Goldeneye

Hi,

I'm in the process of remodeling my one story ranch house basement it 40' long. There are currently 4 metal poles in the center of the basement that run the lenght of the house. They are positioned from the foundation wall 7' - 8' - 8' - 8' - 7' apart . These are the main poles that hold 3 9x1.5 inch boards nailed together. I'd like to remove one of the poles that is located 7' from the foundation wall. I was wondering if this would be safe or can I raplace the pole with 2 other poles starting 2' from the foundation wall and the other one at 9' from the foundation wall. This would give me more open space in the room I plan to use as a work shop. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks...

mudmixer

You really should have a professional look at the adequacy of the beam(splices, loads, etc.) relative to your house and framing system including the roof.

In any case, you should have any post sitting on a new footing rather that putting it on an unknown slab with unknown soil under it.

JoeD

It sounds feasable. You need an engineer and a building permit to verify that. You will be required to bust out the floor in install a proper foundation under the new pole locations. The floor itself can't support the load.

Goldeneye

Thanks for the info. I didn't think it would be a big deal but I guess it's more than I can tackle myself....

cibula11

I would agree that you probably should consult a professional. But, I had an entryway leading from my living room to my dining room where the floor sloped about 2 inches. I consulted a couple of general contractors who had worked on older homes. They both said that I could use 2 or 3 adjustable poles sitting on a 10' 6x6. As long as you aren't planning on using that space for anything...this may be something you could consider, but only after having someone actually see that situation.