# Help with solution for load bearing wall removal...



## Huggins90 (Jan 25, 2013)

Hey guys!

So happy to be a part of the forum here.

So I am removing a wall in my personal residence that we just bought and are gutting and moving lots of walls. This paticular wall is the only one I have an issue with. 

The back half of the home, where the wall in question is located, is an addition, built with a flat roof. Flat roof was leaking something awful so I matched the existing gable from the original part of the house and roofers framed over the flat roof, redecked and roofed the whole house. Problem is, I didn't let them know about the wall removal in the center of the addition and they brought their center roof supports right down on it. 

Original plan was to take out the wall and replace with an LVL flush beam and joist hang the 2x8 ceiling joists (formerly the flat roof joists). However in order to do this, I would have to cut through the 2x8s and plywood decking in order to recess the beam into the attic, whereby cutting through the only thing keeping the rafters from pushing my exterior walls out and down. Not to mention the extra load now on the wall that i'm not sure LVL could handle. 

The wall spans `15 ft. and would be easy to dig a footing on either side for a post or column. No issues there. 

My proposed solution is to handle it as two problems. One, support the roof load, two support the ceiling weight without a sag. What I came up with was, to address the roof load, run two 2x14s with the 2x6 roof supports sandwiched in between and lag bolt them together, OR; build two temporary walls on either side of the ridge from the rafters to the attic floor, then directly underneath as well. Then, cut 2x6 supports up to the height of the LVL beam installed on the attic floor from column to column then bring roof supports down on top of that. 

Secondly; for the ceiling weight, I see no issues with 2x8 ceiling joists that are supporting no more than the ceiling weight to span 15 ft. Therefore, I would simply sister a new 2x8 to the old joists that overlap in the middle running between the 2 new load bearing walls.

I've uploaded some pics of the wall, joists, floor plan, and my diagram for one roof load solution. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks so much.


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## kevjob (Aug 14, 2006)

I always ask my engineer to come by and spec beams, posts, point loads, pads etc.... He is the only one I trust to do the calcs correctly. Can you run it by a engineer?


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

It is fool hardy of you to try & resolve this without an Engineer.

We do not give out engineering advice on CT.

Thank you for your understanding.


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