I have a basement project I am working on that I need some input.

I have two smaller rooms that I wish to open up into one large room. This will require removing a 2x6 framed load bearing wall that is approximately 16 ft long. I hope to install a 5 1/4" x 9" Glulam to support the floor and house above which now sits on the 2x6 wall.

The floor above is constructed of engineered wood I-Beams 16" OC. The currently span the entire length of the house (approximately 38') and have two load bearing walls (2x6) placed 13' from either end wall. I wish to remove one of the walls (meaing the joists would run about 23' if I did not put the Glulam support in

SO my question is, does the glulam size sound reasonable and will I need to pour new footers to support the column load at either end of the glulam

Thanks

Philip

PS here is a link to a PDF with the as built and proposed change incase my description was a bit "kluged" :-)

Plan

No, the size glulam you describe isn't even close to what would be required. I suggest you have a qualified design professional examine your proposal, look at your house first-hand to be certain that every factor that goes into the design of such a beam is accounted for, and design the beam properly for you.

You need a structural engineer to determine the size of the beam, There is a lot more into this then just the wall removal that has to be considered. The size of the beam right off does not sound like enough anyway.
also Yes to your other question. You will need larger footings as the new load will be concentrated in a smaller area, Thus the need for the larger footings. Both in area covered and in thickness.

Thanks for the input. I am an architectural engineer but it has been well over 14 years since I did any engineering design. I think I am going to reduce the span to 12 ft which should require a less substantial beam. I was trying to get a ball park size estimate for the beam and footer requirement before I engage a structural engineer, I wanted to see if it was even doable (ie, I don't want a 22" deep beam)

Thanks again for the input

You will probably require multiple (either two or three) LVL beams (I assume that is what you meant by glu-lam) of greater depth than the beam you described, bolted or spiked together in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations. At issue is the load on the beam..is it only first floor load? What about second-floor load, or attic floor load, or roof load?

Richard - a glulam isn't multiple lvl's sistered together, it's a single beam, manufactured similar to lvl's but much wider. I've used them for headers in special applications. The manufacturer of the lvl's and glulams usually have a staff engineer that can size them for you. The building inspector, with good reason, has always asked for a stamped drawing by an engineer when using these type of beams.

Yes, I was just using Glulam as a "generic" term for an engineered beam. the wall is carrying the first/second and roof load. The joist are 14" deep I believe and are also engineered material.

Thanks

Jay, LOL after almost fifty years in this business, I think I had that fifured out...and that's exactly why I suggested using the proper terms, but thanks for the lesson anyway.

lol...sorry, now that I reread your post I can see what you were trying to say.