I have a split foyer hope and would like to remove the walls between the kitchen/dining room and kitchen/livingroom. The living room wall is weight bearing. Once removed there will be a 19 ft span from exterior wall to an interior weight bearing wall. There is a steel beam in the center of the house (in basement) that runs the length of the house. There is a studded wall in the basement that is directly beneath the upstairs wall to be removed. The roof does not have trusses. Is this project possible and what are some of the options for a ceiling support beam across the 19 ft span? Can the beam be placed about the ceiling or should the beam extend into the room.

There are a few concerns. You are not talking about a simple header here, so the loads at the ends of the proposed beam may be considerable.

You imply, but do not exactly make clear, that there is only roof above the wall you want to remove. If that is the case, then it is likely (but not positive) that the wall only carries attic floor loads.

The simplest type of beam to use would be laminated veneer lumber (LVL). They are relatively inexpensive, and they can be installed piece-bypiece, so that very heavy weights do not have to be lifted into place all at once. You may need at least two, and probably three of these members, spiked together in accordance with manufacturer's instructions.

Then the ends of these beams have to be supported down to the foundation below. The existing foundation may be enough at the outside end, but it still should be calculated to be certain.

It is at the inboard end where a problem might arise. You will need a post in a wall there to support the inboard end of the beam, and the question is, what is below the end of the beam in the basement, and can it carry the load generated by the end of the beam? Even if the end is directly above a column in the basement below, then the question is, what is the size of the footing under the basement floor which supports the column, and is it adequate to carry the additional load? Otherwise, the inboard end of the bean creates a concentrated load which may fall in mid-span of the steel beam below, and in this case, the steel beam must be investigated to determine if it can carry this additional concentrated load.

So, to answer your final questions: can the project be done? Yes, but it isn't simple, and will require some professional help. Can the new beam extend above the ceiling instead of down into the space? Yes, but the cost to install it will practically double because of the additional labor to cut back the ceiling joists, slide the beam up into the space thus created, and to connect every ceiling joist to the new beam with joist hangers.

And if there is a second floor above the wall to be removed, all the problems multiply by about 150%.

Thanks Richard! That gives me a better understanding of this project. There is not a second floor and I think from your reply that I should probably go with the beam extended into the room. So much for a simple project!!

My pleasure, and since there is no second floor, the loads are relatively light, but by all means have someone competent in structural design advise you...either a good architect, or a structural engineer. With the right advice, it will be a simple project. Without advice, it could be a nightmare.