Hi, I have ranch style home. I would like to remove a barring wall, And leave it open it will become a 18' foot 7 inch opening , and I'm interested in installing a steel beam so that i may remove the barring wall that supporting the ceiling and rafters. My house is about 57' feet long 28' feet 7 inch wide and it is 13' feet high from the floor to the top of the roof ridge. I heard there is aluminum beams but I never heard of that, I've only heard of steel beams. I don't want to use wood. I would also like to now how much longer do i need the beam to be the opening would be 18'7 plus the extra that i would need to put on the block wall to hold the beam up, do I make it 2' feet bigger so i can have a foot on each side that would sit on a block wall. or do i need more then that.THanks for your help
I see steel beams inserted into pockets in concrete foundations, they typically go 6 inches into the pocket. There is other problems with what you want to do. You must support the rafters while the work is being done. You must be sure your beam pockets are strong enough for the weight. another problem is that a steel beam this size is very heavy, How will you place it without a crane? Maybe an army of helpers can lift it. You may want to consider a laminated wood beam, they are lighter than steel.
