Hey guys, Brian here! When opening the living room wall, the first task was to determine if it was load-bearing. In typical 1960s construction, the exterior walls bear the weight of the roof, while interior walls support the ceiling rafters and the drywall that will eventually be hung on them.
To add a beam to support the ceiling joists, I first built two temporary walls, each placed about two feet away from where the new beam would be installed. These temporary walls acted as support while I removed the old dividing wall and placed the new beam.
The beam used was an LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) beam, consisting of two 14-foot beams laminated together in place. The process involved setting the first beam in place, then gluing the other to it and joining them with structural lag screws spaced 12 inches apart. Once the new beam was in place, I removed the temporary walls and attached the ceiling joists to the top of the LVL beam. Mending straps were placed on either side of the beam, connecting it to the king studs and top plates. Finally, six lag screws were added to the sides of the king studs and into the beams, securing the new structure in place.
The living room and kitchen is now well on its way to having a beautiful open-concept design!