Why does an inspector look for evidence of a removed wall in a finished space?

Removing a wall is one of the most common alterations in older housing and one of the most commonly done without engineering. The risk is that the wall carried load — from floor joists above, from a girder bearing on it, or from roof framing — and that the load path was interrupted rather than transferred. Where a beam was installed, the questions are whether it is adequately sized, whether it bears on something continuous down to the foundation, and whether the posts at each end land on adequate support rather than on a floor. Evidence of a removal is often subtle: a patched ceiling line, a change in flooring, a beam boxed into a ceiling, or posts appearing in unexpected places. The inspector reports the evidence and refers evaluation, since adequacy is a calculation rather than an observation.

A removed wall may have been bearing, and the concern is whether the load it carried is now properly supported and transferred to the foundation. That question requires structural evaluation rather than visual judgment.

Load-bearing walls carry floor, ceiling or roof loads to the foundation. Removal requires a properly sized beam with bearing continuous to adequate support. Inspectors report evidence of alteration and refer adequacy to a structural engineer.

Where Did the Load Go? Something was holding that up. Follow the beam to its posts and the posts to the ground.

Look above and below. Sagging or springy floors overhead and posts bearing on a basement slab without a footing are the corroborating evidence.

• •Focusing on permit records instead of the load path
• •Accepting a beam without checking what its posts bear on
• •Missing subtle evidence of a removal in a finished space