I've got this half wall in my living area, and I'm trying to figure out if it's load bearing or not. It runs perpendicular to the joists, spans half the room, and is only half the height at about 36 inches tall. It's 97 inches long and 12 inches wide, with two decorative hollow wooden columns that are 15 inches wide leading to a small archway in the ceiling. There's a gap to the adjacent wall that's 79 inches. The whole setup is made from standard stud and plasterboard construction. I'm a bit confused because of those wooden columns. If it is load bearing, I think it might support the bathroom upstairs, and since the room is pretty long, I want to be sure!
2 Answers
Good point about the columns! What kind of load could they even be bearing anyway? I mean, decorative columns usually aren't part of the load structure, right?
Honestly, it sounds like you're more worried about those decorative columns than the wall itself. My gut feeling is that it's not load bearing, but it's hard to say without seeing it. It really isn't my house, you know?
Yeah, true! If they're just for looks, then I doubt they're holding anything important. Might just be a sleeve around a column or something.