Structural work that makes room for more house
Before a house can take a second floor or lose a wall, its frame and foundation have to carry the new loads. We handle that part first.
Checking what the house can carry
A second story adds weight the original footings were not sized for. Removing a wall to join two rooms moves load onto a new beam. We bring in an engineer to look at the existing foundation, framing and connections, then design the reinforcement the new layout needs.
The work under the finishes
That can mean new or deepened footings, steel or engineered wood beams, posts down to new pads, shear walls with hold-downs, and upgraded connections between the floor, walls and roof. It is work that disappears behind drywall, so we document it for the inspector before anything is closed up.
Opening up the rooms you have
Sometimes the space a family needs is already inside the house, split up by a wall. Taking out a bearing wall can turn a cramped kitchen and dining room into one place for everyone to gather. We engineer the beam, shore the structure during the change and patch the ceiling and floor.
Structural Work: questions
Clues include joists resting on it from above or a wall stacked under another wall. Only a look at the framing and the plans confirms it, which we do before any wall comes out.
Yes. Changes to beams, bearing walls, foundations or shear walls need engineered drawings and a building permit, with inspections before the work is covered.
Often. Depending on what the engineer finds, the fix may be new footings at key points, a thicker foundation section or added hold-downs and shear walls.
Find out what your house can carry
Send the address and the change you have in mind. We will look at the structure and tell you what it needs.