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eoud
09-14-2008, 07:37 PM
Is there anyone who can tell me how to replace a rotten main support beam. Half my basement is crawl space and half is foundation basement. The main support beam is rotten and now my floors are starting to sag. What kind of contractor do i contact to do a job like this, or is my husband (decent handyman) able to do this work himself? The part of the house that is crawlspace is accessable because if this problem can be fixed we could rip the floors out above to get good access to the beam. Any ideas would be wonderful. Thanks:)
EBS Engineering
09-26-2008, 01:59 PM
Ideally, replacing any main supporting beam should be looked at first by a structural engineer. We at EBS Engineering perform repairs like this (which would include any structural drawings as necessary). Depending on the damage to the beams, sometimes they can be "sistered" which means attaching another beam to the existing one for additional support. If they need to be replaced, either new wood beams can be installed or steel I-beams can be used. This will depend on a number of factors including the load they need to support, cost and accessibility to the area to do the work. This is definitely not a do-it-yourself type of job.
fenton.2009
03-23-2009, 05:06 AM
In such a case I would always contact an expert (e.g. structural engineer) first.
Replacing beams yourself is very dangerous and you can destroy more than you want to repair.
It could be expensive but normally it's worth the money.
Jacobpm
04-17-2009, 08:18 AM
Ideally, replacing any main supporting beam should be looked at first by a structural engineer. We at EBS Engineering perform repairs like this (which would include any structural drawings as necessary). Depending on the damage to the beams, sometimes they can be "sistered" which means attaching another beam to the existing one for additional support. If they need to be replaced, either new wood beams can be installed or steel I-beams can be used. This will depend on a number of factors including the load they need to support, cost and accessibility to the area to do the work. This is definitely not a do-it-yourself type of job.

@Fenton: Aka^^^^these guys.