Beam size to remove 16' load-bearing wall
Budget: $250 – $750 USD
There is a 16' (actually, 15' 4") load-bearing wall we wish to remove. It's an internal wall separating the living room and family room, and it is a load-bearing wall for the roof truss system. The house is a 1974 single-story home with attic.
We have 12" of vertical space where a 3.5" wide header beam can be added so the 16"-centered studs can be removed. We need the engineering calculations done to determine the required depth of the header beam, and the required length of the support sections for the header beam on either side. We have around 6" of easy access to mount the header beam on top of on each side, and need to know if that is sufficient support.
We are open to adding two round fiberglass columns if a 2 x 1.75"x12"x15.5' beam is not enough to support the structure. They'd be placed at around 4' from each wall, with roughly an 8' span between them. I'd rather be conservative and over-build vs under-build, we'll go with columns if needed.
I will get a contractor to do the work of removing the studs, so just need engineering calculations and documentation to confirm that this is sufficient.
Also, if you could advise on whether an engineered header (such as an LVL) would be sufficient without fiberglass columns vs a simple 2 - 2x12's requiring fiberglass columns, that would be helpful also.
I do realize that a final assessment requires an on-site visit for certainty, but I can provide any necessary pictures, measurements, or other info as needed.
Thank you!
We have 12" of vertical space where a 3.5" wide header beam can be added so the 16"-centered studs can be removed. We need the engineering calculations done to determine the required depth of the header beam, and the required length of the support sections for the header beam on either side. We have around 6" of easy access to mount the header beam on top of on each side, and need to know if that is sufficient support.
We are open to adding two round fiberglass columns if a 2 x 1.75"x12"x15.5' beam is not enough to support the structure. They'd be placed at around 4' from each wall, with roughly an 8' span between them. I'd rather be conservative and over-build vs under-build, we'll go with columns if needed.
I will get a contractor to do the work of removing the studs, so just need engineering calculations and documentation to confirm that this is sufficient.
Also, if you could advise on whether an engineered header (such as an LVL) would be sufficient without fiberglass columns vs a simple 2 - 2x12's requiring fiberglass columns, that would be helpful also.
I do realize that a final assessment requires an on-site visit for certainty, but I can provide any necessary pictures, measurements, or other info as needed.
Thank you!