Building Homes or Extensions/support beam.

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Expert: - 1/20/2011


Question

Basement
Hi Bruce,
We are remodelling our recroom and wondered if we can remove 1 of the steal supporting posts.   The beam running the length of the house is 4  2x10's.  The house is 40 ft long and there are 5 steal supporting posts which span between 6 1/2 - 7 ft apart. We also built a partial wall using 2x8's.   We would like to remove 1 of the last beams. The one in front of the wood stove is the beam we would like to remove. I have included a picture and would appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks very much for your time.
Rob and Nancy Rix

Answer
Hi Robert I am assuming that when you say "remove beam" you are talking about removing the "post" that sits in front of your wood stove.  Depending on the "dead load" above this area your particular beam consisting of four 2x10s should easily be able to span up to 12' providing there are no splices in the beam in this area.  Even then, if done properly the splices may not be a big factor.  It might not be a bad idea to through bolt the existing beam in between the joists  with 1/2" bolts to strengthen the beam a little more. I cannot tell you that this post can be freely removed without seeing the entire structure above and see the actual construction of the beam itself and I always suggest that before removing any structural supports that a structural engineer physically look at it to make sure that all the bases have been covered.  I hope this information helps please feel free to write again regarding this or other matters sincerely bruce e johnson..bejohnsonconsulting.com

Bruce E. Johnson

Expertise

I can answer any construction related question in regards to carpentry, concrete, drywall, masonry, structural elements of any type of building, residential or commercial. Interior or exterior.

Experience

Custom Commercial and residential buildings. Churches, theaters, schools and auditoriums. Most recently I am working with the Catholic Church on several design build committees. I have a website related to scheduling and project supervision. Although my expertise is more related to multimillion dollar commercial, educational and theatrical projects my generous credentials in residential and remodelling construction make me a viable source of information regarding all forms of building questions.

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