Putting support beam in basement

billybarty · 04-09-2008, 01:18 PM

I would like to put a support beam in my basement ceiling and am unsure how it would tie into the walls. I can put the beam up and catch all the floor joists but is there a way that it can sit on top of the basement wall so that it carries the wall weight as well as the floor?

HandyPete · 04-09-2008, 07:45 PM

Your not going to get a beam under the outside walls. I'd consider using a 3x3 angle iron bolted to the basement wall.

- pete

billybarty · 04-10-2008, 10:41 AM

That would be bolted to a ledger board or something similar?

jogr · 04-10-2008, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billybarty

is there a way that it can sit on top of the basement wall so that it carries the wall weight as well as the floor?

Please clarify your question. What wall do you want to support?

billybarty · 04-10-2008, 01:09 PM

I want to support the floor but shouldn't the beam sit on top of the wall or are posts enough?

jogr · 04-10-2008, 02:17 PM

Put the end on the basement wall if you can. Is the basement wall poured concrete or block? If block, are the cores filled with grout?

If you are puting the beam under the joists you probably won't be able to place the beam on the wall (unless there is already a beam pocket there) and will need to support the end on a post. If so, I think you probably need to laterally support the post perhaps by bolting it into the wall.

Always make sure you have a good footing under every post.

billybarty · 04-10-2008, 03:03 PM

It's a pressure treated wood basement with a concrete floor. Could I build a pocket for the beam in the existing wall by putting a vertical stud on top of the beam that would go up to the top plate of the wall?

jogr · 04-10-2008, 03:17 PM

I don't know much about wood basements but you could probably frame in beam support into the wall. You'll have to make sure you have adequate footing and I don't know how footings are done for wood basements.

You kind of lost me with the stud on beam to top plate stuff. You might be using the wrong terminology.

billybarty · 04-10-2008, 04:14 PM

The wall is sitting on a 18 inch wide footing that has a 2 x 8 board bolted to the footing to hold the wall back from the pressure of the dirt.
I'll try to explain better what I was thinking. I would have the end of the beam go in between the basement wall studs. Then I would put a shorter cripple under the beam end that is between the wall studs. That way any settling or lifting of the floor would also be reflected by the outside wall. I know what I am trying to describe but reading it I can still see it's confusing.
Thanks for your help