No one can tell me if this is a load bearing wall or not... Help please
I'm looking for some real advice/answers. I've had three contractors out and none of them will tell me whether or not the wall I want to remove is a supporting / structural wall. Of the 3 quotes I got, all of them only quote me for the job as if it is structural and won't say if it truly is or not. After seeing the crazy quotes, I'm at a point where if it is truly structural I'll just leave it alone and put the drywall back up. If it's not I'd like to remove it myself. The home is a one and a half story Cape cod-ish style. The wall is on the 1st floor between two living rooms... The basement below is just crawl space. One of the rooms I'd like to combine with the other has a faux ceiling (not sure why they lowered it). When I took the drywall off of the wall I want to remove I found that it is actually a double framed wall.. My guess is that they did this due to an old heating system pipe that runs through it. I just want the wall out. Can anyone help? I contacted my town and county to see if there's any records or blueprints or anything and no one can help me. I cannot find a structural engineer either (very small town). House was built in 1900s.
It's hard to tell from the pictures but this looks a little like someone extended the house onto what would have been a front porch and that could account for the floor and ceiling height differences. If so, it would mean the wall you want to remove might have originally been the outside wall of the house and that would most assuredly be a weight bearing wall.
If 3 contractors looking at it in person couldn't tell you, we sure aren't going to be able to. Things get fuzzy in houses that have been remodeled, and joist direction doesn't tell the whole story because there could also be roof loads on those walls in addition to your drop ceiling hanging on it. That alone would mean it would need a beam just as if it was load bearing.
I inherited a home that my folks had attempted to put some crown molding in and when I did that they damaged the popcorn texture on the ceiling in some spots. I'm wondering if it's better to try and remove all of the popcorn or if it can be repaired. Additionally I want to add crown molding to the remainder of the house and I want to do it without damaging the texture. What am I looking at when I do this? Is it going to be a hassle? Should I remove the texture completely? The house was built in 93 so I don't believe it has asbestos in it.
[img]https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/2000x901/20211228_120640_1856e7935517e22ecf2917933b53866f5b5b5f72.jpg[/img]
[i]A photo of the damage [/i]
I finally got around to closing up holes plumbers left in the walls and ceiling of our laundry room. Both are orange peel; the walls being light and the ceiling heavy, but nothing is knowck down. In the past I have always used the spray can texture with just okay results but now I am thinking of getting an inexpensive little hopper and gun from Harbor Freight as I will need to spray 60 to 100 sq ft. (I might use it later for some smaller repairs in one of the rooms.)
My question is whether my old Craftsman oil less hot dog compressor is up to the job. It has a 3 gallon tank and is rated for 3.7 CFM @ 40 PSI and 2.4 CFM @ 90. Should I be able to shoot for a second or two and then rest a bit for the compressor to catch up?
12-29-21, 10:19 AM
