm attaching a corrected drawing of the basement beams (in case it makes any difference). I failed to show that the east-west beam spans the basement completely.

It seems to me that, according to your rectangle, the wall in Bedroom B is a supporting wall. Is that correct?

 

I don't know what this means.
The N to S ceiling joists do not rest on the North wall of bedroom B? The rectangle?

I know they are toenailed to the perpendicular joists, but they should also rest on a bearing wall.
I thought the bearing wall was north wall bedroom B

 

You can place a beam from exterior wall to the load carrying beam in the basement. This will mean the beam will also cross hallway.

This is just a head's up. You need someone to come look at it. An architect or someone an architect recommends.

It's more than just placing a beam there. There are connections that need to be made and maybe a post inside the exterior wall. It would be nice also if they can figure a way to not have beam span across hallway.

 

Thanks again, Handyone. We're going to pull back some insulation in the attic to get a better look. I didn't see anything at the rectangle area but the start of the perpendicular 2x6s and sheetrock underneath. I must have missed something.

We had the engineer next door look at it (he engineers highways and bridges). He wasn't certain and suggested that we proceed "slowly" just in case. Of course, that's not an endorsement that makes me feel comfortable moving forward with the project.

 

Yeah,
I'm not there to see it so it's hard to say.
Basically a load bearing wall will do one of the following:
- Support the ends of joists. Let's guess in your situation, North to South. Joists will terminate directly above wall. They could also change direction at that point but it's the same concept.
- Support a joist mid-span. Bearing point is required because span is too long. I don't think this is your case.
- Support significant loads above, such as another wall above in a two story home. This is also not your case.