We have a similar house design with a load bearing wall running right down the center from front to back. In our plan to open up the floor plan and widen the doorways the plan shows manufactured beams (laminated?) so that they don't get too tall and reduce the height of the doorways. The floor joists for my 2nd floor run left to right and from each side they run over and sit on top of the existing load bearing wall. They plan to put up temporary supports, remove the existing wall down the middle of the house, and then replace it with the laminated beam. We haven't had the plans go to the engineer yet, so the initial beam specs are just based on the projected span and the use of 4x4 posts to support the beam at each end and one point in the middle (total beam length is about 20 feet). The posts will be right on top of the steel I-beam that runs across the basement below. Bruce

Thanks so much for your responses and your concerns. Let me clarify a couple things. First, the kitchen/bathroom area was added on to a two story farm type house back in the 50s. It has a slanted lean-to roof over that area. So there is no 2nd floor over this area, although there is a basement under it. The basement has a support wall that runs between the two sections directly below the load bearing wall on the main floor. Secondly, the 30" door that we took out had been framed into a larger area with a 40" header. It looked very much like it was a 36" or larger door at one time (probably the exterior door). So I think it still has enough support. However, we are not engineers or even general contractors, which is why I was asking questions. It is my understanding from talking to a local contractor that no permits are required if you are working on your own home in our area. After reading your concerns, I will call City Hall on Monday and verify this is correct. I live in a very small town in northern Montana close to the Canadian border. We do not have any engineers or architects and very few general contractors in our area. Most of the contractors are booked up for several months in advance, as we are currently in the middle of an oil-boom here. Thus we are trying to DIY. After all the concerns and warnings that you have given me, I have called a local GC that we know. While he does not have time to do any work for us, he has agreed to meet with us next week one evening and do a consult and answer some questions, and give us some direction informally. I guess that will have to do. Thanks for your warnings. I appreciate your input.

What do you mean by "not the header for the entire wall?"? I'm a little confused by your statement of "I have a kitchen with a 35" opening that is 4 steps down into family room. " Is the 35" opening in the kitchen or the family room? Will the additional 2' be adjacent to the transition of the kitchen/family room (or is the existing opening already adjacent)? The reason I ask is that you might need additional jack studs so your renovation may extend into the room without the opening. And as someone said above, you'll need to provide support while swapping out the header & that may require the work extending into the other room as well. LVLs, steel I-beams, or flitch plate beams are all possible solutions to keep the depth to a minimum.

Oh, ok. I thought you were an accountant! (CPA rtist) LOL!!!! At least then you understand the intangibles that are always present in a well designed house. I like your magazine cover.....congratulations......AND it incorporates the rule of thirds!! A couple of ideas. Lower the ceiling from 9'4"to 7'6" just at the 2nd floor bath entry and put the unit up there on a platform. Looks like then we'll have about 3' to the bottom of the rafters but we might not even need the lowered ceiling to achieve that. It's so small it can be easily insulated. Should not count against the house area as it's not habitable space. And the air filter is at the return grill at the floor level so you don't have to go up there to change it. I did this in one of my own houses and it worked great. A quarter turn of a latch with a dime or penny on the hinged grill and out popped the filter. We could do the same thing above in the back of the garage. Looks like we have about an 11' ceiling height there. If so we'd have to separate the unit from the garage with 5/8" drywall on a normal wall assembly just like it was interior space so we get the typical separation from the garage. Don't know why your guy isn't thinking up this stuff instead of you and I. Another LOL!! As an afterthought got you more closet space in your studio but still underwhelmed by the elevation(s). EDIT: Was putting away the drawing and in looking at it, just thought of a third place for the HVAC unit.....in the ceiling/roof above the kitchen/dining area but accessed from your studio on the second floor.