Heather:

You may get some steel wrapped in reclaimed lumber to do the job, but I'm not sure any reclaimed lumber will make that span. Is there a basement under the floor? Finished? You may need to transfer the load to a new post with a footer. This could get fairly expensive rather quickly.

Are you doing other major renovations in your home? Because I can't see how a reclaimed timber beam is related to the style of your house. Can you just change the style of the beam into something much more simple and less kitschy?

I used to have a supplier that specialized in either whole home kits (timber and log), or just something like a truss roof down to a single beam. Let me see if I can find out if they're still around. They worked with mills around the country.

"I was thinking perhaps I should start with an engineer??"

I'd start with a contractor familiar with this type of work. If he needs an engineer, he probably has one. Don't play coy with your budget numbers; you need to convince him you're realistic and qualified.

This change is probably doable, but will involve some significant work to keep the structural integrity. The post you want to remove is certainly load bearing. To replace it you will have to install robust support posts on either end of the span, and then install a beam between them that can support the weight. In most new homes they are using manufactured wooden LVL beams instead of steel beams, although you can probably still get steel beams.

The challenge is that you would want the bottom of the beam to be as high as possible, so you need to remove or modify existing framing to recess it as much as you can. LVL beams are generally taller for longer spans, although in some cases they can be doubled up (width) to carry a bigger load. However, the beam will be relatively bulky for a span that long.

If you like the look of reclaimed lumber you may be able to install a new LVL beam and then glue on a veneer of reclaimed lumber (maybe 1" thick) to make it look like the entire beam is reclaimed lumber.

When I hired a contractor to open my floor plan and install new beams it was very easy for him to figure out span length and sizes, since the manufacturers had good documentation. However, the city required me to have the plans reviewed by a PE, who signed off and stamped the plans. It was a waste of time, since my contractor understood the work better than the PE, but the PE had the right credentials and the official stamp.

Bruce

Thank you, Bruce. I appreciate your response. I do hope we can do without a column/posts but we'll see. Getting ready to call a contractor.