Thank you for the great info, i will follow up.
Dianne
Hi Dianne,
the post on either side of the beam should be sized according to the load above them (interior post should always be nailed, not screwed, as the fastener is much stronger). The goal is to bring this post load to your concrete foundation, so you will need to block it between floors and make a tight construction. in 90% of the time, an 8" concrete wall will support almost all loads a 2 storey house will give them (50's house may have a 6" concrete wall, in Calgary at least). If your foundation is less than 8", I would get a structural engineer involve. Hope this help.
Because lvls are not listed in the span tables of the Building Code, whoever supplied it should have computer-modeled the entire building sufficiently to answer your question and provided details as well. Alternatively, a beam could have been selected based on the span tables in the Code and then all the other Part 9 rules apply.
It would need to be determined whether the loads being transferred include a floor system only or a roof as well. Once the loads are calculated the appropriate means of transferring the loads to the ground can be determined. It is possible that not only columns but also a pad footing may be needed in the basement. If any existing beams are being point-loaded this is a situation not covered by Part 9 rules (which then means engineering).
Also, a project such as this should have a building permit which means a plan review by your municipality who will be looking for either the suppliers' details or conformance to the Part 9 rules; they should be able to assist you with this kind of question as well.
Ian Derksen
Safety Codes Officer - Building
Hi Dianne,
I have to agree with Ian here that there should be a permit for this type of work! Any structural changes to a house can create havoc and very unsafe living conditions if not done properly.
I would highly recommend at the very minimum, seeking the advice of a structural engineer at this point to ensure that your modifications will not create structural weaknesses inside your home and put your family at risk. They will assist you in doing the assessment and recommendations for supporting the changes you have done in your home.
I would also highly recommend getting your local building inspectors involved. Although it is extra money, if you go to sell your home down the road one day, it may become very difficult to do with non permitted structural work being completed like this.
Good luck with the rest of this project though!
Matthew Stranks
Project Manager
Stoneybrook Contracting
Whenever you are removing a bearing wall and installing a beam to replace it, your contractor should always hire a structural engineer to assess the load requirements of the beam and make sure that the structure under the new posts is adequate to take on the additional weight from the new point loads this type of project requires a permit from your municipality because of the danger involved with not supporting the load above properly. This project would not even get passed the permit approval phase if your contractor did not have an engineers approval and drawings in place.
The LVL beams and posts in each side should be a result of a calculations that taking into consideration the span of the beam and how much loads that is coming from the second floor.
As far as for your point regarding a point loads in these specific two sides instead of the load distributed against the complete wall, there is no problem as long as the steel beam is just right underneath of theses supports
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