Using Steel to Support Your Structure

You have seen them—those unsightly columns in basements, garages and elsewhere in the home. They are designed to support the weight of your structure, but often eliminate the functionality of the space. In a garage, you may not be able to fully utilize your storage; and sometimes, those support structures limit whether you can park a vehicle inside or not. These do provide a critical function for the safety and stability of your structure, but there are other ways to provide support without unsightly beams.

If you are thinking about finishing your basement or you want to move a column in the way inside your garage, you can replace with a steel beam, also known as a flitch beam.
Removing Columns Takes Professional Expertise
Removing columns to replace with a steel beam is not a DIY job. These beams support the weight from above and depending on your home’s design, there may be several other point loads coming down onto those columns. The size and placement of support columns is strategic and they were created to hold specific floor loads and point loads from above. Therefore, to remove one you will need the help of professionals and it will be a process that includes important steps:

1. An engineer will first assess your home and determine the load points, and then need to decide how far to span your flitch beam to support the load above.
2. A temporary wall will be built to support the load so that the columns can be removed.
3. A flitch beam will be created from solid steel based on the measurements provided by the engineer.
4. The flitch beam will be installed and the temporary walls removed.

Freehold Welding can create a flitch beam using high-quality steel. If you are remodeling your home and need to remove support columns, our AWS Certified craftsmen can create the support steel beam you need to open up the space.
Call us today to request a quote for your next project at 732-577-1516 or contact us online with any questions.