Removing load bearing wall and hide lvl beam
Hui Niu
3 years ago
Hi, all, we plan to hire somebody to help one up load bearing wall and hide the beams from all side, see pic below. The beam between fireplace room and next room(with phone hang in the wall) needs to go, and the wall supporting current beam needs to go too. Is it possible? How long can we open? There’s a second floor, and the fireplace side is the exterior wall. Thanks!!!
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PROJoseph Corlett, LLC
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRelated Discussions
Removing a load bearing wall - possible?
Comments (14)I have been trying to figure out how a floor was supported and I even had the original structural design drawings. I finally removed some plaster and instead of the double 12" LVL beam, I found an 8x10 wide flange steel beam. If you want to avoid making a dangerous mistake you need to actually see the structure. Any structural engineer will tell you that because they've all had the experience I just had and because of the higher standard of responsibility to which they are held by courts. Never guess about a structure....See Moreload bearing wall removal
Comments (8)To answer your question it is necessary to know the span of the beam (is it 8 ft or 12 ft long?) and the area of the second floor that it supports. It is not enough to describe this condition; you need to make a drawing. Off hand it seems like it might be oversized. As noted earlier LVL manufacturers will size a beam like this for you if your lumberyard is willing to contact them. A more important issue is probably the location of the support posts on the beam below. If they are not near a basement support post, the steel beam might need to be checked for the new point loads....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 MoreRemoving a load bearing wall 20ft in a ranch home
Comments (11)Telling someone who wants to remodel to just buy a new house isn't very helpful or practical in most cases. The only vision the architect of my 1969 ranch house had was to tick off all the must-haves of the day, so it's a typical 600 sq ft living area divided into separate, cramped kitchen, den, living/dining rooms. The wall between the kitchen and den turned out to be a sheet of plywood, with bookcases on one side and cabinets and appliances on the other - a real architectural treasure! I opened the space up with beams in the attic to carry the load and create a usable living space. To the original question, if you don't know how to calculate what you need, you absolutely must consult with someone who knows what they are doing to help you. I consulted an experienced remodeling contractor before I purchased my house to make sure what I wanted to do was feasible and affordable....See More
Seabornman
3 years ago
PROCharles Ross Homes
3 years agoHui Niu
3 years ago- PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
3 years ago
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