Moving load bearing walls (or can I?)

Part 4 — Designing and building a DIY home recording studio

The whole story — part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16, part 17, part 18, part 19, part 20, part 21, part 22, part 23, part 24, part 25

The red X shows the current load bearing wall that I will soon be moving so I can open up the room to the size the studio requires.

The masking tape on the floor shows the outline of the proposed studio space if all goes as planned with moving the load bearing wall and installing a beam system.

Beam me up!

So in order for this space to even work, I have at least one wall that has to move. It’s the one right there in the middle of the picture above that falls right where my chair needs to be. I’ve watched enough home improvement shows over the years to know it’s possible to move load bearing walls, but I know that sometimes it’s easier than other times.

I called the company who built this home in hopes I could speak to someone who could tell me if I can move this wall. I was really surprised when I was put directly in contact with a construction supervisor and I was floored when he said he would be in my area later that day working on another home and could stop by!

It was great to have him right there as I explained what I was wanting to do and I was very happy and quite relieved when he said the wall WAS movable and would be fairly easy to do. He explained that depending on my comfort level with building, that it was something that I could easily do myself. As he explained what it would take to move the wall I got excited because it looked like something I actually could possibly tackle on my own. He said that wall was actually on a 1' x 2' concrete foundation footing underground and that simply moving the wall to a new location (although more centered in the basement) wouldn’t work because the location under the tape was only 3" thick vs the footing. He showed me the floor plan and explained that everywhere I see a double dotted line is a 1' x 2' concrete footing under ground and it is designed to take the full weight of the floors above.

The dotted lines represent the 1' wide x 2' deep foundation footing

To move the wall, I would need to run double LVL beams to take the place of the wall. I had never heard of an LVL before so he took a minute to explain.

A cross cut example of an LVL (laminated veneer lumber)

An LVL is a beam made up of many layers of laminated veneer and is VERY strong and when two are used side by side they are actually stronger and provide more support than the framed wall I currently have. He showed me that we actually already have double LVL’s running elsewhere in the basement.

This is a double LVL system already in my basement in another room. They are the two laminated side by side beams pictured in the center.

He said that I would first need to support the ceiling by putting in studs under each joist to relieve the pressure of the floor off the existing wall and then he explained how to cut out the existing wall and build the new one. He suggested that instead of just running the beam where the wall is, that I should actually get longer LVL’s and run the beam starting at the other side of the door way which would tie everything in together making things even stronger. The reason this works is the verticle “trimmers” (which act as very strong columns for the beams) are still resting directly on the foundation footing just like the wall is now. The beam simply supports that same distributed weight of the house across the entire length of the beam and then directs that weight to what will be the three point of support that sit on the floor directly above the 1' x 2' underground foundation footer.

The 12" double LVL would start above the left side of this doorway — sitting right under the floor joists and resting on the three shorter trimmers the header is resting on. Conveniently, two side by side LVLs are the same width as a 2x4 stud (3.5"). This means the beam’s width will be flush with trimmers below it for drywall.

The double LVL system would travel the length of where this wall is — which would first be removed to make room for the beams.

The double LVL’s will rest on three trimmers that are right at the concrete foundation.

I will need two 11 7/8" x 1 3/4" x 20' LVLs. The run is a few feet short of that, but LVLs only come in certain sizes…and they charge by the foot. I am looking at $4.30/ft per beam and approx $80 for delivery to my curbside. I suggested I would need a team to help me lift them and get them through the basement window and he said they are surprisingly light and the job could be done with fewer people. So I’m looking at approx $172 plus tax and delivery for the double LVLs to replace that wall.

As we went over the floor plan, I discovered the closet wall is also on top of a foundation footer. (what?!). Weird. that means that I will have to get shorter length double LVLs in order to move that wall too. They will need to be 10' and I actually have the option of running the 9 1/2' version there rather than using the 12" which would drop down from the ceiling lower.

This is the existing rear closet/storage doorway wall that also surprisingly is a load bearing wall, sitting on a 1' x 2' foundation footing. It needs to move which will require double LVLs as well rather than a simple doorway header system.

I’ll somehow try to conceal the fact that there is a 12" beam above the mix position. I’ll have a cloud system over head so I’m sure I can figure something out. I asked the supervisor if I could tuck the beams into the joists. It would mean cutting into all the existing joists to make room for the beams and then a pretty complex system of hanging them again. He said it was doable but he wouldn’t suggest it because of expense. Ok. I’ll figured I’d keep it as a maybe.

So feeling pretty good about things I got to thinking that perhaps this is one of those times in life that a second opinion would be welcomed. I contacted a local general contractor (Marty), who has been building homes for over 40 years and asked if he could take a look. Our conversation went about the same and he gave some suggestions that would make things go more smoothly when replacing the wall with the beams. Marty suggested building the new wall — where the tape is — so it’s in place and ready to go. Then place the supports under each joist on the other side of the wall just a couple feet away, and THEN cut the wall. Brilliant. After speaking to Marty I’m feeling really good about things and the process. The one thing he immediately put to rest was if I could nest the LVL’s up into the joists. Before I even finished my sentence he was already giving me a look of no followed immediately by “Don’t do it. Just don’t do it). Ok, nuf said. Perpendicular beam that drops down 12” it is. Moving on. Beams to be ordered soon!

The whole story — part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16, part 17, part 18, part 19, part 20, part 21, part 22, part 23, part 24, part 25