Could plasterboard walls be structural?

Question

Hi

I am looking at moving a couple of internal plasterboard (i'm guessing plasterboard on a wooden frame) walls in my house, i have always been of the assumption that these can just be removed but someone has mentioned that some plasterboard walls are structural , is this true, or can i just remove them

Cheers

Answer 1

In a wood frame house, any wood frame wall can be structural (ie load-bearing).  The surface treatment (plaster or plasterboard) has nothing to do with it.  The presence of bricks inside a wood frame wall has nothing to do with it.  At one point in history, people packed wood-frame walls with loose bricks under the mistaken impression that it would help in a fire.  It does not.

Here are the risks:  

If it's not structural and you take it out, it won't matter.

If it's structural and you take it out without compensating, do not be surprised if your upstairs furniture arrives in your living room without warning.  This will compromise the structural integrity of the entire house.  Your house could be condemned by your local housing authority.  Your insurance will *not* cover any of this.  At this point your finances will be ruined, presuming you are still alive.

Hiring a professional is a good idea in some instances.  You might be able to hire them to just come and give their opinion - much cheaper than hiring them to do the whole job.

Answer 2

one answer here about bricks behind walls is complete rubbish, irony in the name of the author eh

they can be structural, one in my own house is.

sometimes its only possible to find out by removing the plasterboard on the walls and or ceiling to see whats above and around it

as  said you need a pro, rather than a know-it-all

Answer 3

There can be weight bearing wooden frames for plasterboard. To be sure I would find the plans and have a look.

Answer 4

plasterboard is very hard to work with you need to be very careful

Answer 5

If they are structural, there will be a half inch gap behind the plasterboard and a brick wall at least 4.5 inches thick.  If it's a stud wall, there will be a 2 inch gap and another sheet of plasterboard.

Find a place where it won't notice (and away from electrics), tap on the wall to find where there's not a batten behind the board, and stick in a thin screwdriver.  If it goes in less than an inch, you've got a brick wall that may be load bearing.  If it goes in a couple of inches it's a stud wall and you can safely remove it.

Answer 6

depending on where they are and how far you are moving them will make a differance. Also depending on how the home was built in the first place as well.... ( how old it is) If you have plans to move a wall get a pro in to evaluate the situation and see what he thinks.... this way it will be safe and noone gets hurt and you dont hurt the structure of the home!

Answer 7

Even if the answer is "no", how do you know the current wall is built to proper building regulations ?

There has been plenty of false advice on this site so if the previous owner was a DIYer who participated here, who knows what they did !!

You just cannot tell what they did without having a proper look.

And only you, a builder, an experienced person, or an architect can do this.

Don't , please, rely on answers in this forum for something that could be so variable.

For example, a staircase in our house hung off a partition wall. Just because its not allowed doesn't mean someone hasn't done it !

I've seen A-frames cut, purlings cut, stairs hung off floorboards....No rules, rugulations or plans will help you with those. You need to get an expereinced eye on it.

They don't have to result in a sudden drop, collape or sagging. It might happen, but equally it might happen over a number of years.

In summary, the answer is "yes, it could be structural"

Answer 8

climb under the roof and see if the joists break over it- bearing wall. if they do then yes -put in a flush beam over old wall first. Check for kickers coming done from the rafters too.