Originally Posted by
Patrick Norton
If the beam has been there for 120 years with no sag and the house appears to be original construction I don't need a structural engineer to confirm that the beam is fine. I think it has been time tested! If the client would feel better with a new column, thats fine but not necessary.
Patrick,
Passing "the test of time" may be acceptable provided the conditions have not changed.
However, we are aware that conditions HAVE CHANGED:
1) SOMETHING happened which required the column to have been installed in the first place.
2) That column had been there for a very very long time (reducing the "test of time" time period to an unknown amount).
3) That rusted off column laying on the floor which had been on a small stone *may not have been the first column* installed there.
4) That rusted off column laying on the floor which had been on a small stone 'most likely was not installed propped up on that small stone, it most likely was on the floor and supporting the beam by transferring the load to the floor (with no footing under it).
5) The floor dropped, possibly from the load on the column, leaving the column hanging in free air, so someone probably put a small stone under it to wedge the column in place, not realizing that the small stone would only crush if the actual load were still on the column.
6) Brandon, one of our engineers, gave the best options in the first reply:
- a) do the right thing and call a structural engineer
- b) do something else and take your chances
- c) do nothing and take your chances
If the owner is too cheap to do a), then, regardless of what they do, they will have decided to "take their chances" with it.
*TO ME* it is apparent that someone previously knew better than to "take their chances" and do nothing, so they installed the column - however incorrectly the column was installed - thus they "took their chances" with Brandon's option #2).