Full Home Remodeling in West Hollywood, Wall by Wall
West Hollywood whole-house remodels that trace each wall's load from attic to footing before it is marked for removal, then carry it on a beam and posts.
"If this wall goes, what holds the ceiling up?" An owner showing us around a West Hollywood house may well raise it during that first visit. The answer comes from tracing the load. We go up into the attic to find where the ceiling joists bear, then look under the floor for a footing beneath the wall. A wall that carries nothing comes out with patching. One that carries joists gets a beam.
Reading the wall from above and below
The attic shows whether ceiling joists lap or splice over the wall, and whether rafter braces bear on it. If they do, the wall is working whatever its thickness. Under the floor, a footing or a line of posts beneath the wall is another sign. Plaster cracks running from the corners of doors in that wall can mean it is already under strain. Each clue goes into the survey, and the engineer confirms the reading before the plan is drawn, so no wall is marked for removal on a guess.
What replaces a bearing wall
When the wall carries load, a beam takes over. It can sit below the ceiling as a visible header or be raised into the joist space as a flush beam, which needs a hanger for every joist that meets it. Posts at each end carry the weight down, and new footings under those posts spread it into the soil. Before the old wall is cut free, temporary posts and a beam brace the ceiling joists. The inspector sees the beam, posts and connectors before the ceiling is patched, and only then does finish work close the opening.
About our full home remodeling serviceEverything we do in West Hollywood
Full Home Remodeling in West Hollywood: questions
The ones that carry nothing above them can come out with patching. Walls that support joists or rafter braces can still move, after the engineer specifies a beam to take over their job, plus posts and footings to carry it down. Shear walls that brace the house sideways need a replacement plan of their own.
Seismic work fits best right after demolition. With floors open and the crawlspace reachable, the sill can be bolted down, short walls under the floor can be sheathed, and hardware can be added where new shear walls end. Doing it then keeps it inside the remodel permit and avoids opening finished rooms later.
It covers the foundation, the sill and how it is fastened, the crawlspace walls, the floor framing, the walls that bear load and the roof framing above them. Cracks, rot, notched joists and missing connections are noted. The designer gets the findings before drawing, so the layout fits the structure the house really has.
Full Home Remodeling in other cities
More we build in West Hollywood
Book an inspection in West Hollywood
Describe the house and what it needs. We look at the structure first and send the quote in writing.