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We are considering removing the main bearing wall from the 1st floor of our 90-year-old brick 2 1/2 storey detached house. The total beam length would be about 27 feet, and the total length of the supported joists is about 18 feet (that is, about 9′ span on either side of the beam).
There are 2 13″ square brick columns in the basement spaced roughly 8′ apart supporting a wooden girder, presumably on adequate footings. It seems clear that a properly sized parallam beam with posts centered over those columns could replace the bearing wall; the problem is that the posts would be highly inconvenient in the resulting space.
Does it seem plausible that an otherwise unsupported beam could run the entire 27′ house and be supported by the exterior brick walls? I would consult a structural engineer for beam sizing and support details, of course, but it would be helpful to know whether such a thing is possible before continuing with designing the interior.
Thanks in advance for your comments!
-Dave.
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Anything is possible. (Web site is still "fakey"., deleted posts were identical to this, don't know why it posted 3X)
You need to add to the post what length joists, other walls or roof supports, et. al. are supported by this beam for anybody to even provide a rough calculation at anything from an I-beam or 6 by 26 or larger glue lam, etc. You may need to add footings/pillasters to the inside of the basement wall also depending on your soil under the foundation. Roughly, for joist loads only, 9 feet to 27 feet for the same width beam as you presently have would equal 3X the depth of beam you now have.
*It is unlikely that your footings will support the loads at the ends of the beam.It is very likely that the beam will be very heavy.You might consider putting posts in convient places and extending them onto pads in the basement.
*If it were me...I'd first check the footings under the brick columns to make sure there good enough. ..90 years ago they could have done anything. then I'd set first floor posts above the columns to carry a sized beam... think a little bit, there's all kinds of ways to enhance your open design using posts.
*Thanks all for the helpful replies. We'll look for ways to incorporate the posts as features, and will exercise appropriate caution with the footings.
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We are considering removing the main bearing wall from the 1st floor of our 90-year-old brick 2 1/2 storey detached house. The total beam length would be about 27 feet, and the total length of the supported joists is about 18 feet (that is, about 9' span on either side of the beam).
There are 2 13" square brick columns in the basement spaced roughly 8' apart supporting a wooden girder, presumably on adequate footings. It seems clear that a properly sized parallam beam with posts centered over those columns could replace the bearing wall; the problem is that the posts would be highly inconvenient in the resulting space.
Does it seem plausible that an otherwise unsupported beam could run the entire 27' house and be supported by the exterior brick walls? I would consult a structural engineer for beam sizing and support details, of course, but it would be helpful to know whether such a thing is possible before continuing with designing the interior.
Thanks in advance for your comments!
-Dave.