I need experienced opinions to solve a problem with cantilevers holding up a second floor balcony. There are three 4 x 12 cantilevers holding up a balcony 28 feet long. The cantilever is 55″ and the height of the bottom of the 4 x 12 is 104″ from a lower porch. The other end of the 4 x 12 cantilever runs 72″ under the floor joists of the second floor. The post under this 4 x 12 is a 4 x 10. This 4 by stucture looks like a T. The load on this middle 55″ cantilever is the weight of the balcony and facia beams tied to it from the ends of the two outrside cantilevers.
The two 14 foot facia beams spanning the 14 feet between the 4 x 12′ cantilever ends need replacing (rot) and the 4 x 12 cantilevers on the two ends are sagging 1 1/2 ” after thirty years. The builder wants to span the 28′ with a steel girder and put steel posts on either end. This obviates the need to deal with the cantilevers at all. I want to put wood columns under the outside cantilevers and somehow brace the center cantilever to preserve the view (ocean) on the open porch below. Is there a bracing solution to strengthen the center cantilever which someone on the porch below won’t bump their head on? By the way, the center cantilever sags only 1/2 inch because the load is significantly less than the outside cantilevers.