We are removing a 12' section of a load-bearing wall on the second floor of our house and would like to replace that with a dropped beam. The wall is exactly in the middle of the floorplan (between the two parallel external walls) and is supporting the ceiling joists (not sure if I am using the correct term), such that 14' joists run in each direction toward the two exterior walls. What size LVLs (and how many) will be sufficient for this design?

We're updating our downstairs. There's an area we'd like to make into an open living space. It is split level, unfortunately, so only so much can be done. We need to add a bath, kitchenette, and stacked laundry. I've played with the layout for hours but have yet to come up with a layout I like. I'm trying to maximize every single square foot for a useful purpose (avoid hallways) but also have each space feel as large as possible. The exterior door (South blue wall) goes out to a patio that will eventually serve a pool and traffic to the dock, so if there's an entry there it could hold wet clothing, shoes, boat gear, etc. I also want the bathroom to feel large and comfortable for larger individuals. The other bathroom off of this area is very small. In an ideal world, the toilet would have its own closet but I just couldn't make it work. We're also open to the stairs changing, but couldn't figure out a way that they would work better. They are not a full flight and only drop 87" due to the split level above. Also, not worried about a closet in the bedroom. We have that figured out but it's not shown. We will pass the plans by a structural engineer before submitting for permits. Attached are what we have now and the best thing I've come up with so far. Any ideas? Suggestions?