Hip Roof Load Bearing

We want to open the small kitchen into the old unused dining room in our single story hip roof house.

Hip roof load bearing.

Some claim true rectangular or square hip roof structures are self supporting. Side walls are primary load bearing walls in simple gable end framing but hip roofs and complex roof lines depend on more than just the side. Stair well openings are also typically load bearing points. Not all exterior walls are bearing walls though.

My home is different. As the foundation block walls yellow on layout run perpendicular to the demo wall red arrow indication on layout we figured it s probably a non load bearing wall. There are many houses where just the front and back walls are bearing walls. Any wall on all floors directly above or parallel to a basement beam typically wood steel i beam or a basement wall must be considered by a layman as directly load bearing.

Interior load bearing walls may also support the roof as they do in gable roof designs. The exterior walls on houses that support the roof are primary bearing walls. A bearing wall will run in the same direction as the ridge of your roof. However a house with a hip roof structure suggests that all the exterior walls are bearing walls.

In hip roof designs all four exterior walls support the ends of roof rafters so all exterior walls bear a weight load from the roof above them. Anything 5 and above we always at least double cripple. Because i have a hip roof that slopes towards each exterior wall each of those walls is carrying some roof weight. These walls directly support roof trusses or rafters.

Bearing according to the 2012 irc codes any beam joist or header shall never have a bearing of less than 1 1 2.