After two weeks of solid work on the house we have to return to office work tomorrow. What better way to cap off the marathon session than to finally install the load bearing beam that we'd begun prepping for with the jacks on the first day of vacation.
We assembled the beam components the day before; 1-3/4" LVL glued and bolted to a standard 2x6 to provide a wider point of contact with the joists. The posts are cedar cuz that was next step up from pine. They cut like butter, and we notched one end of each post to receive the beam.
With the help of my friend and frequent commentor, Douglas, and his brother-in-law, Hartman, a master carpenter from Seattle, we hefted, hammered and harrassed the beam into place. One trick we did learn over the course of the past two weeks is hang the beam from joists with hurricane (aka decking) ties then install the posts. This little extra step made the job decidedly more managable.
Once we had the permanent beam in place we quickly measured the vertical distance to floor and trimmed off the ends of the prepared posts for a snug fit.
One small problem with the posts: we calculated the notch using a standard 2x measurement, but the LVL is a bit thicker. Structurally it's still sound, especially when joined with 3/8" bolts. Since 1) this entire piece will ultimately be hidden inside a wall and 2) Hartman agreed it was good to go, we didn't try to deepen the notches.
It feels strudy as hell. I'm very pleased with the job we did, both because we were extra safe around all this elevated mass and because I think it's fair to say this represents the most technically challenging project we've undertaken. Remember, kids, before you start jacking up your house to replace structural loads meet with an engineer, put on your hard hats, and check all your joins before you lift a 14' beam in the air.
must admit that we all - especailly Hartman - really used our heads on this one. the progess is impressive and encouraging.
Posted by: douglas | 2005.11.28 at 09:21