Full Home Remodeling in Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach whole-house remodels where beam depth, span and post footings are measured on the first visit. Aspenwell Construction, Long Beach.
"How deep will the beam be if this wall goes?" For a Redondo Beach house the reply depends on what the wall carries, how far the opening spans and how much ceiling height the room can give up. A flush beam hides inside the ceiling, and a dropped beam shows below it. We measure the joist depth and the span on the first visit, so the engineer starts with real numbers.
Span, load and depth
A beam's size comes from the weight it carries and the distance between its posts. Roof load alone allows a smaller member, and a second floor above calls for a deeper one. Laminated veneer lumber covers moderate spans, and steel steps in when the depth has to stay shallow. A flush beam needs joist hangers on both sides and some framing cut back, which adds labor. A dropped beam leaves a soffit across the room. The engineer runs the numbers and the designer picks the look the room can live with.
Where the posts land
Every beam ends on posts, and every post needs something solid under it. On a raised floor that means a new pier or footing in the crawlspace, poured to the size the engineer sets. On a slab, the concrete may need to be cut and a thickened footing placed below the post. Coastal moisture makes the base connector matter, so posts sit on galvanized or stainless bases held off the concrete. The building department sees the footing before the pour and the beam before the ceiling closes.
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Full Home Remodeling in Redondo Beach: questions
We sort walls by what they do. Partitions carry only their own weight and finishes. Bearing walls hold joists, rafters or a floor above and need a beam before removal. Shear walls brace the house sideways, so an opening in one requires added sheathing or a steel frame. The attic and crawlspace tell us which job each wall has.
Ideally the retrofit happens at the beginning. New bolts, plywood on cripple walls and any sill repair are done from below, and the crawlspace is easiest to work in before new pipes snake through it. The inspector can sign off the foundation connection early, and the rest of the remodel builds on a frame that is already tied down.
We measure joist and rafter sizes, spans and bearing points in the attic, then check the footing, sill, bolts and cripple walls from below. Any sag, crack or rot is photographed. The record tells the engineer how big each new beam has to be and whether existing footings can take the new post loads.
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Describe the house and what it needs. We look at the structure first and send the quote in writing.