Browse Forums General Discussion 1 May 08, 2008 5:27 pm Hi everyone,
I want to excavate under my house and remove sum concrete stumps. There are about 9 in the main area I want to utilise. The current gap between some of the stumps is 3 metres, and 1.5 - 2 metres between others. Removal of sum of the stumps would give a gap of about 4.5 metres from post to post, and removal of all the stumps would give me 6 metres. My question is, if I were to remove these stumps and replace the existing hardwood beams with 4 reinforced steel beams, what would be the maximum gap I could have between the stumps for the structure of the house to remain safe? I have heard that steel beams are much stronger than hardwood. Any info you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated. Re: Steel beams 2May 08, 2008 6:17 pm Steel beams are sized according to the load (weight of the house above) & span. I have one spanning 8 metres across my garage, supporting the main part of the house above the garage. It's a typical capital I section, about 300mm high, by about 200mm wide at the base & top. and probably around 10mm thick. It's great for lifting engines out!
My house is built into a hill (sideways & front to back, with the lowest point being the front corner). I wanted to excavate under the house, but the need for an engineer (council requirement) as well as the various lifting/jacking equipment, and all the other stuff, meant that I simply built my shelving between the piers! it wasn't worth the hassle. 2 doors up from me have spent over $40K doing the same thing as you plan - they now have 2 extra rooms out of it - one bedroom sized, the other the size of an average family room. Re: Steel beams 3May 08, 2008 6:35 pm Thank you for your reply.
The timber beams I currently have are 10 -15 cm high, so I would need to either raise the floor, or cut down the remaining stumps. If I didn't intend to use the beams for lifting heavy loads such as removing engines as in your case, would I need to go to the extent of 30cm high beams, or could I get away with slimmer ones? It is also good to get an idea of the price I'll be looking at. Did that include building under (I hope so or just the strucrural change? Re: Steel beams 5May 08, 2008 7:44 pm commodorenut Steel beams are sized according to the load (weight of the house above) & span. I have one spanning 8 metres across my garage, supporting the main part of the house above the garage. It's a typical capital I section, about 300mm high, by about 200mm wide at the base & top. and probably around 10mm thick. It's great for lifting engines out! That's a hefty "universal beam" and is well suited towards lifting an engine block out particularly on that span....hopefully a V8 block otherwise why bother.... You've mentioned the strength of the beam the other criteria used to design beams is a thing called "serviceability". This is the deflection of the beam and its important because even though your beam may be strong enough it may deflect too much. This is important when you are supporting house frames and the like. If it deflects too much - even though its strong enough to support the load - it may crack plaster, brickwork, windows, etc. Dukekamaya you really need to consult a structual engineer for that Dukekamaya is 100% correct, as someone who use to do this for non-domestic applications you really need someone to run the numbers. It's a quick comp. mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Steel beams 6May 08, 2008 9:26 pm The best way to go about it is to draw up roughly want you want to do with measurements and have a chat with a structural engineer.
You won't be able - if i'm reading between the lines correctly - bear on your existing stumps. The pad size will need to be larger to carry the point loads from the beam/s. It may be that you can use a laminated timber beam rather than steel. The strength required varies a lot between beams supporting floor loads only as opposed to large span loadbearing walls. As for deflection in steel beams well . . . . I prefer timber anyway. Peter Clarkson - AusDesign Australia www.ausdesign.com.au This information is intended to provide general information only. It does not purport to be a comprehensive advice. if l cannot get a sandblaster would a sander with sandpaper be better then a wire brush 4 7343 Hi I am wanting some opinions about the build of a steel shed I am going to get one about 4.5 x 2.5 m steel shed and the height will be about 2.3-2.4m high The one I am… 0 14442 |