Removing a Load Bearing Wall
 

This isnt 100% brewing related but like all of us with a swmbo it is a give and take situation. I am 90% done building my eherms and the swimbo wants a project for her next.

We decided a nice breakfast bar would do the trick. I have an older house (1923) so my walls are plaster. I skinned the walls but it is load bearing and dont know how to put the beam in the attic so i can remove the rafter. Any contractors in the so cal area that can help? or anyone out there can walk me through it?

I'm not in Ca, but I am a contractor and can probably help you out. You can PM me your email address if you want, and we can sort this out with pics and drawings.

Now this is what I call brewers of the world unite. We can all help each other even if it's not about beer :mug:

The basic process would be to size the beam, shore up the sides of the bearing wall with temporary walls, demo the wall, plumb cut the ceiling joists back to make room for the new flush beam, install joist hangers on each side, open up the walls at the bearing ends and block down to foundation. Slap up some dry wall and go have a beer.

That said, as much as I love DIY you might want to spring for a real carpenter and maybe an architect. Wood framing is pretty forgiving but making structural changes is pro territory.

+1 I DIY but load bearing is one place, along with major plumbing and electrical, where I would leave it to the professionals.

Maybe you can get someone who will guide you through the work with close supervision.

Wow! Thanks for all the quick responses guys. Acidrain, ill shoot u a pm in a little bit. I just got to work. I had a contractor come check it out an he told me seven hundred jost for the header. No demo or patchwork. Seems like a lot to me. Am i wrong?

I design & engineer joists, beams, metal plated trusses for a living. Been doing it for about 8 yrs now. I'm not a registered engineer, not too many designers are...

but I have knowledge.

If a load bearing wall is removed yes a beam will need to go into place to take the load coming down from the roof to spread the loads into the foundation.

Now if you remove a load bearing wall & replace it with a header, you create 2 point loads on the foundation instead of 1 uniformed load (from the wall removed). If these point loads do not exceed the capacity of the foundation you can get away with just placing the header/beam in & posting down to the floor.

But if these point loads DO exceed the cap of the concrete in the foundation, it should be dug out & footings put in place at the post point loads.

need drawings I can do some up, just need dimensions of the roof/walls & your location for typical loading/bldg codes used



edit: just reread the OP... 1920's house I'm willing to bet the concrete has no bldg code specs in design used today. LoL

also, is this load bearing wall over concrete or over a basement & sitting on a wood floor?

Big difference here... you would have to beef up below also since you are converting a uniformed load form above to 2 point loads.

Sounds like a bargain if he's doing it right

The house is on a raised riverrock foundation (those damn rocks are everywhere here) the total span is 150 and i would like to remove 115. Here are a couple pic

I think this is what i like most about breweing and the brewing community, people from so many walks of life have this common interest and we all understand that we have to keep swmbo happy to keep forking out the cash on brewing toys...lol

Thanks again for everybodys input