Expert: Ted Barnhill (Principal, Design45 LLC) - 12/19/2008

Question
Hello, My living room and dinning room was hold up by 2 large beam connecting in the middle with a 4x4 post, The total length of both rooms is about 35 feet long. I was told by one contractor that I can eliminate the post in the middle by connecting the 2 beams with a metal beam connector of some sort. Is that a workable method ? If it is, how can I go about picking what type of connector/bracket to use ?
Thanks

Answer
Tak,

Generally speaking, what you are describing is not possible.  Even if you could have a connector designed and built to transfer the substantial stresses, the beams themselves would need to be much larger in order to span twice as far.  Of course, there is a chance that your beams were dramatically oversized for the loads on them; this would be extremely unlikely, but a possibility.  I recommend that you consult with a structural engineer if you'd like to pursue this or other structural amendments to your home.  Feel free to post any followup questions you may have, and happy holidays!  Ted