Beam Size? Steel?

Question

Can anyone help me out? I am wanting to take out a load bearing wall in a small bunglow (30x24) in advance of adding a second storey next summer. I want to support the existing ceiling joists running from front to back (12' each side overlapping in the middle) for a clear span of 15'. I was going to support the beam ends with three or four 2x6's running down thru the floor directly onto the main beam supporting the first floor (really beefy old school stuff).

I need to find out what size the beam should be to support new second storey bedrooms and new roof (and whatever snow sits on it!) and clear that 15' span.

I'm thinking it will be best to use steel to maximize head room passing under it in what will be a living room area?

Any help/advice/experience would be great! thx

Answer 1

I would recommend contacting an engineer to do this. It would be worth the 300 bucks to know that you are doing it right.

Answer 2

A lot of things to consider, really, like if you used wood, what type/quality the wood is and such. Steel would be a better idea, in my opinion, due to the fact its a lot stronger (second story, roof and snow could be quite a load) and it will deform a lot more than wood(without failing). Not that deforming is a good thing, but its a hell of a lot better than failing and snapping and having the whole bungalow collapse. There's a lot more to it than that though, but I'm not a civil engineer quite yet. Just make sure you make it stronger than what it needs to be, better to be safe than sorry.