RSJ needed? Cost?

[charlie]

Hi,

A previous owner of our 1890's house knocked through the lounge/dining room wall. It's a supporting wall and the gap is 6'. There's 2' of the original wall remaining either side. There is no RSJ, but there is a

6x3" wooden beam instead that appears o be doing the job (there are no cracks in adjoining plaster/paint and it's not bowing). A couple of builders took a look and said 'if it aint broke don't fix it' and said the beam would be fine. I may get a structural engineer to take a look but am slightly anxious about opening up a can of worms! If there were signs of the beam failing then I obviously wouldn't hesitate. Am guessing I should get it looked at but what's the ballpark for putting a new RSJ in?

The house is a 1890's 2 up 2 down cottage.

Cheers Charlie

[Kevin]

I'm generally in agreement with your builders. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

however, if you really want to get a ball pall figure, have a look at :-

a 6' gap, you will probably want a 152x89 Universal Beam, but again you would need your structural engineer to confirm this.

[charlie]

Thanks Kevin,

Am I correct in thinking that these things normally show signs of stress prior to falling down rather than just caving in!? Also do you have any idea of the labour costs involved?

Charlie

[Kevin]

First of, your builders probably know more about this than I do. You've asked their advise but seem reluctant to take it.

Do you have any idea how long that wooden joist has been there ? If it's been in place for 20 years with no apparent problems then why are we even talking about it. If it's only been in place for a couple of months, then maybe you're right to have it checked. Yes, I probably would expect to see some sign of stress in whatever it's carrying rather than the beam itself e.g. plaster cracking/gaps opening up in the mortar/gaps between the floor and the skirting, but don't take my word for it because I'm no expert and I could be wrong.

Sorry, I can't really help with labour costs because I installed my own RSJ's when I built the extension.

[Phil L]

There is no ballpark figure for anything, I can tell you what I would charge and you may find this cheap or expensive.

New steel beam = £150 Tool hire (acrows and strongboys) = £20 Plaster, board and adhesive = £40 Sundries = £20 Labour £250 TOTAL = £480 I am quite cheap, expect to pay a hundred or two more depending on where you are, that said, if it's not showing any sign of stress, there's no need to replace it, in any house of that age, all the lintels above windows and doors are made of timber

[Guy King]

The message from [e-mail] contains these words:

My brother's barn is made of such things and it's still standing.

[Mike]

Very OT reply - but remember Fawlty Towers - "The Builders"?

Some cowboy builders had done a good job but with a wooden beam. Expert builder says: "But that's a supportin' wall Mr Fawlty!. Keep the door closed while I...".

Action: Sibil attacks Basil. , Fade to titles.

[charlie]

I wasn't worried about the beam but my, erm 'sybil' mentioned it to a guy who was doing some plastering here and he put the wind up her (for no apparent reason- I've since spoken to him and he doesn't know what he's talking about) I should have trusted my instinct which was exactly what's been said- it's been up there a while so why would there be a problem?

Thanks for the replies