Installing structural beam above basement

[Tlavery]

My husband and I are doing some research on replacing a load bearing wall with a structural beam on the main floor of our home.

The wall itself is 8 feet wide, but it has openings on each side of it. So the overall opening we will have is a minimum of 14 feet wide. I say minimum because I still need to figure out where there will be a wall below to carry one side of the load from the new beam.

The home does have a basement, so I have questions about whether we may need to change any structure in the basement when we remove the wall on the main floor.

There is no wall or beam directly (parallel) underneath the wall to be removed.
The beam will be between an exterior wall to an interior wall. Will we need to open walls in the basement below the trimmers for the new beam to install additional structure so the weight is carried directly to the basement floor? Or do I just need to be sure the beam and trimmer is directly above a wall in the basement?

Is there anything else we will need to be concerned with?

We will be consulting with someone to help us size the beam and help us with this project, but I want to be sure we are educated. That way we will be sure the job is done correctly.

We live in an area where no building permits are required, so we don't have an inspector or building permit requirement to be sure it is done correctly.

Thank you in advance for anyone who is willing to answer my questions.

 

[Camallison]

I suggest you speak to a licensed structural engineer and pay him to detail what needs to be done, including sizing the beam and any additional supports required.

ColinA

 

[Tlavery]

I suggest you speak to a licensed structural engineer and pay him to detail what needs to be done, including sizing the beam and any additional supports required.

ColinA

I agree, but I don't want to rely 100% on the information that a single person gives me. An engineer is the person who told me that the wall is load bearing. There was no mention of carrying the load down to footings. So I'm educating myself before I hire an engineer. I want this done right.

 

[piglet11]

No amount of research is going to give you enough confidence to remove the wall without getting some professional advice.
There is a good chance, though, that the wall and what it stands on, would have been done without complex calculations, using plain old common sense.
If you are proposing a steel beam, why not ask the beam supplier?
What you haven't said is what the existing wall is made of.
From personal experience, in a timber frame building with stud walls, the load bearing walls are made up with 4" x 2" CLS uprights, doubled up at door openings. You can see the difference by looking at the width of the door frame casing.
There is one central load bearing beam that runs the width of the building and sits on the central load bearing wall and perimeter wall.
This beam is made up from three 8" x "2.5" timbers so is fairly massive.
Having said that, the roof is fully trussed construction and a lot of the roof weight is taken on the perimeter walls.