HomeMy WebLinkAboutStructural Engineer ReportOctober 20, 2020
Tim Waterman
12210 Redgold Run
Carmel, IN 46032
Ph: 317.691.8840
Email: h2oman@aol.com
RE: WALL REMOVAL – STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
Thank you for allowing Leibering Structural Engineering to provide structural engineering services at the residence
located at 12210 Redgold Run in Carmel, Indiana. The homeowners are proposing to open an interior wall on the
first floor of their home and requested a structural analysis be performed to determine what additional supports
will be required.
Scope
The scope of this project included a site visit and analysis to determine if the wall was load-bearing, what size
beam would be required and corresponding beam supports down to first-floor framing. The scope included a
visual inspection and as-built measurements of the proposed wall removal. The site visit was completed on
October 14, 2020.
Framing
The proposed renovation includes removing approximately 4’ of the wall that divides the kitchen and living room
(Photo 1). While this wall is generally non load-bearing, a multi-ply LVL header was used to span the existing 8’
opening from the exterior wall to the end of the existing interior wall. Additionally, an engineered wood I-joist is
installed on top of the existing wall and terminates at the face of the existing 2-ply LVL.
Design Criteria
The framing analysis uses a floor live load of 30psf, a dead load of 10psf, and a maximum total deflection of L/360.
A new beam will be used to span the new ~14’ opening. The beam will support the existing mulit-ply
LVL, existing engineered wood I-joist, the existing 2nd floor wall, and approximately 9” of tributary 2nd
floor area.
Design
The below structural modifications are required to adequately support the proposed wall opening.
1. The new 14’ beam shall be a minimum of 2-ply 2x8 (SPF#2 or better). To provide stability against lateral
torsional buckling, the contractor must ensure that the existing LVL beam and engineered wood I-joist
are mechanically fastened to the new beam via toe-nailing or Simpson A21 clips at 4’ on center.
2. Each end of the new 14’ beam shall be supported by 2-2x4 wood studs (SPF#2 or Better).
Closing
Please note that the inspection was only visual in nature, and there was no material testing or sampling of any
components of the existing framing systems. Also note that this inspection only considered the overall
performance of the framing system as described above. The observations and recommendations are professional
opinions based on engineering principles and evidence visible at the time of the inspection. Further information
such as soil analysis, material samples, and load-testing would be required to confirm the opinions or calculate
the exact structural capacity of building components as they exist today. Lastly, please note that due to the
subjective nature of this work, it is possible for other professionals to have differing opinions or interpretations of
the abovementioned observations.
Sincerely,
Justin Leibering PE, SE
Leibering Structural Engineering
PHOTOS
Photo 1 – Wall to be opened
Photo 2 – Ends of LVL Beam and Wood I-joist