To help give you an idea, last year I partially recessed a 13' glu-lam into my living room ceiling. It had joist hangers on only one side. Working by myself, it took two days to seal the area, demo the ceiling and wall areas, build a support wall, remove the "non-beam", move some wiring, fix this and that, and install the new beam with proper supporting posts at each end, and then clean up (lath and plaster, big, big mess). Took roughly 14 hours of labor working by myself. Two men should be able to do it in one day if they know what they are doing.

I can't imagine recessing a beam for less than $2,500.00.

To pontificate on price one would need to be assessing the structure of your home ONSiITE and condition specific and the price could vary by thousands.

Can you not get second and third quotes from ofher local Qualified contractors?

It is unlikely even a 12" deep wood beam will fit in a typical existing ceiling space and considerably more detailing will be needed to use a steel beam and supports. It might also be possible to use a pair of channels. All of that must be drawn before you can get reliable competitive prices.

We did the same thing that rmtdoug describes, though with joists hanging on both sides, DIY as well, and concur with his description and approximate timelines. I saw an HGTV show years ago where they did something similar and said it cost $5000, which made my mouth drop.

I think it would be different if you're dealing with an exterior wall, which presumably would have rafters or trusses intersecting there. I don't know if you could recess a beam into that space unless you're redoing the roofline.

Wait, I just re-read the post and see that you've got a 2-story house. Are you bumping just the first floor out or will the addition be 2 stories? It would seem like you could just sister in the new lam beam to the existing rim joist. That's a lot simpler than cutting through connecting joists on either side and re-attaching them.

If this beam spans more than 6 ft, it cannot be designed using the tables from the building code and that means it should be designed by an engineer. Even in the rare case that a state allows a builder to design such a major beam using manufacturer's tables, you would be very wise to use an engineer instead. There are forces involved like torsion (especially for a sistered beam), lateral bracing of the building wall, reactions and restraint bracing at the supports, etc, that a builder might understandably overlook. The first step is to get an engineer's opinion of what is needed in order to fit in the ceiling and then to get a drawing that can be bid with several contractors.

renovator - That's a good point. I did run the project through a structural engineer. It was a very simple thing to do. There were 5 things I needed to furnish regarding the beam: Roof (length and pitch), what the beam is supporting (upstairs knee wall and roof in my case), location relative to the outside bearing wall, and the span of the beam. This was included in a very basic line drawing to orient him to the structure.

If you remove the entire back wall of a house at the ground level you remove the code required lateral bracing that resists wind and seismic forces parallel to the wall which is especially critical for a 2 story house..

Any engineer or architect who puts his stamp on a plan he drew from information he hasn't confirmed in person by a site visit is negligent.

It won't kill him to leave his comfy chair and air conditioning, but not doing so may kill someone else.

weedyacres - we are extending the first floor only. we are planning to use a pedestal paver system above and have the back bedroom open up to a balcony.

renovator - the area is the entire back wall of the house and does indeed span more than six feet. i know that "anything can be done" but do you believe that our project may be more trouble (and money) than its worth?

I have no way of knowing if the project is worth doing: you haven't even told us the size of the opening or the climate. But when you remove an entire exterior wall you will have eliminated the code required lateral bracing for that side of the house and cannot use any of the prescribed methods in the IRC book. In such a case, the IRC allows the use of theAF&PA Wood Frame Construction Manual (WFCM) or design by an engineer. The WFCM can be downloaded in PDF format for free. Another design guide blessed by the IRC is A Guide to the 2012 IRC Wood Wall Bracing Provisions

When I have done this, the engineer designed short sheer walls at the ends of the new beam that were bolted to the floor above and below and had plywood sheathing glued and screwed to each side, and/or similar interior sheer walls.

The issue of recessing the beam is not complicated but it may require some labor intensive shoring and bracing of the exterior wall while the new beam is installed. The loads from above must sit directly on the beam; a sistered or offset beam will not work.

To be sure, any major alteration to a structure should be evaluated by a licensed professional engineer. In addition to sizing the beam, the engineer will need to specify the columns which will support it on either end and ensure that the loads will transfer to the foundation. The addition will need lateral bracing to resist wind and/or seismic forces. Please note these are "shear" walls. Sheer walls are something an interior decorator might add for aesthetic purposes.

There will likely be a number of alternatives to accomplish your objective. I encourage you to have your GC and engineer discuss which alternative best meets your needs at the lowest cost.

Thanks all. Lots of invaluable insight here and it's all much appreciated. We are waiting on our contractor to think through the options so we can make an informed decision .

Charles Ross Homes Thanks for the restatement of my three earlier posts about the need for lateral bracing and the clarification of the difference between interior decoration and structural design. I wouldn't want to confuse anyone.