Looking to open up this portion in the basement. Can anyone give me their opinion in regards to the picture I posted - whether one would need to put a steel beam/laminated beam into this section or could it be opened up?
You will need a beam across the opening to support the joists which are presently supported by the wall you plan to remove. The resolution of the drawing is not very good, but that appears to be the situation.
Consult a span chart to determine the size of beam required. I would use a laminated beam in this situation.
Note that the beam does not have to go under the joists to support them. You can use joist hangers and bury the beam in the joist cavity to increase headroom in the basement.
Steve (Tsawwassen, BC)
The wall you are planing to remove is load bearing wall. Steel beam would be better, but LVL Beam will do job.
Question is how to support new beam. You can try to utilize existing wall or build new footing with steel posts. I would need to see existing condition to give you proper answer.
I recommend you play it safe on this one. Better to hire a contractor and spend a bit of money, instead of perhaps paying a lot of money if the structural work is not done right.
Best,
Andrew
I thought that the picture I posted would've come out better. I was looking for a second opinion on whether or not a beam was needed... And I thought it would, but was actually hoping someone would say "no beam needed" lol....
I'll post an update later on if I get this done.
The drawing indicates a footing is already in place under the existing wall (dotted line). This can be used to support the posts so you do not need to dig.
Steve
If there is an existing wall there, then there must be a "point load" bearing point in the wall that is providing support.
You can remove sections of the wall, but NOT this point load with no structural issues occurring.
My suggestion to you for this is take it slow and remove the drywall first to open it up and see. If you see a section of the wall with 3+ studs (2x4) laminated together, this is your point load, which you cannot remove.
As a general rule as well, if your span is longer than 8ft, you should think about supporting the span. As someone has already mentioned, you need to look at the span regulations to determine if you need further support than what currently exists.
If there is an existing wall there, then there must be a "point load" bearing point in the wall that is providing support.
You can remove sections of the wall, but NOT this point load with no structural issues occurring.
My suggestion to you for this is take it slow and remove the drywall first to open it up and see. If you see a section of the wall with 3+ studs (2x4) laminated together, this is your point load, which you cannot remove.
As a general rule as well, if your span is longer than 8ft, you should think about supporting the span. As someone has already mentioned, you need to look at the span regulations to determine if you need further support than what currently exists.
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