Help please how to support old load bearing beam

[Cabbyfan]

Hi,

Hope someone has a cunning plan !

View media item 71946
Picture you csn see has a large wooden beam what I need to support using the party wall and not the stud partition wall you can see on the left which is going to be removed.

Any suggestions ?

 

[conny]

I am not a builder so seek confirmation of this.
You could possibly fit a joist hanger into the right hand wall and then fit an equal sized piece of joist into this to butt up against the original one. These could then be secured to each other with steel plates on either side to try and prevent sagging.

As I said, seek further advice on this as I am not a builder/joiner.

 

[catlad]

Not pretty is it! I can't see what its mean't to be doing from that picture alone.

 

[tony1851]

Impossible to say without seeing what it is supporting.

 

[gregers]

on the left of the pic,is this a decent stud support for the beam??

if so (BIG IF)then maybe as a post above just sister some timber either side on a jiffy.
but do think better pics are needed.

 

[Cabbyfan]

Thanks for the responses so far. Appreciate it's difficult to see what's going on from just the one pic. I shall try and explain.

The house is a bungalow semi-detached with a loft conversion dormer. It was converted in the 1970s from what I can find out !

I'm wanting to remove the stud wall on the left of my first picture but within that stud work is a vertical support taking the load of the large wooden beam you can see. This support is resting on a large joist spanning between 2 large wooden beams installed as a separate load bearing support for the loft conversion. There is a good chance these will be replaced this summer.

The pics below show a view above the dormer ceiling and show a series of timber supports attached to the big wooden beam attached to the rafters. My assumption here is the big wooden beam is supporting the ridge beam and some of the rafters.

View media item 71996
And this pic below shows the vertical timber supporting the beam

View media item 71997

 

[conny]

That certainly looks like some sort of main roof support beam.

In all honesty I think you should seek professional advice before tackling any other work in this area.

 

[conny]

Just a thought.

Could you leave the main support in place and make some form of a feature of it?
Maybe buy some of those decorative pieces you can get for when you make a feature fire surround. Glue them in place around the four sides of the support?

 

[Cabbyfan]

Unfortunately the current support is right in the middle of where the bed will go so I hsve no option other than remove it. I have been talking to a local firm of structural engineers as part of this project overall so hopefully they will have some ideas.

 

[SimonH2]

My guess is that whoever did the conversion didn't want the hassle of attaching the new beam to the party wall.
I'd be looking at extending it using "proper" methods and either support it with a hanger or a new post off something below. I suppose if it's cavity wall (so no hassles breaking through into next-door's loft) it might be possible to embed the extension into the wall instead.

 

[Cabbyfan]

SimonH2 - thanks for the reply.

The party wall is a cavity one (I can see the odd bit through cracks on the mortar), there is rockwool in the cavity. I am working on the basis I will still need a party wall agreement form though.

My instinct is telling me a metal hanger wont be sufficient, removing a section and installing a padstone for a new or extended beam to bear on is much better even though its more work.

Problem is I don't rally want to have to remove the existing beam but it may actually be easier as I can extend it on both directions as the opposite end will form part of the dormer on the hip roof as well.

I will speak to the SE and see if I can get their opinion on it.

 

[SimonH2]

One issue with a longer beam might be whether it's physically possible to get it in - that may have been part of the reason for it being as it is. Unless you plan on removing a lot of the existing internal walls, it probably won't be possible to slide a new longer beam into place.

However, if there are other works then it might be different. There's two ways in for the beam - one is to take it in through an existing opening (door or window) and manoeuvre it around inside (which probably means having taken the internal walls out), the other is to open a hole in the hip roof and slide it in lengthways.

If extending the existing beam at both ends, consider sliding it along and adding one longer piece to one end.