Replies

1. 
   oldhand | Jul 18, 2012 06:55pm | #1

   more info required.....

   You need to give more detail. Just for starters, is the beam load bearing ?

1. 
   DanH | Jul 18, 2012 08:20pm | #2

   And where, precisely, is this "beam" in the overall structure?  Ridge beam?  Rafter?  Something else?

2. 
   davidmeiland | Jul 19, 2012 05:44pm | #3

   Yes, done that

   with a ridge beam.

   You need to build temporary walls to support the rafters, on both sides of the beam. Then you remove the beam, either upward or downward (we cut it into pieces and brought it down). Then you put the new one in, either from above or below depending on the situation, we did it from above and had to strip some roofing and cut back some sheathing to make it happen.

   Many hands make light work on something like this.

3. 
   Roundandround | Jul 19, 2012 06:13pm | #4

   It is an exposed support beam that runs the length of the room about 17 feet and extends to the exterior of the house. It is a a beam about 5 inches thick and 14 inches wide. There is a void about 3 feet from the support in the beam caused by carpenter ants. By knocking the beam, I guess the void is about 9 by 12 inside the beam. I can see major, major, major labor is going to be required to replace it.

1. 
   DanH | Jul 19, 2012 06:34pm | #5

   Unfortunately, "support beam"

   Unfortunately, "support beam" doesn't tell us much more about where this beam is.  Is it running along the very top of the ridge (ridge beam), diagonally up and down (rafter), across the middle, with other wood pieces running upward towards the roof (part of a truss structure),  or some other way?

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1. 
   Roundandround | Jul 20, 2012 12:22am | #6

   It is a ridge beam with the rafters resting on top. The beam extends through the outside wall of the house by about 2 feet.

1. 
   xxPaulCPxx | Jul 20, 2012 10:06am | #7

   You might want to use an exterior grade beam for this then.

4. 
   Hokuto | Jul 20, 2012 10:20am | #8

   Oh, yuch!

   we potentially have the same situation. We have a hipped roof (three sections) supported by two beams that run the length of the hip. Last year we discovered carpenter ant droppings at several points under one of the beams. I sprayed the affected beam at every available opening with ant poison, and even drilled some holes to give me better access for spraying. The ant activity immediately disappeared, but we had a tiny bit of activity again this summer. I sprayed again and have seen no more ant activity, but I fear we will have to replace the beam at some date. (The carpenter ants have already attacked [I think] the 1st floor floor joists, causing the house to sag noticeably on that side; I have to take care of that this summer, but I hope I can avoid replacing the ceiling beams for a few more years, anyway.

5. 
   davidmeiland | Jul 20, 2012 04:02pm | #9

   Fire damage

   and it was expensive

6. 
   oops | Jul 20, 2012 08:49pm | #10

   replacing beam

   First make dang sure that you really need to replace it. You said that you had not removed any finished ceiling to examine it. You may be making a mountain out of an ANT hill