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#1504 - 12/07/05 10:56 AM Want to open up flooring plan
michellemc0 michellemc0 Do It Yourselfer Registered: 12/07/05 Posts: 1 Loc: bridgewater, ma, usa	Hi, My husband and I bought a colonial built in 1876 this year. You walk into the living room, then the kitchen, off the kitchen is a spareroom/bedroom and bath. We want to open up the floor plan a bit by putting in a doorway in the wall shared by the living room and bedroom , and also widen the doorway from the kitchen into that same bedroom. Then we could use the 'bedroom' as a den and the whole floor plan would be open. How much is involved in this plan. I believe the living room wall is load-bearing. We live in the northeast. I'd like to get an idea of cost/time involved. THanks in advance. ------------------ Michelle _________________________ Michelle
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#1505 - 12/07/05 10:26 PM Re: Want to open up flooring plan
provip provip Super Do It Yourselfer Registered: 03/03/01 Posts: 1153 Loc: Victoria, BC, Canada	Opening up a load bearing wall means removing studs from the wall reducing it's strength in that area. A header is required to take up this missing support. Something a lot of people don't think of is that the load is now more concentrated at the ends of this header or beam. This means the support posts at the ends of the header or beam may need extra support themselves. If the floor is a wood sub-floor you may have to support the floor from under which could involve more posts and footings below. A lot depends on how much weight this load bearing wall is supporting and how much of an opening is planned. The wider the opening the more critical this all becomes. I would suggest you have a qualified carpenter advise you on this. You can also refer to span tables for your area which should help you determine header sizes, etc. Time and cost depends a lot on how much work is needed to support the headers. Before the wall is opened up, a temporary support wall is needed to support the ceiling while the headers and supports are being installed. ------------------ Bart Blainey, B.E.R. Consultant/Journeyman Carpenter Building Envelope Specialist Master Renovator provip@prodeck.org http://www.prodeck.org Barton Blainey (provip) specifically assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information or process disclosed. The above further expressly advises that any use of or reliance upon the information and or opinion disclosed is at your risk . [This message has been edited by provip (edited 12-07-2005).] _________________________ Bart Blainey, B.E.R. Consultant/Journeyman Carpenter Building Envelope Specialist Master Renovator provip@prodeck.org http://www.prodeck.org Barton Blainey (provip) specifically assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information or process disclosed. The above further expressly advises that any use of or reliance upon the information and or opinion disclosed is at your risk .
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#1506 - 12/08/05 04:03 AM Re: Want to open up flooring plan
RemodelingGuy RemodelingGuy Super Do It Yourselfer Registered: 03/02/01 Posts: 914 Loc: Houston, Texas	FYI! http://www.awc.org/technical/spantables/tutorial.htm Understanding Loads and Using Span Tables revised and reprinted with kind permission from Paul Fisette -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Using span tables to size joists and rafters is a straight-forward process when you understand the structural principles that govern their use. by Paul Fisette � 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wood is naturally engineered to serve as a structural material: The stem of a tree is fastened to the earth at its base (foundation), supports the weight of its branches (column) and bends as it is loaded by the wind (cantilever beam). A complete analysis of wood's mechanical properties ..... VERY INFORMATIVE GOOD LUCK ------------------ Jimmy McDonald http://www.StartRemodeling.com Jimmy@StartRemodeling.com http://www.ToxicMoldUSA.com McMoldMan@ToxicMoldUSA.com Jimmy McDonald ( RemodelingGuy) specifically assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information or process disclosed. The above further expressly advises that any use of or reliance upon the information and or opinion disclosed is at your risk . _________________________ Jimmy McDonald http://www.StartRemodeling.com Jimmy@StartRemodeling.com http://www.ToxicMoldUSA.com McMoldMan@ToxicMoldUSA.com Jimmy McDonald ( RemodelingGuy) specifically assumes no legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information or process disclosed. The above further expressly advises that any use of or reliance upon the information and or opinion disclosed is at your risk .
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