Hi again, We have a wood framed two story 2200 sq ft house. Doing some planning towards finishing our basement. We have a built up beam (4 Doug Fir 2″X12″s) that spans the width of the basement. At one end is a telepost 12″ away from the exterior wall. The next telepost is 14′ 7″ away. If I remove the post that is 12″ away from the wall, I will have a total span between the exterior wall and the next telepost of 15′ 7″. FWIW, at the end of the beam concerned there is no load being transferred from the second story. Can I remove the post or will the span be too long? What factors do I need to calculate to determine if I can pull this post?
Needless to say I dont want to have to furr out the wall or box out around this “lack of forethought” I actually don’t have to do any additional framing to the walls except sheet rock them as the foundation is wood so the exterior wall framing is already done.
Thanks in advance
David
Replies
Does the beam pocket into the wood foundation wall with a post under it? Is it tight there? Why is the post there? You assume that it is a lack of forethought. You might be right. then again, you might be wrong and it is there for a reason. Is it on the slab? Is there a slab?
From what I can tell, the answer to your Q is maybe.
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To be safe, I would consult a structural engineer. One can come out and look, should only cost $150 -$250. If the beam is undersized now, you may be able to apply an LVL or flitch plate to it to expand it spanning capacity. Be sure it is bearing on the exterior wall and there are 4/5 studs under it for support.
Having a post 12" in from the foundation souds odd to me. There could be a reason that you haven't seen yet.
I'd have someone come out and look at the thing - No way we can tell what's going on from here.
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