peir removal

[liney]

gday everyone ... im considering extending my garage under brick veneer house and to do this i need to remove two lots of two brick peirs... this would give me an additional room 4.4 m x 4.6 m... i know i will need to replace with rsj/I beam any one have any idea on cost ? is this something i could attempt myself. or do i need engineering




Let fun rule your life
Not your life rule your fun!!!!

[journeyman Mick]

It is something you may be able to do yourself, but you will need to get an engineer to specify the beam size and design any tie downs and fastenings.

Mick

[-mick-]

I was quoted $125/m for 185mm I beam (spans about 5m unsupported) and $150/m for 230mm I beam (spans about 7m unsupported)

Those figures are supplied, fully installed and welded

Those are Brisbane prices but they seem pretty standard for a few companies. Should give you some idea.

Plus draffting and council inspection fees of course

oh yeah plus $50 per post for them to demolich and grind flat the old stumps. I'm getting 8 stumps removed and opening up 60sqm like this

[me3_neuralfibre]

I have a set of Steel Span tables here - did similar under my house. Depends on how much approval you need. If it was "always like that" then these will see you through. Otherwise engineer time it is.

email me on me2 at neuralfibre dot com and I'll fwd you a copy.

Paul

[joe greiner]

Yes, you need engineering. In addition to beam size and fixings, the loads now carried by the piers to be removed will be transferred to the piers supporting the new beams. May, or may not, need some enhancement of their foundations. Your engineer can advise what, if anything, must be done.

Joe

[me3_neuralfibre]

gday everyone ... im considering extending my garage under brick veneer house and to do this i need to remove two lots of two brick peirs... this would give me an additional room 4.4 m x 4.6 m... i know i will need to replace with rsj/I beam any one have any idea on cost ? is this something i could attempt myself. or do i need engineering




Let fun rule your life
Not your life rule your fun!!!!

You aren't jacking the place up. Just a steel beam or 2 and some brackets. Easy. A Hydraulic bottle jack will lift it hard up. Onesteel has span tables.

Paul

[durwood]

I did a similar project about 12 years ago, only the house is double brick and the ceiling of the garage is a concrete slab for the upstairs rooms. There were two brick piers in the middle of the garage reducing it from a 4 car garage down to a 2 car as they went right through the middle of the floor space.

First I contacted an engineer who gave me a solution that was so stupid it probably was not even possible to do. Take too long to explain but it was crazy.

I then talked to a boilermaker friend who took one look at it and said " piece of cake'" just put up an RSJ do it all the time.

There is specifications for all I beams giving rating according to length and weight needing support. In NSW we have a BHP's handbook called 'the referee" from memory ( don't quote me) and steel companies would be able to give you data.

We looked up the span - 7.3 metres in my case and did a calculation on the weight. There is a bathroom, bedroom, toilet and hallway above. Only the middle of the area being supported is needed to be calculated as the walls around support the outside perimiters. We found the required beam and then went 2 sizes above to be on the safe side. I had 9ft ceilings so had lots of height. the beam is 300mm high.

I bought the beam a few inchs longer, the steel company delivered it and dropped it on the footpath. That night I got my son 4 of his mates and two neighbours and we lifted it down into the garage.

Saturday morning boiler maker friend arrived armed with oxy acrow props and two adjustable lifts used by brickies to put planks on. we measured the length, cut the excess off with the oxy. Put up some acrow props next to the piers and knocked them out with a sledge hammer.

Lifted one end of the beam up onto the lift then the other, then lifted one end again and moved up the position of the lifts. Repeated this till the beam was up under the floor.

The beams naturally have a sag in them it was placed upside down so the middle touched first, then used acrow props to push up both ends till they were up against the floor.

We put 4' square tube which we had welded a foot pad on up against the ends of the beam marked the length cut it off with an angle grinder and put them under each end up against the walls and dina bolted them to the floor and wall and welded the top ends onto the beam.

Removed the props and it was all finished in less than 4 hours. The floor upstairs and the bathroom are tiled there was and still is no signs of movement.

Cost $250 plus for steel - 4 hours labour and a carton of beer total.

I am sure there are members here who either have a beam in place similar to what you require or know of someone who does have one that might be able to guide you. Timber frame would be miles lighter than a concrete slab I'm sure an I beam could be easily put in place with a bit of homework, no engineer or council involved.

[journeyman Mick]

You aren't jacking the place up. Just a steel beam or 2 and some brackets. Easy. A Hydraulic bottle jack will lift it hard up. Onesteel has span tables.

Paul

Paul,
he'll need more than just span tables. By removing piers more load will be transmitted to the remainder. Plus there's also racking forces and uplift to consider.

Mick

[pawnhead]

The problem is that you're putting point loads on the slab below. If it was incorporated into the original design, then the slab would almost certainly have been designed to withstand the point load, or it would be designed to go down to rock where the columns sit.

Sure it's probably OK, but engineers like to cover their butts, and it wouldn't be approved by council without a certificate. If/when you sell the joint, it might be picked up if the piers are marked on the original plans.