Just to be clear, I’m not pulling a beam. There is no beam right now as far as I can tell. I’m just trying to determine if I could add columns for support instead of putting IN a beam since I thought installing a beam would cost a lot more. But I’d only do that if it was a lot cheaper.
I think you are confused about the physics/engineering involved here. In general, all posts attach to beams, there is no need for a post without a beam.
If I am understanding you correctly, you currently have a standard stick framed load bearing wall. That wall is essentially a beam, the load from the roof and upper floor are borne by the two 2x4's on the top plate, which is then distributed to the bottom plate 2x4's by studs (2x4's) every 16" or 24". There are typically not beams or posts in stick built load bearing walls.
When you start removing studs, you must find a way to stiffen the top plate (make it bigger) so it doesn't bend under the load. This is commonly done by replacing the top plate with a beam when removing the entire stud or by adding a header beam when only removing part of a stud. This takes the load that was borne by the 2x4's that were removed and transfers it to the 2x4's on each side, which are enlarged to carry the additional load. Typically for a doorway you will simply add a 2x4 to each side. These double 2x4's are essentially posts.
The bigger the opening the thicker the beam needs to be in order to carry the load. In order to keep beam height and thus costs from rising to astronomical levels, posts are added to distribute the load down at points along the beam. So again, since generally the entire reason for adding posts is to shrink the beam size, there really is no such creature as a post without a beam.
To complicate things even more, posts concentrate loads that were distributed along an entire wall to specific points, and thus those points must be load bearing through the floor. In plain English this means that you often have to reinforce the footer under the post to carry the additional load.
Good luck
Disclaimer: I am not a professional at this but have some experience. Additionally, this is simplified and some of the more nuanced and technical aspects have been glossed over. I welcome additional input from the architects.
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Elite Remodeling & Design in San Diego (Avee)
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