Houses Are so Resilient 3

[XR250]

Looked at a good one the other day. A customer wanted to take out a wall in the kitchen. It appeared to be supporting a 25 foot long beam supporting 20 ft. trib of roof, a second story floor system and finished attic floor system. I was able to identify the beam as a W8 x 15 by looking through a plumbing access. For the life of me I could not figure out how a beam of this size could be supporting that kind of load over 25 foot span. The homeowner finally fessed up that there used to be a mid-span support wall, but it was removed last year. I went in the crawlspace and found a pier directly under where that beam would’ve been supported. Construction photos show (5) studs used to support the beam. Apparently that was not a red flag to the handyman. Amazingly, there was no noticeable sag in the floor system. I guess the second story exterior wall was acting as a deep beam.

 

[phamENG]

It had a big 1 foot permanent deflection...Still standing after 100+ years, all kinds of snow and windstorms.

Could be okay...or it could be growing steadily more susceptible to creep rupture. Given the level of apparent creep deformation, I'd be very concerned about the latter. Nothing lasts forever, and though something has been doing well for decades or centuries doesn't mean it's not in its last decade of useful life. The trick is figuring out how to recognize it. Now, if the code didn't require anything to be done, I would inform the owner of that. I would also warn them of potential consequences of inaction, what action I would recommend, and let them decide.

 

[XR250]

definitely gave me the heebie jeebies a bit, but also gave me a lot of perspective when doing alterations to 2x8 framed roofs built in the 70's. Everything you touch doesnt always need to be reinforced to the modern code.

I agree. However, the expectation of most customers is that a modern-ish roof is not going to sag. In older roof's, it is considered "character".

 

[HouseBoy]

XR... I've also heard it referred to as "seasoning". You pay extra for that is some neighborhoods!

When there are large deflections, the thing I have a problem with is that in general, the design load is not present most of the time and still there is the deflection. THAT is a problem for me when I consider that wood creeps when it is under very high stress....

 

[OCellini]

Wow, the stories I could add to this thread. I've designed hundreds of renovations of very old homes for many years, and the main "rule-of-thumb" I have with any project is to try to leave in-place any kind of structure that we can, and only add what we need to reinforce. You never really know how a building has "settled" into place over many years. I have even seen old bookcases in a basement serving as an important bearing wall. I have come to appreciate the many redundant systems in wood-framed structures, even in the form of bookcases!

 

[phamENG]

Today is the 15 anniversary of some shockingly strong and devastating tornadoes that hit the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, so the news had some footage and I spotted a house that makes me question why I even bother. The news reel showed the other side of the house, which I should point out looked exactly the same. Both exterior bearing walls were removed.

 

[XR250]

Wow