Can you remove studs under stairs?

Use a reciprocating saw to remove the studs to fully expose the area. Start by cutting through the studs at the top and then pull or pry the studs away from the floor. Clean up the underside of the stairs of dust, cobwebs and make sure it is insect free.

Is the wall under the stairs load bearing?





I’ll put it simply – unless you hear otherwise from a professional, the walls around your stairs are load bearing.

Do you need supports under stairs?

Yes, the stringers need to be supported along their length, but they can span a few feet too, depending on 1) the width of the stairs, 2) the number of stringers, and 3) size of riser board. 1) The wider the stair the more load will be transferred to the stringers.

How do I support under stairs?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Or you could always install a beam some type of a support beam.

Is my basement stair wall load bearing?

To tell if your basement stair walls are load-bearing, look if it is perpendicular to your joists; if the joists are resting directly on top of your wall it is a load-bearing wall. But if another structure like a beam or another wall is also located along your basement stair walls, then it probably is not.

Are stairs considered structural?





Stairs are commonly consid- ered as sub-systems and are usu- ally specified under the category of Miscellaneous Metals or other technical sections of the project specification. These sub-systems are usually treated as separate and distinct from the primary structural system.

What happens if a load-bearing wall is removed?

Removing a load bearing wall may create structural problems in a home, including sagging ceilings, unleveled floors, drywall cracks, and sticking doors.

Do walls Support stairs?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Themselves so simply put a wall underneath the stairs Midway. I would imagine would be the best point makes sense and fasten the stringers to the wall. And you can always use some blocks.

How much support do stairs need?

Regarding structural design criteria, 2018 IBC Table 1607.1 (30) requires stairs to resist a minimum live load of 300 pounds (concentrated load) or 100 pounds per square foot (psf), or 40 psf for one one-and two-family dwellings.

Are stair stringers structural?



A stringer is the vertical support board or structural member that runs along each side or center of the staircase. The treads and risers are fixed into the stringer. Different stringers can combine with different types of stair treads to provide an almost endless combination of stair designs.

How do you turn under stairs into storage?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: Just cut a stud to the width of your opening. Put it up to your existing. This way you'll know that things are just where you want them.

How do you open a load bearing staircase?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: We'll need to cut the plaster and the sheetrock out in order to pocket a beam now in order to do a beam. I had the lumberyard spec a beam.

How do you tell if it’s a load-bearing wall?



Step 1: Determine Whether a Wall Is Load-Bearing or Not

  1. Check an unfinished basement or attic to see which way the joists run.
  2. If the wall runs parallel to the joists, it’s probably not load-bearing.
  3. If it’s perpendicular, it most likely is a load-bearing wall.


How do you tell which walls are load bearing?

Generally, when the wall in question runs parallel to the floor joists above, it is not a load-bearing wall. But if the wall runs perpendicular (at a 90-degree angle) to the joists, there is a good chance that it is load-bearing.

How can you tell a supporting wall?

If a wall runs at a perpendicular angle to the joists, it is load-bearing. Any wall that doesn’t support another wall is most likely not a load-bearing wall. If a wall provides direct support to the structure of a house, it’s a structural wall that you should not remove.

Are interior walls load bearing?



Check the foundation — If a wall or beam is directly connected to the foundation of your house, it is load bearing. This is extremely true for houses with additions, as even though these walls may be interior now, they were previously exterior walls, and are extremely load bearing.

Is my interior column load bearing?

Check Out the Building Plans



The best place to start is by consulting any building plans or original blueprints you may have. These should indicate whether your interior columns or exterior porch columns are load bearing or simply decorative. If a wall or column is structural, it will usually be marked with an “S”.

How much of a load-bearing wall can you remove?

After all, in most homes you can remove as much as you wish of a load-bearing wall, but it has a lot to do with what’s inside the wall, and how you plan to redistribute the weight. Load-bearing walls are critical to the structure of your home.

Do I need a structural engineer to remove a load-bearing wall?

If the wall is not load-bearing, then it shouldn’t be a problem to remove, provided you know what you’re doing and take all the necessary precautions. If, however, the wall is load-bearing, you may need to get help from a structural engineer who can provide you with a structural engineer’s report.

Do you need planning permission to remove a load-bearing wall?



Do I have to get planning permission for removing a load-bearing wall? As a general rule, you don’t need planning permission for removing internal walls. But, if you are renovating a listed building, then you need consent for any external or internal work.