How To Install a Recessed Header in a 1950s Ranch

This was a 16' header that we recessed between the kitchen and living room in a ranch house. Be sure to check your local code requirements before trying this on your own.
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/ danielwead
/ danielwead

[@tomacquilano1304]

Nice work! I'll be installing a 24' two ply 14" LVL next week in our ranch house. Almost identical to this one. Uncharted territory for me. Hope it goes as well as your project. Thanks for posting!

[@Loonypapa]

FYI for anyone coming to this page, on paper a double 2x12, 16 feet long, supporting an attic floor, fails for moment and deflection.

[@thelouiebrand]

I had this done and they used 2 two 2x10’s for a 24’ span. Guess what, my ceiling almost fell down when they removed the jacks. They then ran for the hills and never came back. Now there’s a 3 ply 12” lvl. That’s what it needed but I had no idea. The funny part of the first guys charged me the same as the second ones who did it correctly.

[@franciscovalenzuela1436]

Great job, but 3 guys three days is pretty long

[@michaelc9248]

3 guys, 2 days...NICE!!

[@samuelrobertson8354]

Great video. I wish this showed a sketch in section. It looks liked there were some diagnol cripples holding up the ridge board. What were those?

[@nevergiveupfitness4710]

Awesome

[@neilaxelrod5872]

Did you have a structural engineer size that beam? Seems undersized and not put together correctly. With a double or triple LVL (you used lumber), you would use structural wood screws in offset positions.

[@SpiritofaHandyman]

I would always recommend getting a structural engineer to sign off on a structural beam even for a DIY project

[@311mdub]

Is your house on slab or do you have a basement? The sketchy thing about that is if you have a basement and try that you could easily do some Serious damage transferring that load outside the load bearing beam beneath it. I would also personally used hanger straps too, so they hang on the header as well as the side nailed in.. might I ask where you got instruction to do this?

[@311mdub]

Also, at the end of the header beam, did you add more vertical support for the extra load? I didn’t see but is your new header larger (thickness, not length) than your last? You have to take into consideration you’re adding a substantial amount of weight, you’d have to look at the load capacity of the 2x10 or whatever you used to see if 2 of them nailed together will hold that dead load over a 16’ span..

[@theofficialgreenkane9645]

I lost my bag of marbles in your attic.

[@conniedavid1125]

Show what's the finished project?

[@SpiritofaHandyman]

I don't have a way to show you the finished kitchen, but it is a flush ceiling

[@draf8517]

if i did this without permit would the town find out?

[@michaeldepow6663]

Not it you don't tell them. But when it's time to sell house the buyer could possibly find out. Just say it was like that when you bought it. I just did a job like this and the inspector made me get an engineered drawing and plan. The engineer made us at a flinch plate which was 3/8 solid steel through bolted to 2- 2x12's. The drawing was 1500 and the steel was 650 plus bolts, washers and nuts. Total cost plus my labor was 7500

[@Loonypapa]

If you sold your house and a structural engineer like me was called in to inspect (I'm also a home inspector), I would find this in a heartbeat and make you redo it properly with a permit.

[@draf8517]

@@Loonypapa how would you know if it was original or new though?

[@Loonypapa]

@@draf8517 The span would tell me if it was prescriptive or not. The floor plan would tell a story about whether it was original, either from my library of floor plans or a knock on a neighbor's door who lived in the same model house in the neighborhood. A phone call to the building department would tell me if there was ever a permit pulled.

[@Rexmorgan687]

​@@Loonypapa you know how a someone is an engineer? They will tell you they are one lol. From a fellow civil (transportation focus) engineer. I had the same thought looking at this particular modification...

[@michaeldepow6663]

How could it take one day to put up temporary walls? Did you grow the lumber? Lol. No but in all seriousness it's a good job.

[@pr455]

I go aqa

[@peachesonly69]

Shaved. Huh?