Replacing center beam - jack or no jack?
Hi, Is there anyone with experience of having their supporting beam replaced, that can comment on there experience or offer opinion on the need to jack the house when supporting the beam? We are having our old, split, rotting oak beam replaced with a steel beam and posts to support our house. My understanding, from…
Hi,
Is there anyone with experience of having their supporting beam replaced, that can comment on there experience or offer opinion on the need to jack the house when supporting the beam?
We are having our old, split, rotting oak beam replaced with a steel beam and posts to support our house. My understanding, from every person we got quotes from, was that the process was, jack up the house with supports, remove the old beam then insert the new beam. Remove jacks once new steel beam and posts in place.
The guy we went with, says we don’t need to jack the house, that he can just remove the beam and then put the new steel beam in. We are very concerned about this though he swears it will not be a problem and he has done countless houses in this manner.
Advice greatly appreciated!!!
7:05 is right.
But he is also right when he says that people do say that this is a no-brainer all the time… because when you know what’s going on it is a very simple job.
If I had only a partial understanding of what was happening, and was invested like you are, I would be nervous about this too.
Instead, it might be more helpful to stop taking anonymous comments (this site does more to help me worry sometimes than anything else) and get a structural engineer that knows brownstones on board.
My last $.01: Don’t freak on what could happen if your insurance company washes hands… that won’t happen if you just listen to the engineer and proceed carefully… and don’t put anything load-bearing on your concrete slab.
It will all be fine.
another 1¢ from me:
1. A structural engineer should spec the beam. 6″ 24 should hold up four stories, but that’s really off the top of my head. Definitely get an engineer and an architect involved with this before you go any further.
2. The supports should not be bolted to the floor. The existing brick pillars likely go about 24″ below the slab, give or take a few. You should dig out and pour new below grade footings for your new posts, again spec’d by your structural engineer. The cellar floor is simply a poured slab, maybe 4-8″ thick, which is not meant to be weight bearing, and certainly not to support the center line of the house.
3. No matter how much assurance you get from people who might tell you this is “easy” or “done all the time” or “a no brainer” (I’ve heard all those with regard to projects like this) you owe it to yourself to be careful and proceed with the least risk involved. If it turns out you had to file the work, and there is some sort of damage later on to the house, or neighboring house(s), your insurance company will wash their hands of it. Always carefully document the existing conditions at all three properties before you start.
I-beams are measured both by height and by weight. My steel beam is 8″ 24–it’s eight inches tall and weighs 24lbs per foot.
Original Poster –
Thanks so much for all the good advice.
I got clarification from the contractor.
He is saying he IS planning to support the house while the beam is removed.. He will also be adding new steel supports to replace the old brick. These supports will be bolted to the floor. After which the whole floor is getting a new 3″ layer of concrete that will cover the floor mounts of the supports.
However, the confusion has raised my concern enough that we have stopped work while we investigate more.
My wife is going to see some other work of his and then going to see our friends place who had his beam done.
(Things are compounded by the fact that I had to go out of town for a lengthy business trip).
I also want to get a structural engineer around to look at the planned work.
One final question. The I Beam to be installed is 3″ by 8″. Does that sound like the typical size for the steel beam replacements?
Ok, here’s my 2¢.
1. This is a job that should have a structural engineer.
2. Having done this, I can tell you that you most definitely want to provide full temporary support in the form of a double line of columns, one on either side of the beam to be replaced, supported on sleepers, and supporting temporary front to rear sleepers in line with the support columns.
3. You do not want to “jack” anything up. You want to provide support so that your structure stays where it is.
4. You might have to file the job. You should check.
5. You will want to inspect and possibly replace the supports as well as the beam, if necessary. It is your big chance.
6. If your supports are compromised in some way, you should be installing new footings under the new supports.
7. Carefully document, with pictures, the interiors and exteriors of your house, and the house on either side of yours.
8. A six inch steel I beam, on four inch steel columns should meet requirements for the typical brooklyn house. Get specs from your structural engineer.
9. Do not even think of working with the person who said you don’t need a temporary support.
Yes, when a licensed professional — an engineer, an architect, etc. — puts his/her license on the line with an opinion as to what you should and should not do, you will get more comfort as to the legitimacy of the approach.
It’s one of those projects where the contractor has probably got away with this before.Chances are your house will not come down, but his luck will eventually run out.I mean for someone in this sort of business getting a few acro jacks and setting them up really is no big deal.Just the piece of mind alone should be enough for the contractor to spend a few hours on prep work.I take it you took on this guy because his price was very cheap compared to others. A big no, no.For the sake of a couple of hundred bucks get and engineer to pop around and give his expert opinion before you go ahead.
I’m 8:42am. I did assume you meant “jacking up” the house by a few inches. So, if you’re taking about doing this without having support, disregard my statement. However…giving this guy the benefit of the doubt…perhaps he plans on bolting the steel around the original beam instead of totally removing it? But still, lollycolumns are always a good thing!
Like everyone has said:
If it is a structural beam then taking it away = no structure = very bad.
If you still want to believe he can do it safely without a temporary support then ask him to demonstrate his technique changing a car tire without a jack or other support.