Hi all,
I am relatively new to woodworking, unfortunately I have no engineering/construction background. I am planning to install a built-in entertainment unit into a wall in the basement. The wall is a load-bearing wall 144″ wide – the project is about 80″ wide. Is this a worth while task or should I choose another wall and build it out from the wall(space is an issue). Any advice appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve
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Replies
More information is needed. What is bearing on the wall? How is the wall constructed now? Is there a beam above the wall? Are there columns under the beam? How tall is your project, and what's the distance from the floor to the floor framing above? Etc.?
Al Mollitor, Sharon MA
Al: Your answer appeared while I was writing mine.DonThe GlassMasterworks - If it scratches, I etch it!
Like I said, I have no experience in this area. Our home is a 2-storey, 18 years old. The bearing wall is actually 30' long with an opening for a door in the middle and spans the width of the house in the basement. It's about 13' from the back outside wall of the house. It supports 2X 8 ceiling joists that run perpendicular to the wall. From floor to ceiling is 80". On the second floor directly above is the kitchen and family room.
The project is 80" wide by 72" high. I want is somewhat centered between the doorway and the side wall which is about 144".
I hope this is a little more info.
Thanks,
Steve
You posted while I was writing. Directly above that wall is the kitchen and family room but is there a wall on top of that and more joists on top of that wall that supports the second floor or above that is nothing but open space above?You said that your ceiling height is only 80": and the wall unit height is 72" in height which only gives you 8" for a dropped header. Depending on what you have above this wall you might have to put a flush header in there if you need something bigger than 8" or if you can but a 9-1/2" beam in there then you can take 1-1/2" - 2" off the unit.Joe Carola
Directly above the kitchen/family room on the 2nd storey are 3 bedrooms and I assume they are supported by standard joists.
Piffin was correct in that the project is 3 pieces - the centre piece is about 40" with 2 side units on either side 20" each.
"Directly above the kitchen/family room on the 2nd storey are 3 bedrooms and I assume they are supported by standard joists."What I'm asking is the wall that those second floor joists are sitting on is it directly above the wall in the basement that you want the opening in?Joe Carola
Yes, the wall on the main floor is directly above the wall I want to open in the basement. The bedroom on the 2nd flr directly above is longer (the wall is not directly above) - it's about 16 ft from the back wall whereas the on other two levels it's about 13'. And I am flexible with the height of the project.
Thanks again,
Steve
Trying to keep it alive, I'm in desperate need of help here. Destroy the house or start from scratch?
regards, steve
Edited 1/23/2005 12:10 am ET by sbmulholland
Here in LA, you'd need a permit to cut into that wall, and an engineer's wet stamp on plans to get that permit. You could do the work yourself, but do it exactly the way the engineer says.
-- J.S.
Until someone else chimes in - Don't cut into a load bearing wall unless you know exactly what you are doing. Especially in a basement. That wall holds up a significant portion of your house, & if it is a two story job, it takes load all the way from the roof down. There are ways to do it safely, but I will defer to the guys who do this for a living to help. I am a rank amateur DIYer who is also an engineer that knows when to yell for help - this is one of those times.
Don
Most entertainment centers i have seen that wide are segmented into three. That means you can design it to fit around two pillars that would shorten the spans considerably, trimming it out so you don't know they are there.
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How do you know it's a load bearing wall?
Is this house on a slab and there's two stories above the walls that are on the slab or is it a house with maybe a 4' foundation and short walls and then two stories above them?
If this house isn't like what I've described above then most houses with a full foundation and basement don't have load bearing walls in the basement they have girders or steel that hold up the first and second floors. Was this a basement that was finished after the house was built? If this wall is a load bearing wall it must have a continuous footing underneath the slab.
Can you take pictures of this and post it.