Removing Support Beam

I have a 26'X32' bungalow with 3 telepost supports spaced 8' apart along the center of the 32' basement length. To eliminate the telepost which is in the middle of the 15' wide basement rec. room I want to place steel channel iron on both sides of the main support beam (beam is four 2'x8' supporting the floor joists).
These steel supports would go from the outside cement wall to the second telepost 16' away. Then I would remove the telepost, which is only 8' from the outside wall. This would open up the center of the 15' wide rec. room. The main floor above the telepost I wish to remove is open space with no supporting walls. The roof above this first floor is also supported with a truss rafter running along the 26' length of the house. Will I get a spongy effect when walking on the main floor in the area of the removed telepost? Any advice about this or any other complication would be appreciated.

 

Your question about removing a support beam in a basement is occasionally asked on home site forums. The recommendation tends to be that you leave support beams alone and work around them. Removing support beams is not a common procedure. Should you decide to proceed with such a project, it is best to bring in an engineer who can do load calculations and come up with an alternative plan. An understanding of loads and structural details tends to be beyond the realm of the average DIYer.

 

Before you do much figureing, go to your building permit office and discuss this with them. They will figure it for you. If not get a structural engineer or archit to figure it. It is a very ify proposition. Instead of square tubing, you will probably have to use a steel I beam. Nothing is simple.

 

I am not an engineer. I doubt if you can remove because the joists are only 2x8's. Anything that they will spec wiil be either 2x12 or 2x14.

 

The strength of the beam is not the only consideration. Even if you make the beam strong enough, you are eliminating one of the footings, thus transferring weight to the adjacent footings that may exceed their design point. If the footings fail, it makes no difference that the beam does not.

Remember, one small mistake and your house may collapse. Don't take any chances.

 

Thank John
I never took into consideration that each block footing under every telepost has its' own weight-bearing capability. Removing one telepost will most likely increase the stress load on the adjacent telepost footings as you indicate( sort of like redistributing weight on the tonque of a trailer hitch if you reposition the original trailer load from behind the axles to ahead of them). I think I will rethink this plan and leave the teleposts right where they are.