Thanks for the input. My house is a ranch, so there's nothing to support above it, but the roof. We're taking out a load bearing wall that separates the living room from dining room, and the contractor will replace this with a flush beam. One end of the beam will be supported by an outside wall and the other end will terminate on a small wall that sits over a post in the basement. I get the feeling that my contractor has done this a lot and feels pretty comfortable with that arrangement. Meanwhile, I've noticed that my living room runs the full width of the house (24') with no support other than a homemade truss arrangement for the roof, that I understand was common in the early 1960's. This arrangement has stood the test of time, so I guess it's okay, but I still get a bit nervous when there's a large amount of snow on the roof. I had asked the contractor about installing a beam over the living room as well, but he was a bit more hesitant about that, and merely said he would look at it when he starts the kitchen work. So I guess the answer is that an engineer would be needed to decide if/how additional support could be provided in the living room. That's probably why my contractor is hesitant to give me a firm answer.

katie- I am mostly responding to the concerns in your other thread here. First of all, I certainly emphasize with the strain of not being able to figure out how to make the layout work, or how to hire the people you need when budget is a concern. We have been *thinking of* doing our kitchen for seven years while we try to figure it out! In terms of your stress level, I would encourage you to think about whether it is the actual kitchen condition that is causing you stress, or it is the project that is causing you stress...in which case it might be best to sit back and try to make your kitchen workable so that you have a little breathing room. Trying to just get it done may end up costing more to get less of what you want. I assume you are waiting to replace your microwave because you want to buy a new one with the built in look...but we were able to pick up a used microwave for $25 on craigslist (which we have now used for 6 years...it is good we picked it up). A garbage disposal replacement is usual a DIY install...and the new disposal should be able to be installed in your new kitchen...my hubby (who is a chemistry professor but likes DIY) also has installed dishwashers if you know that appliances you want. That does not solve the open sofits and cealing, but it does make the kitchen more functional. I think pictures would help me visualize the spaces more, but I am going to be the odd man out and say that I think trying to recess your fridge into the dining room is going to eat up a lot of your budget, and I am not completely sure what you are going to gain. I think your concern is that your fridge is sticking too far into the highly trafficked space. Do you have any built in pieces that make the "living room" the living room, the dining room the dining room and the family room the family room? I think I would try to turn the dining room in the "living room" (or the family room kids hangout space with the door that closes!). Then you could put in a large island with sink running the long direction of the house (or leave your sink) , put your fridge between the french door and the low window with a pantry (or counterspace next to it) and leave the stove where it is. You could then put your dining table in the living room (but have bar seating on the island) and even set up a small seating area in your new dining room...our house is probably a very different style than yours, but our little couch at the end of our dining room is quite popular! (It's in an alcove, but you see our chandelier and built in china closet...it is very much part of the dining room...you might even be able to put in a built in bench under your low window). I have certainly found the staring over phenomenon quite difficult...especially because everyone does things differently. Our first quote came back "no structural engineer required," the second contractor wanted us to hire a structural engineer before he wrote the quote (although he did say he would most likely correctly guess what needed to be done), the architect we talked to would bring a structural engineer and start boring in the walls. The third contractor said he would open up the walls, and then have the engineer come make drawings if we wanted...he said that we could go either way but the permitting would be much easier with a stamped engineers drawing. Each contractor uses a different cabinet sales person that sells a different line of cabinets! Have you tried home depot or cliqstudios or something similar? I went to home depot and met with the designer...they gave me a ballpark figure but said I would have to pay $100 for a measure to get an actual design/quote, but the kitchen designer I met with was very helpful and gave me some good ideas. The $100 would be applied to the install...we need a gut to update knob and tube wire etc so we are not doing home depot install. I talked to cliqstudioes today and I am curious with what they come up with. I have also found it really helpful to look at real estate photos of similar houses to mine to see how they updated the kitchen...they are more consistent with the style, budget and layout constraints of my project than the Houzz photos are.

You need a structural engineer. Posts need footings. You’ll need to dig footings. Steel is stronger than glue lam, and smaller. It will not need intermediate support if designed correctly. Steel is always the answer. Along with a work crew that has experience with it. NOT DIYable. Structural work is like racing. How much you want it to be invisible depends on how much money you have. How fast do you want to go? Pony it up. A 300K level remodel is going to bleed it at every opportunity. This is where you need the experienced architect and GC and let them do their jobs.

Joseph, Being a homeowner myself, I of course am in the same boat as you with regards to wasteful spending of potentially unnecessary services for a home remodel. There are many situations you would not need an engineer to help you with a design. Adding a simple header for a window/doorway to a load bearing wall through a licensed contractor who knows what span tables to use for the region is an example. It really depends on the situation and the person's competency. I gave this situation some more thought, and it basically boils down to two options for a typical homeowner: 1. Are you willing to accept the life and death risk/consequences of a structural decision/calculation you make? You may not get sued or goto jail for a structural collapse that kills your loved one, but are ready to live with that decision? Do you have a complete understanding about your particular situation to make an informed structural design decision? Are you confident the age of the wood/beam in question is in good enough condition to use span tables for shear, moment, and deflection requirements? Beams can fail in multiple ways. Do you know how to inspect wood for this criteria? Do you know the knott to clear wood ratio required for a certain construction grade of wood listed in span tables? Do you know how to calculate when too many nails, screw, holes is too many? Do you know when it's safe to assume a species of wood, and when you need to be conservative? Do you know how to visually identify a beam that is likely load limited by moment, shear, or deflection? Do you know how to identify a beam that is typically subjected to a distributed load but must be designed for a point load in the same or different direction? Beams that are improperly sized typically do not just collapse immediately, they collapse later under a circumstance not accounted for. Licensed structural engineers spend their careers understanding the modes of failure and designing for them. When a building does not collapse under normal or extreme situations it is not an accident, everything is calculated to save lives. Licensed civil engineers are arguably responsible for more lives than any other professional field, it justifies the difficulty in getting the license. or 2. Are you willing to spend 3-400 dollars on an engineer like me who will spend a few hours to look at your home, make some quick calculations, and generate a basic drawing with their stamp? The stamp guarantees a sound design with serious legal consequences if that is not the case. Those consequences follow me long after I retire, and include fines or even imprisonment. No civil engineer wants to provide their stamp without adequate investigation because of how serious of a commitment it is, but we will do it when we are confident in the design. It's our job. My stamp has the power to override provisions in the building code, and forms the legal basis for a claim against a home 20+ years down the road, you could not say the same for other trades.