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Supporting and Repairing Load Bearing Walls

Charlie and Bob discuss how important it is to determine where the load-bearing walls are when undertaking a major remodel. Charlie points out the doubled-up 18-inch Georgia-Pacific LVL that is now carrying the entire load of the sidewall and the roof. During the installation Charlie found serious termite damage at the bottom of the support post. Since the LVL (or any beam) is only as strong as the posts that support it, Charlie cut out the damaged piece and put a new pressure-treated pad in and then posted it up with 2 x4s to tie it all in and create a solid point of transfer for the load. Using studs Charlie also created some temporary supports for the second floor joist system while he replaced load-bearing walls with a triple LVL and a 4 x 6 post. This basically transfers the load down to the basement to a lally column which will go down onto a concrete pad. The LVLs are 1 3/4-inch by 9 1/4-inch by 11 feet long. More information