So, we have a small jack and jill bathroom between our kids room. It is split in half by a wall and door, separating the vanity from the toilet and bath. We will be slowly redoing the whole bathroom, and for starters we want to remove the divider wall and make it one bigger room. Is there any chance this could be a load bearing wall? How would we tell, or should we just have someone come out and look at it?

If the wall runs perpendicular to the ceiling joists, it is load bearing.

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If the wall runs perpendicular to the ceiling joists, it is load bearing.

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this. You should also check in the attic to see if any trusses rest on any of the walls.

Thanks guys. So I assume a simple stud finder is the best way to locate the joists? I have attic access, but we have decking across most of the attic, including over this bathroom. So, I cannot see what is between the decking and the ceiling of the bathroom.

A stud finder will help. You can also look at the nail/screw pattern on the attic decking.

If you remove the wall and your roof caves in, it was load bearing. Ha!

My wife and I just removed a wall in our house. A 9' section. Had to put in a header since it was load bearing. Took the weekend. Honestly the hardest part was figuring out what to do about flooring where the wall once sat.

If you have decking above the bathroom, just look beyond to where the joists sit the top plate. You should see the exposed cut end and tell you which way the are running, in addition you can probably look at the nailing pattern on your decking and see also.

There are ways to remove the wall even if it is load bearing (yes even ways that are not extremely costly) so dont worry to much if it is.

Thanks for the feedback guys. The room is small as it is, and dividing it in two makes it seem that much smaller.

Ok, so upon further investigation in the attic, it does appear that the nails for the decking indicate the joists run perpendicular to this wall. I also verified it with our stud finder.

For additional information, none of the trusses rest on this wall. It is small, only spans about 5' and about half of it is a door way.

Not sure what to do at this point, but I am open to suggestions. I might just end up having someone come out to take a look and verify what I arrived at and see what we can do about it.

What size are your joists, and what will the clear span be if you remove the wall? You should be able to get a clear span of 10-11 feet, depending on the species and grade of lumber used for the joists.

Spacing is also important...

Yes, my numbers above assume #2 southern pine with 16" spacing, but I get the same number from span tables at 24" spacing.

The length of the room is about 12'. Both bedrooms on each side are the same length (14' x 12'), with obviously no support wall in the middle. At one end of each side is an exterior wall. At the other end is a hallway going into each bedroom where the joists end, as it runs into our living room, which has a higher ceiling. Also, our attic entrance is in said hallway right next to the bathroom wall.

The spacing of the joists is 16". I can't tell much about the joists themselves, since they are covered in the decking.

I'm not sure if that gives a great picture of what I am looking at. I find it interesting that the bedrooms on each side have joists running the length of the room with no support, but the bathroom joists would need the support (and they are slightly shorter). I suppose it is entirely possible (or even likely) that they are different.

And thanks again for all the feedback.

Where are you located?

I'm in Dallas.

I don't have span tables, but throw up a sketch with some dimensions and someone here can probably tell you what size header to put in at the top.

Thanks Kenneth. I'll try to get something posted tonight.