Hello,
We are planning to remove part of a load-bearing wall on the ground floor of our house. The house is a 1.5-story house, and we have enlisted the help of a constructor/architect to calculate the load relief, and he recommended an HEA140 beam to be placed on two HEA100 columns. In the building documentation he provided, he also recommended that the columns be cast into the base slab.
Now to the problem. Our house is built on a crawl space with a wooden floor structure, meaning there is no concrete slab to attach them to. It also doesn't seem possible to use the exterior wall to place them on. How should we go about attaching these columns?
We have, of course, gone back to the constructor, but it seems to be taking time to get a response. I would love to hear your wise thoughts on what the best solution might be.
Thank you!
We are planning to remove part of a load-bearing wall on the ground floor of our house. The house is a 1.5-story house, and we have enlisted the help of a constructor/architect to calculate the load relief, and he recommended an HEA140 beam to be placed on two HEA100 columns. In the building documentation he provided, he also recommended that the columns be cast into the base slab.
Now to the problem. Our house is built on a crawl space with a wooden floor structure, meaning there is no concrete slab to attach them to. It also doesn't seem possible to use the exterior wall to place them on. How should we go about attaching these columns?
We have, of course, gone back to the constructor, but it seems to be taking time to get a response. I would love to hear your wise thoughts on what the best solution might be.
Thank you!
We have added an extra floor to our house and have a longitudinal IPE beam that sits on VKR columns (square tubes).
Plates were welded to the top and bottom of the columns, which protruded slightly, and holes were made. Corresponding holes were made in the flanges of the beam and then they were screwed together with machine screws and lock nuts.
We have concrete floors, so the columns stood on the concrete and were fastened through the holes in the plate with expansion bolts.
In your case, it should be possible to secure the lower part of the columns to a beam in a similar manner with French wood screws or equivalent.
If the beams cannot withstand the load, you may need to support underneath against rock or a cast foundation. If there is no suitable beam right where the column comes down, it should be possible to extend the column through the flooring and place it on rock or a cast slab/foundation in the ground.
Plates were welded to the top and bottom of the columns, which protruded slightly, and holes were made. Corresponding holes were made in the flanges of the beam and then they were screwed together with machine screws and lock nuts.
We have concrete floors, so the columns stood on the concrete and were fastened through the holes in the plate with expansion bolts.
In your case, it should be possible to secure the lower part of the columns to a beam in a similar manner with French wood screws or equivalent.
If the beams cannot withstand the load, you may need to support underneath against rock or a cast foundation. If there is no suitable beam right where the column comes down, it should be possible to extend the column through the flooring and place it on rock or a cast slab/foundation in the ground.
It's strange that the designer recommends casting the column into the slab, even stranger since you have a crawl space. The force from the columns must be directed further to the pad footing to transfer the force to the foundation. The column can be attached to the wood via a base on the column, such as a flat steel with, for example, four holes for screws.
Thank you for the response! I interpret it as the simple, quick solution is to attach directly to a beam provided there is one running in a suitable place. Wouldn't that be a very large load for the beam to bear?
Otherwise, is the solution to attach the posts all the way down to the plinth or to the rock, as it is likely the case for us?
Otherwise, is the solution to attach the posts all the way down to the plinth or to the rock, as it is likely the case for us?
see previous answer. the load from the pillar must be transferred down to the foundation/solid ground via, for example, a plinth. if it stands directly on a beam/bearer, there is a risk of breaking/deflection.