Hi all,

I am working on an 1890 balloon frame Victorian house. I am trying to reconfigure the layout on the second floor by changing some of the openings in the two load bearing walls. There are two load-bearing walls on the second floor that hold the attic joists (storage only). There are two bearing walls because there is a hallway in this area, and both sides pick up different joists in the attic. The issue is that both the load bearing walls run parallel with the second floor joists. Both walls are resting on 3/4″ subfloor in between joists. The joists run side-to-side on the first floor, front-to-back on the second floor, and side-to-side again in the attic. This is the original framing of the house, and no sagging or issues have been noted from it. 

Talking with the building inspector, he believes the only way to change the openings (i.e shift doorways) in these walls is to install an LVL and post down to the basement. I agree that is probably the best method, but I was trying not to disturb the first floor by opening walls. Has anyone ever come across this issue, and if so, how were you able to resolve?  

To be clear, I’m looking for a way to change the openings in these load bearing walls, without have to completely rebuild. Since they are non-code confirming with them resting on the subfloor, I’m inquiring to see if there is a way to solidify them without breaking the bank. I know the obvious answer in structural engineer/architect, but I wanted to see if anyone had any ideas to steer me in the right direction. Thank you.

Marked up picture shows proposed changes. First picture is current state of hallway. Sketch shows what walls are carrying, with dotted line showing where attic joists overlap.