Steel beam supported by a single 2x6 stud 3

[DETstru]

A friend asked me to look at his home, currently under construction by a builder. One of those pick-your-floorplan type neighborhoods.
He showed me these photos of a steel beam supported by a single 2x6 stud in the basement (walkout basement). The other end of the beam is in a pocket in the concrete basement wall.

I would never support a beam like this. I always show pipe columns at all steel beams. The two other beams in his basement are supported by pipe columns.

I told him to have the builder add another stud or two and find or fab a bracket that can connect the steel beam to the 2x built-up post. The builder refused and said this was done per plans. I don't have access to the drawings, nor does my friend, to confirm. I doubt an engineer would show a single stud supporting a steel beam. And the rest of the house seems overbuilt anyway (triple 2x headers even in non-bearing walls, double trimmers, 2x6 walls throughout, thick plywood sheathing, etc). Doesn't seem like a skimpy engineer, especially for the type of development this is.

But... technically the stud can handle the load (I checked) and I can't seem to find a code provision in the IRC that says you can't do it.

I told my friend to just go and add the studs himself over the weekend but I'd love a code provision to toss at the builder. Any ideas? Located in Michigan, USA.

 

[phamENG]

The steel beam feature on Forte is pretty handy, but I have a feeling we're now going to start seeing a lot more of this nonsense 'in the wild' as a result.

 

[canwesteng]

The column provides lateral restraint to the beam, and the beam provides lateral restraint to the column. I don't think that works. Nothing stops lateral displacement of the bottom flange, other than out of plane bending of the plywood.

 

[Aesur]

Out of curiosity, does the local jurisdiction have plans on record? Was the building official contacted with the picture to ask their opinion or inspection?

 

[DETstru]

In case anyone wanted an update on this.

My friend eventually got ahold of the actual carpenter who framed the house (not the builder who was running the construction for the whole neighborhood).
The carpenter told him that they had ran out of steel posts and were going to install it when they got one and not to worry. Yay!

Unfortunately that did take a while (or the carpenter just forgot about it) because they started drywalling and my friend had to remind them that there was a steel post missing before it got covered up. They did get it installed on time and my friend confirmed it himself.

Thanks for all your input, and all is well

 

[BAretired]

Good news, but it sounds like the contractor is not keeping track of what is going on. Who knows what other goofs have been made?

 

[rb1957]

ok, good ending, but why the a-hole in the middle who refused your request to add more studs ? He was not current with the design, nor the build, nor the "travelled work" (what was call things done out of step).

Again, a good ending, but only after some more rework. "oh yeah, we need to replace that. doh". A simple red flag "unfinished work" on the stud would've been enough to have people ask questions.

As for the plans "listen, mate, either let me see them, or I'll get them from city hall, oh, and drop a word in some inspector's ear" ...

"Hoffen wir mal, dass alles gut geht !"
General Paulus, Nov 1942, outside Stalingrad after the launch of Operation Uranus.