HomeMy WebLinkAbout1898 Trowbridge High Street Beam DesignJanuary 19, 2021
Chris Kodatsky
1898 Trowbridge High Street
Carmel, IN 46056
Ph: 224.254.9806
Email: chris.kodatsky@workday.com
RE: WALL REMOVAL – STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
Thank you for allowing Leibering Structural Engineering to provide structural engineering services at the residence
located at 1898 Trowbridge High Street in Carmel, Indiana. The homeowner is proposing to remodel the
kitchen/pantry areas and would like to remove an interior load-bearing wall 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 what size beam would be required and
corresponding beam supports down to first-floor framing and/or basement slab. The scope included a visual
inspection and as-built measurements of the proposed wall removals. The site visit was completed on December
4, 2020.
Framing (For the purposes of this report, the front of the home faces South)
The proposed renovation includes removing three interior first-floor walls that frame out the existing pantry
(Photo 1). The walls to be removed are on the North, East, and West sides. Based on visual observations using a
construction grade stud finder, it can be assumed that the east and west walls are non-load-bearing. The north
wall is load-bearing and carries floor load from the second-floor catwalk (Photo 2). In order to remove the north
pantry wall, a new beam (yellow line in Photo 3) will be installed that spans approximately 13’-6” from the
existing entryway east wall over to an assumed beam in the kitchen ceiling framing. The assumed beam in the
kitchen ceiling framing spans from the north exterior wall to the wall between the kitchen and formal dining (red
line in Photo 3). The existing beam in the kitchen ceiling will need to be reinforced.
The proposed renovation also includes removing the arches in the walkways between the entry/living room, and
formal dining/kitchen. The south wall of the pantry is also assumed to be load-bearing but it will not be modified
or removed.
Design Criteria
The framing analysis uses a floor live load of 40psf, a dead load of 10psf, and a maximum total deflection of L/360.
Design
The below structural modifications are required to adequately support the proposed first-floor remodel.
1. The new beam on the north side of the pantry shall be a minimum of 2-ply 9-1/4” LVL. The west end of
the beam will be face-mounted to the reinforced beam in the kitchen ceiling and the east end shall be
supported on a 2-ply 2x4 wood post. This wood post sits directly over an exterior wall in the basement.
2. The existing beam in the kitchen will likely need to be reinforced. A portion of existing ceiling must be
removed in order to determine the existing beam size. LSE will make a follow-up visit when the beam is
available for inspection.
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 – North and West Pantry Walls to be Removed
Photo 2 – Second-Floor Catwalk Area
Photo 3 – Proposed Framing