Width of opening in Load Bearing Wall?
mtpam2
11 years ago
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11 years agosnoonyb
11 years agoRelated Discussions
Opening up a load bearing wall
Comments (12)Greendesign, LL does not want any support columns. This makes the problem much more complicated. Every remodel we have done, we have had structural engineer sign off on the architects design. My architect insists on this. LL, structural stuff is expensive if you want to open up as much as possible. This is one of the big reasons why open modern houses cost significantly more than a typical traditional houses to build. Often, they have to use a lot of steel to be able to open up without columns in the middle of a large room. There is a lot of steel to make these big open rooms happen. LL The answer depends on the foundation and the footing that is currently in your house. You may or may not have the adequate foundation/footing that can take more loads than what you are already giving it. You need a knowledgible person to come and look. There is no way off the cuff internet answer is going to help you. The reality is even if you 'underbuilt' the house, no one will know for several years. This is how the cheap builders get away with doing 'sub-par' work. Then you will start to see a few sags here and there after a few years. Underbuilt house does not fall apart as soon as you move in. The day you move in, it is new and beautiful looking. Then, in a few years, the windows and doors will sag and won't shut. The dry wall will start to crack in places. The floor will slope and sag several inches. Then the builders are long gone and you have a worthless house. I have walked into so many additional that are 'worthless' because we look at a lot of open houses. All I see is an add-on/remodel that needs to be completely torn out started again if I am going to live there. I won't buy it and live there but some fool will. Then they will start look into the house and they will uncover all the subpar work that was done to it years ago. This is how the stories of the houses go. When I look at my next-door neighbor's I see several windows that are sagging because the floor joists (or beams or something) are not strong enough. I see windows sagging several inches at the center of the house relative to the corners of the house. This is a very old house. They will live with the sagging windows that probably do not open and shut. You can always live in a subpar house. It probably won't kill you. Many people do because they don't know any better....See MoreLoad bearing walls corner removal for kitchen open concept
Comments (7)We had a similar layout change in our kitchen remodel and they used LVL beams (manufactured beams) and wood posts to replace the existing framed wall. The new posts were right on top of the existing steel beam in the floor, so keeping the proper load transfer to the basement footings was relatively simple. Our contractor made the design and we had the structural engineer sign off on the plans that went to the city. The tables for LVL beam size requirements were easy to understand, and they already assumed the load of one story above the beam. One option our contractor offered was whether to put the 2nd floor joists on top of the new LVL beam (like they already were on top of the existing framed wall) or put the LVL beam up higher and connect the floor joists to the side of the LVL beam (which would hide the beam in the ceiling.) We chose to just replace the wall with a beam under the joists, so there is still a "divider" that projects down about one foot from the ceiling. Bruce...See MoreLoad bearing walls corner removal for kitchen open concept
Comments (8)With a 2 story structure, removing load bearing walls gets to be infinitely more difficult than in a one story. There's also snow loads, and seismic and high wind stability with resistance to shearing to consider in creating the support for what you are thinking of removing. If this is to be a DIY project, you need to have a pretty well experienced friend list in the trades that are willing to give you a couple of weekends for a heck of a lot of pizza and beer, and you'd better be well experienced as well. Might be cheaper (and safer!) to just call a licensed contractor who already has the burly guys on his payroll and can do this a bit quicker. And that IS after a consult with a structural engineer who will create the support plan! That's how you know for sure that your house won't fall down in the next high wind. :-)...See MoreLoad Bearing Wall to Arched Opening
Comments (2)Questions involving modifications to an existing structure almost always involve on site work to evaluate the existing conditions before prescribing a suitable modification. You should consult a local professional remodeler. Depending on what their assessment is, you may also need to consult with a structural engineer....See MoreBilll
11 years agoUser
11 years agoMichelle J
2 years agoJoseph Corlett, LLC
2 years ago
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