Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 4
MI
11-06-15, 09:42 PM
#1
Help with proper header size
We are taking down the wall between dining room and living room which is load bearing, which is where 2 2x8s currently meet as seen in pic below. Above the wall is the attic then the roof, its a bungalow. Nothing will be stored on this side of the attic. Once the wall is down the room will be 24 foot wide, dining room wall to living room wall. I have attached pics of the wall.
This wall will come down and have a 100" opening. There is a metal beam in the middle of the house directly under the current wall, in the basement. Will 2 2x12x10 lvl be enough for the header? Also we want to put the header up in the ceiling so the ceiling is even all the way across.
Thanks for any help.
This wall will come down and have a 100" opening. There is a metal beam in the middle of the house directly under the current wall, in the basement. Will 2 2x12x10 lvl be enough for the header? Also we want to put the header up in the ceiling so the ceiling is even all the way across.
Thanks for any help.
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 9,772
ME
11-06-15, 10:08 PM
#2
Hi Tom and welcome to the forum.
Yes, you (and we) can guess at what is needed, but if a failure were to occur, your insurance company will want to go after whoever specified that header. If that was you, they may not pay. In addition to getting an engineer to hang his/her hat on the proper size header, you will probably want them to advise on how to support everything for the transition. A below the ceiling header can be tough enough, but holding everything up in place while installing a flush header can be extremely difficult. Maybe somewhat less than extremely, but I can't see all that you see.
Engineers do this all the time. Yes, they get paid, but their insurance and design become part of the project.
Bud
Yes, you (and we) can guess at what is needed, but if a failure were to occur, your insurance company will want to go after whoever specified that header. If that was you, they may not pay. In addition to getting an engineer to hang his/her hat on the proper size header, you will probably want them to advise on how to support everything for the transition. A below the ceiling header can be tough enough, but holding everything up in place while installing a flush header can be extremely difficult. Maybe somewhat less than extremely, but I can't see all that you see.
Engineers do this all the time. Yes, they get paid, but their insurance and design become part of the project.
Bud
Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 9,772
ME
11-07-15, 04:01 AM
#4
Ya, you are going to need temporary support on both sides of where the new header is going and the engineer will be going down into the basement to be sure there is sufficient support below.
Be sure to keep all documentation, plus pictures, as future building inspectors may question what was done, they age getting more and more specific as to checking all details and looking for a paper trail.
Looks like a good project,
best,
Bud
Be sure to keep all documentation, plus pictures, as future building inspectors may question what was done, they age getting more and more specific as to checking all details and looking for a paper trail.
Looks like a good project,
best,
Bud
Group Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 19,316
NE
11-07-15, 04:54 AM
#5
The ceiling loads are not that huge, and a 2x12 LVL sounds good, but we can't tell from just the pictures if there are any other factors to consider. On site inspection is always best. Anything from the roof sitting on that section of wall? And what about that section of flooring and the additional framing on the left side of the pic? Whats that about?
Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 4
MI
11-07-15, 11:30 AM
#6
Nothing from the roof is sitting on that section of the wall, the knee wall runs across the section of the wall to the left, which is staying up. To the left in the first picture is the living room and to the left in the second picture is the wall that separates the kitchen from the living room, which is staying up, which is what the knee wall is running across. Does that make sense?
Thanks
Thanks
