I'm planning on removing a beam from by basment.
Currently all it's doing it splitting a 13' 10" span in half for the
2x8 floor joists 16" o.c. above. What I'd like to do is sister on 2 x 10's to each joist to span the distance. This meets spec for L/480 (code is 360) but I'm wondering if the floor will feel bouncy.Any ideas? It's way overbuilt now and feels really solid. I'm not sure what L/480 feels like... any opinions?
Yup. I'd be real cautious just removing a beam without being real certain why it was there in the first place. Questions I'd ask myself: Is there a load above this? Perhaps a column or load bearing wall from the floor above? Or was there a hot-tub, or massive fish tank? Is this beam original, or was it added on?
It is also strange that you are asking about how "bouncy" the floor might be when you yourself provide the exact, numerical answer to your own question.
1/480 is substantially stiffer than 1/360. I'm not sure where you got your numbers, or what species and grade of wood you're basing it on, but going by your number it _might_ be okay - but I have doubts about what information you're leaving out.
You haven't provided information on what's on the first floor, whether there are any bearing walls on the second floor, etc. Without this information there is no way of answering your question.
You can use this online tool to calculate _simple_ spans:
Yellow pages - structural engineers. A few dollars well spent.
There aren't any loads on the beam other than the floor above. It essentially runs down the centerline of the family room above. I have a structural engineer redesigning a lot of stuff for me right now. We talked about removing the beam, and said it would more than meet code.
But code can allow for some harry construction.... I didn't want to end up with a bouncy floor at the end of the remodel.
I ran the span numbers using
Why are you asking here if you're already paying a professional and he gave you his assurances?
R
AMUN is his structural engineer. matt should be afraid. Very afraid.
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