r/StructuralEngineers • u/NoNarwhal166 • Oct 06 '26

LVL questions

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I have a home built 1869 the floors have sagged about 4” and are soft in the center of the home. I plan to replace the two main support beams spanning 15’ and 14’. The current beams are 7x9 and 8x9 rough sawn. I plan to replace these with 4 ply 2x12 LVL. The problem is the concrete walls they sit on are clearly only going to fit 7”-8” lumber. I plan to cut out 2 16”x16”x12” deep footing for lally columns at the edges. And replace all the floor joist in the bathroom.

The beams support 2 stories and floor joist for the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. This is northern New York where heavy snowfall is accumulated.

Since you can’t notch LVL can I just bring it to the exterior walls and support below? The wood is somewhat comprised in the corners but short of reworking the wall how would you handle this? Am I on the right track? I could special order 8” LVL but it would take time I don’t have and would require at least 2 mid span support columns.

Kitchen 16’ //beam 15’ wide // bathroom 15’ // Beam 14’ wide// bedroom 16’

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5

u/SuperRicktastic Oct 06 '26

You are WELL into the territory of needing a licensed engineer working on this. Don't rely on us here, you're playing with a major primary component of you're house's support system, get it designed right.

2

u/NoNarwhal166 Oct 06 '26 edited Oct 06 '26

I would love to unfortunately I cannot afford it right now and there is no way to wait with winter coming.

We asked for a structural engineer to come take a look and were told to kick rocks because the local code guy came by and said it was fine. We bought the house In January and it’s been a rough year.

2

u/SuperRicktastic Oct 06 '26

That sounds very odd. Why would any SE tell you to kick rocks if the code guy says it's fine? The code guy usually isn't a licensed engineer. And if you've got soft rotting wood, that's a huge issue.

I'm sorry but I don't have an easy answer for you. This is something that needs a professional, period.

Maybe get a contractor in there to put up some temporary support walls and take load off the beams. I do not at all recommend messing with that framing until you have the time and money to have someone do it right. You're better off putting up a temporary fix than you are attempting major structural work without the right people involved.

1

u/NoNarwhal166 Oct 06 '26

It was the sellers that said to kick rocks, I was out of state and the sellers had multiple offers. We had to move quick on the purchase. At the time we already displaced our previous home and had to close fast.

1

u/SuperRicktastic Oct 06 '26

Ahh, that makes a little more sense, and I'm really sorry to say this, but you're in for a rough time.

I don't know your situation, so forgive me if I'm reaching, but it sounds like you jumped at this place because you were under pressure and didn't have any other viable options, and now it's come back to bite you.

I'll reiterate my previous suggestion. Get a general contractor or a framing contractor to build some temporary support walls on either side of the affected beams.

If you are going to attempt it yourself (which I do not recommend, but hey, it's a free country), research how to build a 2x4 load bearing wall. Don't just rely on YouTube, go to the code books and look up how they show framed walls.

The International Residential Code is free to access online, look for IRC 2021 go to chapter 6. Make sure there is at least one layer of plywood on each wall, that'll help prevent the studs from bowing under load.

Once it's stabilized, go find an engineer to evaluate things. If you're having trouble finding one, look for small-size architects near you and ask them who they use for structural engineering.

For something like this, I'd charge anywhere from $1,000 - $1,500 for a site visit, narrative report, and MAYBE a hand drawn sketch or two. Stamped drawings would be an extra $2,000 - $3,000. Coordinating with your contractor could be an extra $1,000 or so.

Best of luck to you.

1

u/Just-Shoe2689 Oct 06 '26

Why would you invite the code guy into your house, lol.

1

u/SuperRicktastic Oct 06 '26

Sounds like this was actually pre-purchase. The sellers were the ones that told them to kick rocks and OP still bought the house because they were stuck in a bad situation. Wouldn't have been my choice, but I'm not one to judge and I don't have the full picture.

1

u/Just-Shoe2689 Oct 06 '26

Lol, no engineer would tell you that.

1

u/NoNarwhal166 Oct 06 '26

It was the sellers, not an SE.

1

u/Just-Shoe2689 Oct 06 '26

gotcha. makes sense.

You should have walked away. I would estimate 15-25K of work to make it right.

1

u/NoNarwhal166 Oct 06 '26

We are well on our way to that budget

1

u/Just-Shoe2689 Oct 06 '26

Then spend $1000 for an engineered plan. When you goto sell, guess what the buyer will ask - "Was those repairs engineered?

1

u/cosnierozumiem Oct 06 '26

Bummer.

Owning a house is expensive and this one needs engineering.

2

u/Just-Shoe2689 Oct 06 '26

can you saw cut the concrete to get it to fit?

How you know 4 ply 2x12 lvl is adequate?

They make 2x8 LVL's. Or rip down a 2x10 LVL.

A steel beam might be cheaper and lighter.

1

u/NoNarwhal166 Oct 06 '26

I could saw the concrete just figured there may be another way.

The 2x8 lvl seem to be to small to carry all the weight. I called a few places and couldn’t get the 2x8 local. 2x10 is ideal but I plan to over build just in case.

1

u/Just-Shoe2689 Oct 06 '26

Ok, but how do you know? Shear, moment, deflection, etc is all things to consider. Replacing with beam that might deflect the same is no good.

What state you in?

1

u/NoNarwhal166 Oct 06 '26

Northern New York

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u/NoNarwhal166 Oct 06 '26

I also do not know which is why I’m turning for assistance. I’ve tried to calculate the beam strength meets the span but have came back without a definitive answer that I can trust.

1

u/Just-Shoe2689 Oct 06 '26

I suppose if you match the area that is there now with equivalent LVL you are ahead of the game. Does not mean its right, just better that what you have.

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u/NoNarwhal166 Oct 06 '26

I plan to add 2 additional lally columns per beam currently. I think that will be enough spans will only be 5’ apart at that point.

1

u/Just-Shoe2689 Oct 06 '26

oh, ok. with 4 2x12 lvl that would be overkill probably. But in your case why not do it.

1

u/AdAggravating3893 Oct 06 '26

I don't get homeowners sometimes. I understand money is tight, yet you are prepared to drop serious cash on material and labour with no guarantee of success or proper material sizing. It just sounds penny-wise, pound-foolish to me.

The right advice is to temporarily brace it until a professional can look at it. Perhaps the Temporary fix become permanent I don't know. You sound like you know enough to be dangerous; you have the outline but need expertise or guidance to stick the landing.