Putting A Beam In The Attic

I want to install an lvl beam in my attic to support my ceiling rafters.

Putting a beam in the attic.

Centers as well as the rafters. If the attic is being finished for living space these pieces called scabs can be installed flush with the trusses to provide areas for sheetrock or paneling to be nailed to. If you don t like seeing a beam under the ceiling it s often possible to cut a slot in the joists and put the beam up into the ceiling see fig. Anyway i want to put a hidden beam in the attic but an engineering friend of mine recommended building a truss in the attic instead.

Sistering is the process of adding a new joist next to each existing joist. I don t quite understand how you can provide support from above. In some houses this may be the case. But before you start determine how deep the ceiling joists are and then talk to the building inspector or a structural engineer about what size beam you ll need to carry the load.

Extra support for the trusses can be made by placing a 2 by 4 inch piece of lumber from each truss on one side to the truss on the other side high enough to provide. I am putting up a 19 ft 9 1 2 2ply lvl beam with a collum for 4500. The lvl i figured i would need is 22 feet long and i thought i would put 2 of them together. 2500 would be on the low side for load bearing wall beam install there are a couple variables beam size and dimensions the span is key your structural engineer will calculate the beam size and options for the beam lvl glulam ect.

If the attic joists are not adequate one way to strengthen the floor for live loads is to sister the old joists. Could someone tell me how this is done. Strengthening attic joists for live loads by sistering. I had thought that a beam would be installed below the ceiling joists but my contractor says that he can put it overhead in the attic so the beam won t be visible from the house.

Here is a little more info. One end would be supported on my gable end and the other side would be on a supporting wall. Wall removal and hidden beam in attic remodeling contractor talk. In many others.

A common misconception is that it takes little more than the installation of some decking over the attic joists to ready an attic for move in.