Use of Existing Brick Leadger to support 2nd floor header axial load
springmeadoweonvation
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
We are planning on opening up the front foyer of our house by extending the front door out into the front lawn. The house currently has brick in the area we will be removing. I wanted to know if I can use the brick leadger as a foundation point to carry the axial load from the jack studs I will need to add to hold up the new header where the current front door is located. The header will be a 3×12 micro-lam to support the 2nd floor load and the roof load above.
Replies
Have you dug down ?
If the brick ledge continues down to the footing, commonly done by using 12" block from footing to near grade, then changing to 8", and using the ledge of the 12".
For brick ledge I've seen cantelever'd 12" and angle iron bolted to the foundation. Those would be suspect .
If you are removing the existing door header and replacing it with a longer microlam, wouldn't the point loads still be in the original exterior wall and sitting on the foundation?
Not yet, wanted to check viability before back breaking work ;-)
In planning phase. Ground is a little hard to dig, but will do so in spring. From your first comment it sounds like if I can confirm 12" block from foundation footing up to 8" block near sill then using 4" brick ledge would be an adequate support. Should I worry at all about load eccentricity? there is a full basement below so only soil against the outside of the wall up to the sill.
I would agree that if angle iron or some such "attachment" scheme, then I would have to come back to the main house foundation. I just was not sure if the above condition was sufficient.
Just replacing the existing header is certainly an option I will fall back on, but I am trying to minimize the extent of demolition into the walls on either side since these are separate rooms, it would also be getting close to some existing windows along this wall. I could also just frame the jack studs in the inside, but then I am giving up some space.
Thank you very much for your experience and advice.
Spring, correct me if I'm wrong.
You are opening up the entry and building OUT into the "yard".
If you are opening the wall that contains the door (removing this door and widening the "entry" opening), why worry about intruding into that wall's finishes? Open up-gone-longer header-finish opening.
I might be misinterpreting what exactly you are doing, care to post a couple pictures, a sketch if you can?
Are you perhaps creating a "mudroom, lobby or airlock" by leaving the existing wall and door and building out sidewalls and setting a new door in a new wall on the end? I'm a bit lost.
You almost had me with axial, now you mention load eccentricity. I assume again that you are concerned with this point load being "off center" of the block foundation?
Sorry for my not seeing what you plan to do.
Attached is Drawing. Trying to avoid disturbing doorway on left (dining room) and doorway on left (living room). I can cleanly demo to these door jams on the existing foyer side of the entranc way. I am proposing to put LV over brick ledge since I have to take all of the brick out anyway along this area and lay a simple foundation to pick up the new extension of the foyer.
On your last comment, yes I was concerned with having the point load on either side of the LVL sitting on the 4" ledge placing the load center 4" from the center of the foundation wall.
Thanks for the probe idea.
Just a bit more splain'n Lucy.
The bumped out doorway in yellow is NEW?
And it used to be back there just the other side of the proposed new lvl header?
Which way do the joists run in that area?
Answers
Yes, this drawing represents the post construction configuration.
Yes, the pre-construction configuration had the doorway flush with the rest of the house.
Joists for 2nd floor (2x8) run perpendicular to LVL. LVL is load bearing 2nd floor load and roof load.
Again thanks for your patients.
spring
The reason I ask is that I was concerned that if you move that lvl out, your joists wouldn't be long enough to bear on it. If there's a cantelever over and beyond the house wall, then maybe you do have bearing.
That is the case I take it?
No problem on the patience, I'm here now watching the boiler guy service my system.
Roger on Cantelever
Yes, 2nd floor is cantelever ~12-14 inches beyond main house.
Well, I think I got the picture
And believe you have a good chance of making this work. Your inspector would be the guy to ask whether you'll need engineering details.
Personally, I would go to stuffing it up in the wall where the old header was and be pretty confident of not disrupting the other parts you're concerned with. I'm assuming the extra distance on those joists bearing point doesn't put it over the top spanwise. You'd be able to easily support the load from outside and depending on finishes, should be able to cut out/or cut loose fasteners without disrupting the interior finish beyond repair.
Best of luck.
Thank you
Thanks for the advice.
Also
you can get an idea of the footing/foundation ledge w/o digging (but not frozen ground) by using a probe. I have one about 55" long that is a "T" with a bit of a pointed bulb on the end. The bulb keeps it from staying in the ground by making a hole bigger than the rod of the T. 3/8's rod with a 3/4" pipe handle forming the T. You work you way down probing at an angle at that brick, ledge and then find the footing.
Admittedly soil type and depth make a hell of a difference.