I am in the process of remodeling a house I just purchased and there is a 6x6 post holding up a 6x14 beam right in front of the front door and I am hoping to be able to remove the post so it is not right in your face as you enter the house.
House built in 1979 in southern California. The post was hidden by a 12' wide rock wall. I removed the rock wall and discovered the 6x6post. I am assuming that it is structural, but only because built into the rock wall was a wood fireplace (being removed) and on the roof above the fireplace is 12' wide stucco chimney cap so I am assuming that the post was installed to help support the additional weight of the chimney cap. I am having the house re-roofed (was original roof and it is clearly time to re-roof) and will be removing the chimney cap so I am hopeful the post can also be removed. Been scouring the internet for span tables and can't find any that reference a 6x14 center beam.
The room with the beam has a vaulted ceiling and is in the center of the house with living space on either side so there is no overhang from the rafters. The rafters span is 13'. Beam is 6x14 x 35 feet. There are support posts at either end of the room and there is a 28' span between them. The post I want to remove is 8' away from one end of the room (so 20' away from the other end of the room). The beam overhangs the end supports by 3' on one end and 4' on the other. The pitch of the roof is 4:12. The rafters are 2x8s 16" on center and attach to the ridge board above the 6x14 beam. The roofing material is standard weight concrete tile (so 970 pounds per 100 sqft). The beam is wood but I am not sure of the species but am assuming Douglas Fir.
I hope that is enough info for someone to give me an idea if they think this is is even possible. I do intend on hiring a structural engineer but wanted to ask this forum first before I spend money on a structural engineer. If the consensus here is that its not possible I will not be hiring and will figure something else out or maybe leave (ugh!) the post where it is. The last thing I want to do is remove the post and have the roof collapse.
![651597]( "651597")
![651598]( "651598")
House built in 1979 in southern California. The post was hidden by a 12' wide rock wall. I removed the rock wall and discovered the 6x6post. I am assuming that it is structural, but only because built into the rock wall was a wood fireplace (being removed) and on the roof above the fireplace is 12' wide stucco chimney cap so I am assuming that the post was installed to help support the additional weight of the chimney cap. I am having the house re-roofed (was original roof and it is clearly time to re-roof) and will be removing the chimney cap so I am hopeful the post can also be removed. Been scouring the internet for span tables and can't find any that reference a 6x14 center beam.
The room with the beam has a vaulted ceiling and is in the center of the house with living space on either side so there is no overhang from the rafters. The rafters span is 13'. Beam is 6x14 x 35 feet. There are support posts at either end of the room and there is a 28' span between them. The post I want to remove is 8' away from one end of the room (so 20' away from the other end of the room). The beam overhangs the end supports by 3' on one end and 4' on the other. The pitch of the roof is 4:12. The rafters are 2x8s 16" on center and attach to the ridge board above the 6x14 beam. The roofing material is standard weight concrete tile (so 970 pounds per 100 sqft). The beam is wood but I am not sure of the species but am assuming Douglas Fir.
I hope that is enough info for someone to give me an idea if they think this is is even possible. I do intend on hiring a structural engineer but wanted to ask this forum first before I spend money on a structural engineer. If the consensus here is that its not possible I will not be hiring and will figure something else out or maybe leave (ugh!) the post where it is. The last thing I want to do is remove the post and have the roof collapse.
