You've been given bad advice. Throughly vet the reputation of a local general contractor and trust him. He will know if an engineer is required or not to pass code. If so, he will have connections for an engineer and will get a price that you won't be able to touch and have the knowledge that he can work with the engineer and inspection. Were I an engineer, the last client I would take would be an ignorant homeowner.

Interesting, Joseph - the advice was given to me by my brother, who is has a large commercial building company in NYC. It looks like even the knowledgeable pros can disagree.

I think Joseph is a contractor - and he is giving you bad advice.

Staetments such as: "He will know if an engineer is required or not to pass code. If so, he will have connections for an engineer "

Yeah, he will 'know' and 'has connections' are red flags. Passing code - it might pass code - but it might not be the best solution for you.

There are four components to a remodel: Architect, engineer, contractor, inspector. Depending upon the size of the project, and what you feel comfortable with, you may not need all four.

Making a 76" ? Opening in a 200 yr/old brick home - I'd get an engineer's advice first.

I also advise you to be completely involved in the project. If this is a really big project - you may want an independent inspector to look at the pipes / wiring / ductwork / etc - BEFORE they close up the walls.

Another place for shoddy workmanship is tile and flooring - you want to look at this every day as the work progresses.

You said your brother is in the business - doesn't he have some names?

I've interacted & seen Joseph on these forums for a long time, and have found him to be knowledgeable, helpful and generous with his expertise. I can say those things about my brother, as well. It is possible that neither one of them has given me bad advice, they've each given me advice based on their own experiences, knowledge and perspectives.

While it's nice if everyone agrees on something I ask (makes it soooo much easier for me!) I probably end up ultimately making a more solid decision if I can evaluate different opinions. Also, if there's enough disagreement - it means that there's more than one possible & reasonable way to go about things.

My brother is a contractor in a different city, so does not have those contacts in mine. He's been helpful along the way giving me advice - but I haven't take all of it. My brother (who, incidentally, has lots of reviews & a 5 star rating there) recommends that I go on HomeAdvisor (& NOT Angie's List - something I think that he & Joseph agree upon) to find a good structural engineer.

Joseph is in fact a contractor who is licensed in two states and who has never been issued a red tag (stop work order).

I was just looking at some sliding doors that weren't working. I called a licensed buddy across the state while on site. He offered me his engineers if I needed them. It turns out I didn't.

There are few homeowners that have those kind of connections. I go back 30 years with this guy. If I needed, I would call his guy and fugetabouit.

I would not have a customer with whom I've not established complete trust. I do not need, nor will I tolerate your brother-in-law, your neighbor, or your engineer's input to my client on my job without my consent. My licensing, experience, and record will have meaning and value to you or we won't be working together.

An engineer has his place in residential construction and it's up to a professional contractor to make that decision, not a homeowner. Your general practitioner recommends a dermatologist, not your brother. Same here.

The closer you get to a tradesman, the more bias there is. I've seen an engineer bring a 2' level into a crawlspace to attempt to see if a home was sliding into a river and I've bailed an architect out of trouble several times. I've watched them disregard suggestions from tradespeople that would have saved the customers (taxpayers) tens of thousands of dollars and looked and functioned better too.

Thank you again, Joseph, for your experience & knowledge - and for your generosity in sharing your experience & perspective!

I'll add my perspective. We did not hire a GC for our kitchen remodel. We wanted to make structural changes that involved removing a portion of a wall that served as a shear wall (earthquakes). The city required plans from an engineer and also required that an engineer sign off on the completed work. We had no problem hiring one independently. He was a pleasure to work with, very professional, and did not treat us like "ignorant homeowners."

There is often more than one solution to a problem. For this reason, we think a collaboration of client, architect/designer, contractor, and engineer in the design phase produces the best results.

We've worked with a number of structural engineers over the years, and when we need one, we try to pick the one best suited to the particular task (there's no one-size-fits-all.) If your're trusting your contractor with the project, it seems reasonable that you would also trust his/her recommendation of a structural engineer.

@Charles: " it seems reasonable that you would also trust his/her recommendation of a structural engineer"

Unless the contractor says "we don't need an engineer" and he's wrong. The mess comes a couple of years later. The contractor is now 'busy' / out of business.

All that a contractor is, is a project manager. Many of them are nothing but overbearing salesmen.

Trust, but verify. Obviously you don't need an engineer to remodel without any changes to the structure. But a 200 yr/old home - circa 1820 - who knows how that was constructed.

@geoffrey: Some contractors may be simply project managers; our company does a lot more than that. My comment reflects my perspective as a designer/builder/remodeler and licensed professional engineer operating in an area with pretty demanding code officials.

The primary aim of building codes is to ensure life safety. Ensuring that a proposed modification meets code requirements is the responsibility of building code officials who review and approve plans and issue permits. To that end, they serve an important role protecting both consumers and contractors.

In our area, code officials would require plans with an architect's or engineer's seal for the structural modification being considered by the original poster. I can't speak for other localities, but in our area the contractor who says "we don't need an engineer" wouldn't get his plans approved without one.

Usually the new structure must be shown in some kind of drawing but a structural engineer would not be required by law for a new door header the design of which is clearly prescribed by the building code. The code framing tables are there to avoid involving engineers in simple framing matters. However, if LVL's (Laminated Veneer Lumber) are needed or the load path from the ends of the new header to the foundation is not clear or the path is interrupted by other openings, an engineer might be needed. But lumberyards can usually supply an engineer's stamp from an LVL manufacturer for a simple span. It's difficult to imagine a licensed contractor who would not be able to figure out what is needed.

Prescriptive codes provide guidance to address many typical conditions; I concur that a structural engineer would not typically be required to provide design guidance for such conditions.

In our area, most lumberyards employ technicians trained to use a particular manufacturer's (e.g., Boise Cascade, Trus Joist, etc.) proprietary software for sizing engineered wood products (EWPs) such as I-joists, LVLs, PSLs, etc. Technicians should not be confused with licensed professional engineers.

I think you are smart to listen to your brother and lucky to have him available for consult. I also think he is smart to know he doesn't know everything and, therefore, consults with engineers when making such structural changes.

I would not consider your 200 year old home and the change you are considering to be typical, so would want an SE involved, required by law or not. You don't want to get down the road and find your contractor did not know what he was doing. You are not in a position, as a layperson, to be able to evaluate such things. Which is a big problem when relying on homeowner reviews and referrals for contractors.

If you already have a gc in place, I would start by talking to him about bringing one in to see what he says. I would vet any referrals he makes. If you find a great one on your own, I see no reason you can't choose him. If you haven't hired yet, you can research SE's and give them a call for an evaluation. Or find a good architect to handle things. I would no longer rely on a contractor for such a thing, based on my experiences. Except, say, Casey :-). And he gives you good advice.

In my experience a lumberyard would contact the manufacturer and get the proper structural element sizing with an engineer's stamp. Someone on the lumberyard's staff would probably be using quantity and cost estimating software which is another matter entirely. If they sized a beam, in most states they would be practicing engineering without a license.

Renovator18 - If they're using a steel lintel (which I believe is pretty standard for this type of renovation) and fiberglass door/window frames on a brick house, would a lumber yard be utilized at all? I think of lumberyards as being places that deal with wood...

You can pay to get a stamped drawing, but it still may not be the most cost effective and code compliant solution. If a steel beam is specified for a difficult site, it will carry the load but may be next to impossible to install, whereas a built-up beam, equally strong, could be assembled in place. This is why you have an experienced contractor evaluate these situations. I wouldn't want a guy who's never lifted anything heavier than a pencil making this call.

I'll bet Joseph Corlett has had a couple of experiences trying to implement solutions that looked good on paper but weren't so good in the field. Been there, done that, too. If your structural engineer and remodelor will collaborate to develop the best solution you'll incur less cost and there will be less potential for injury and bad language on the job site!

As in, see Casey's advice above.

I just noticed that the wall is brick. Whether it is solid brick or a veneer cavity wall the flashing detail at the new lintel and the installation sequence of the header and lintel will be difficult. You should pick your engineer and contractor very carefully.

Thanks, renovator8. Solid brick. Two hundred year old solid brick.

This will not be a simple project. How are the other openings supported? Are the lintels exposed? Are there any as large as this one will be? The lintel will need to be supported on masonry each side and the wall above will need to be temporarily supported. Hopefully the load is only the weight of the wall. You'll be building from the top down instead of the bottom up. I would involve not only an engineer but a good mason and an architect.

Renovator8 - The only other opening that's been installed since I bought the house is a 6' wide bay window on the long wall. I believe that a steel lintel was installed for support, but the work was done quite some time ago and my memory is dim. I don't believe that the lintel is exposed - or maybe I just don't know what to look for.

The sliding door is planned to be 8' tall overall - to include the glass slider with a transom above, and 7' wide. If need be, for budget & structural reasons, it can be lessened to 6' wide. Of course, the transom could also be done away with, though improving light & garden views are one of the major goals of this renovation.

CarrieB:

I'm getting the heebie-jeebies just thinking about this. Walk down your row of houses and find one that has had this done already. Knock on the door and ask who did it, then hire that guy. This is not a job for a guy who has always wanted to do something like this, it's a job for a guy who has done it.

Joseph - Yeah, I get it with the heebie jeebies - Imagine how I feel, sleeping under that roof? My "row" is only two houses, so, I guess, technically, my house is a twin, but it's a twin that used to be a row in a neighborhood of rows. The adjoining house is a (well, used to be) mirror image of mine, though it is a recent gut/rehab, the back door & window are as mine are currently.

That said, the attached HOUZZ photo is a house in my neighborhood. Well - let me amend that - it's a house in the adjoining neighborhood - only about a quarter or half mile(?) (8 blocks) away - but on the "other/right side of the tracks" from mine. I know the owners - friendly acquaintances/friends of a friend. Their entire house was remodeled by a high end architectural design firm in my city.

I'm not nearly so high-end, but if you have suggestions/think it makes sense to reach out to them, they've been very forthcoming with information - I'm not sure where to start/what to ask. I'd be happy to get your thoughts on this. My house is all I own, and I'm hoping to be in it for a long time.

Nearby row home, owned by friends:

kitchen and breakfast room · More Info

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Post a photo from the outside. You need to look closely at the lintels over the existing openings and especially where they are any wider than 3 ft. Once you have a good lintel design you need a contractor who knows how to support the wall above while the lintel and flashing is being installed. The lintel of the bay window would be hidden in the roof of the bay. You might want to use that approach for the door too. This is really a job for an architect if I'm allowed to say so here.

Thanks, Renovator8. Here's a photo of the outside of the bay window:

And here's the outside of the window/door, which (I hope) will be replaced with a slider (the arbor will be removed.):

Edited to add: I do see (what I believe to be) steel lintels on the first floor, front and back, windows & doors. Here's the one over that back door:

There are probably back to back steel lintel angles above the openings. Because the brick is covered with stucco you should be able to hide a new steel lintel. Only an engineer can tell you for sure but I suspect a structural steel tube (for rotation resistance) might act as a single full depth lintel or be beam that is thinner and under back wythe of brick with a steel angle on it to support the front wythe of brick. You don't have a cavity to drain so the detailing might be pretty simple. Would you consider two 3 ft doors with a post between them? Then you might be able to use the back to back angles and not have to temporarily support the wall above. A good engineer could tell you what the options are.

Try to find the drawings for the bay window at the building department. That information is in the public records although you might have to wait for them to find it in an archive,

Thank you, renovator8. Not being savvy about these kinds of things, I'm only getting maybe half of what you're saying...if that. I'm really hopeful that the pros who do this work will have far more aptitude than I do, not to mention plenty of integrity!

I briefly considered French doors, but my home (& kitchen) are so small that I was hesitant to give up the space they take up - and I don't have AC, so door (with scree) will be open much of the summer. I would consider a door with (a) big window(s) on one side (or on both sides,) though.

Do you think my next step should be to hire an independent structural engineer?

"Do you think my next step should be to hire an independent structural engineer?"

No. You need a reputable contractor first. Discuss your engineering/architectural concerns with him and go from there.

Joseph - the contractor that the KD/cabinet rep. recommends/works with doesn't think I need one.

It depends. If the contractor can take you to 3 other similar jobs and has working relationships with the division of inspection in each that'd be good enough for me. I cannot stress enough that at this stage you want relationships, not mathematics.

I want relationships that lead to my house not falling down on top of me.

Go to the building department and look in the file for your address. You should be able to see the permit and construction drawings for the front bay window. That should give you the names of the people who designed and constructed it. Call them and see if you can use them again.

Renovator8 - that bay is on the side, not the front. It was done without a permit, & I don't intend to use that contractor again. 'Nuf said.

If quality assurance is important to you, I recommend finding a contractor who can recommend an engineer he has worked with before. If a contractor is unable to do that, I recommend finding another one who is. You could also ask architects for the names of engineers who do small projects or simply Google residential engineers near your town or zip code. There should be a lot of ads on Craigslist. Their registration number should be in the ad so you should verify online that it is current and not a contractor license.

Side thought - Carrie, save each and every brick that is removed. One day you may need them; it'll be nearly impossible to find anything close to the original brick.

Hah - Mags! I have a stack of bricks I was going to ask the contractor to GET RID OF while doing the rest of the work. I have too many bricks to store in a small city back yard. If you want them...