Knocking down a wall
I have a wall that I want to knock down between rooms but it is a load bareing wall. Its an 11 1/2 foot stretch. Could I run a beam across the top with joists at each end and one in the middle? Would it have enough support?
Well, bighappy, I can't
Well, bighappy, I can't exactly give you the go ahead without a little more information, and I would recommend you have someone that knows what they're doing look at it. But I will give you info and tell you how I would deal with the situation.
First, I would need to know what is above you. Is it a second story or just the attic? If it's an attic, is the attic 'finished'? Is your home built with trusses or conventional framing?
With a span that far, the first thing I'm gonna suggest is something like a Parallam beam, or some other built up laminate beam. But before I can say what size or make any recommendations, I have to know what is above you because I'll have to figure a load per lineal feet and the math is somewhat complex, even if you have all the measurements. Maybe I'll spend the night writing a formula in Excel to calculate it for me.
Well heres what I can tell
Well heres what I can tell you. The wall is the original outter wall of the existing home. Another long narrow room was added next to it. The new roof over laps the original about half way up the original roof. So above this wall is the edge of the old roof and about two feet of the newer roof. To answer the first question, its a standard unfinished attic & conventional framing.
OK, let me have a day to run
OK, let me have a day to run some numbers and get an estimated load and I'll give you some recommendations on a beam that can handle it.
How much experience do you have with something like this? Do you do any carpentry work?
Well Im no expert but I did
Well Im no expert but I did take out three walls & build one to expand our kitchen , framed my shed, built doors for my rear garage, added over hangs to the front section of the house, and built our deck and front porch. Im pretty confident that I could take on this task. And thank you very much for the advice. Ive asked around at local home improvement stores and no one would realy give me a straight answer.
OK chief, here's the deal.
OK chief, here's the deal. First, I have to recommend that you not do this and state that nothing that I tell you has any warranty whatsoever. If you don't want to accept FULL blame for anything that happens, STOP READING RIGHT NOW!
That out of the way...this really is a tricky deal, so be careful.
First, you must support the wall while you do your work. This means getting some 4x4 posts and some jacks. You can pickup jacks for basements from any home improvement place, or you can cut some 2x4s. I would nail two 2x4s in a 'T' shape (on the long edge) to keep it from buckling in any direction. You'll want to borrow a couple of 20 ton jacks if you can. You'll place the 4x4 beam about 1-2 feet from the wall you're removing. Two sets of those made up 2x4 'posts' should do you.
You have to lay the jacks on the floor, preferably on a 3/4 piece of plywood about 1'x1'. Measure with the jack down, from the top of the jack to the ceiling. Now subtract the 4x4 post (measure it to be sure, 3 1/2 to 3 5/8 is normal). Make your 2x4 'post' about a 1/2" shorter than this new dimension. Your 4x4 post should be 10' long. Have a friend hold one end of the beam and you hold the other end, up to the ceiling. You want to place it where it will be. Have somebody else place the jacks and 2x4 made up posts about 1 1/2' from each end of the beam. Make sure they are plumb and have them jack them up snug. Now jack slowly until you feel the ceiling is supported. Try not to crack anything. Now, all this is only good if the ceiling joists run perpendicular to the wall you're pulling out (which they usually will since it is load bearing). It's something you should probably verify though, by trying to locate the ceiling joists.
I would recommend a 4x10 Paralam beam. You will need one that is a good foot longer than the wall you're removing. Before I continue with this, let me clarify something. You have a large room with a wall dividing the room into two rooms. This is the wall you're wanting removed, correct?
Yes.
Yes.
So this would tell me that
So this would tell me that the 'new' room will be somewhat long, so especially watch that the joists are hung perpendicular to the 'old' wall, they may not be in this situation, but that would make me shy away from the wall being load bearing. Find out if they are and don't pay any attention to this if they run parallel with the 'soon to be removed' wall.
I'll post more later, I gotta run to Lowes and pickup some paint.
They run perpendicular. Ive
They run perpendicular. Ive been up in the attic a few times and remember that much.
OK, chief, sorry for the
OK, chief, sorry for the delay. I would recommend a 4x10 Paralam beam (or similar product). There are some extremely important detail of the procedure, so let me know when you are ready to proceed and I'll lay it out for you.
Delay is no problem. Because
Delay is no problem. Because its just my luck that I have a water heater/ water damage to contend with now. This house has a main heater and a second heater mostly to supply a hot tub. Last week the secondary one started leaking and yesterday I found that the main one is leaking. :roll: At least theyre easy fixes, just not so easy on the wallet.
Terrible indeed. When it
Terrible indeed. When it rains it pours. Are the heaters gas or electric? I have a gas one that is leaking and I am considering running wire to it and installing an electric one instead. Recovering time is better and I think cheaper now with these outrageous gas prices!
I was thinking electric
I was thinking electric until I looked at the breaker panel and its full. I dont have a clue and I cant afford to pay an electrition. Thats why I was considering a tankless. Even though it would still be gas, it would only fire on demand.
I have thought of those as
I have thought of those as well. I was going to build a small cottage and thought it would be a great solution. Never ended up doing it though. I did see that they had some pretty large units that could handle a full blown house. Some people also install smaller ones at each fixture; 1 for the bathroom, 1 for the washing machine, 1 for the kitchen, etc...
Let me know how it goes and when you're ready to get back to the wall.
Dang its been awhile now
Dang its been awhile now hasnt it? I relayed the info you started to give me to my bro in law and we got the wall project done together. I still have trim work but the tough part is over. So with that out of the way we picked up a couple water heaters, one regular and the other a tankless. "Ouch!" says my wallet, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. It sure is hard to do without hot water. Anyways, thanks for the info.