Structural Question
I closed last week on a property that the previous owners had taken some walls out. They made a larger kitchen and converted two bedrooms into one.
When doing this they took out a bearing wall that is of course creating stress on the rafters and floor system.
My question: Is my only option to put the wall back in or can I put an LVL beam in instead? The shingles are being replaced and I am sure that alot of Sheathing will have to be cut out and replaced so I am hoping that would be the time to put the beam in.
Any sugestions would be greatly appreciated.
Take the measurements of the opening and call a lumber yard that also does blue print take offs and ask what size glue lamb beam would be sufficient to carry this load. Other sources may be city building dept, structural engineer,glue lamb company?
Good Luck,
Robert
Jchandle
What i meant by sheathing is that the wood underlayment has alot of areas that are gonna need replacing. So it would be open rafters at that point and would be the best time to get something up there. I am going back over this afternoon to try and see if i can figure out the original layout. I ultimately would like to just divide the rooms and put the support back in since the extra bedroom would bring a higher and faster sale.
Mike said it best...........a structural engineer should be consulted.
Simply taking measurments and turning them over to an employee of a lumber yard or doubling or tripling up conventional lumber may not do the job.
Who ever you talk to needs to understand load principles..... loads coming down from the roof to the footer.
Simply moving the loads around to another point, including another load bearing point may not be sufficient to support the additional weight.
Put it this way...........whoever comes up with a fix ought to be able to put their name / responsibility to the final results.
This may be a simple fix however a professional should be consulted.
NC_Yank
Thank you for the replys.
I always use a contractor when doing anything that has to do with structural issues. I was looking to get some feedback before talking with the contractor on his suggestions as to how to handle it. Actually I spoke to him on wether i should get a structural engineer and he said it would not be needed. He did not see any major damage and we could either put the header in or put the walls back the way they were.
I do aggree better safe then sorry when it comes to structure. I am the opposite of spit shining a property and throwing it back on the market. I have been told I tend to go a little overboard.
Thats what i like about this site, you can get the views of several experinced people on an issue and form your own opinion as to how to best handle it.
Thanks again for the input, you have been a big help.
Ron