Thread: Replacing a load bearing wall with a fixed steel column...

Hello,

I have a two story house with a basement. It's of the beam and column design, where the basement has a main beam (3 - 2x10's) running across the entire width (16-18') of the house. The beam is supported by two lally columns (3 1/2" 16 gauge) which are concrete filled. equally spaced in the middle of this span.
On the 1st floor resides the kitchen and dining room at one end of the floor, and the living room at the other end. On the 2nd floor, resides a large bedroom/bathroom/closet. All the house floor joists are 2x10. Floor structure is made up of a 3/4" subfloor of T&G solid wood strips, and standard oak 3/4" hardwood flooring.


My question is the following:

- Currently the kitchen is in one corner enclosed by two walls (one load bearing and the other not). The load bearing wall runs directly above the beam in the basement, and takes up roughly half the width of the house.
The dining room is directly adjacent to the kitchen. I want to bring down these two walls and make the kitchen and dining room as one. In the new renovation an island will create separation between both areas.

The load bearing wall I mentioned above, is load bearing because it partially supports the floor joists that make up the 2nd floor. The load bearing wall shares the support of the floor joists for the 2nd floor along with a secondary beam that sits on top of it at one end, and then goes all the way to the other end of the remaining span, terminating on an outside exterior wall into a support "pocket". In other words the "support" for the 2nd floor is made up of equal parts load bearing wall and beam. The beam here is also (3 - 2x10's), and measures roughly 9 feet in length.

I want to know how feasible is it to replace the load bearing wall with a similiar sized beam that's currently there. The two beams would meet roughly in the middle of the floor span and be gussetted together. Then I would put a steel fixed column (11 gauge, 3 1/2 diameter, which roughly supports 6 ton) directly underneath this union. The post would be directly sitting on top of one of the concrete filled posts that is in the basement. What concerns should I have with this solution? Do the loads seem correct? Do I have to fill the new steel column with concrete even though load rating is satisfactory?

The steel column I have in mind would be something like this (the 8ft one):

Tiger Brand -- Jack Post

Thank You Very Much,
Amado Gonzalez
Northern New Jersey

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Amado, you can pretty much do whatever you want.....as long as you're willing to pay to have it done properly.

Your best bet at this point is to float your idea by some remolding contractors and get their take on things.

Amado;

Any type of a structural renovation in NJ will need a permit and inspections from the town.

The town will not even consider issuing a permit without drawings and load calculations from a structural engineer.

You need to contact an architect and/or structural engineer to do the calculations and stamp the design.

What part of Northern NJ are you from; I know a good architect and a good structural engineer if you need them.

Thanks guys, I know that permits, and structural calcs are needed and part of the process. I just wanted to know if this was the usual way someone would tackle such a redesign. Need to be prepared once I get a few contractors over my house, to review the proposed work.

yes, please can you forward me number/address of your structural engineer, that would be helpful. I live in Bergenfield, NJ

Thanks,
Amado