Contractors/Engineers help! Garage Pics inside

[aye mate]

Wow its been while since I've been on here! Hopefully some of the kind folks can help.
My 2 car garage has a column in the middle which I would love to get rid of! Its a cinder-block building about 22'x25' with a shallow pitch roof constructed of 2x6 joists with 1x6 underneath sheet metal. The beam that runs the width of the garage (22') is two 2x8's nailed together and set in cut-outs in the block wall.

What would be a safe and cheap (in that order) way to be able to get rid of this column?


I would like to do this myself, with a friend or 2 helping. I don't have much construction experience but have done manual labor most of my life and am mechanically inclined.


Thanks for any help!

 

[staehlin180]

Safe =/= Cheap (Not always at least) lol. It looks like the column was added after the fact to your garage. If it is concreted in the slab in any way, then I would say that it's probably a bearing column. Removing that is expensive, and requires permitting, engineering calcs. etc. If not, and it was added after the fact, then it could be being used to shore up the girder (the 2 x 8s). Do you live in an area with snow loads or would the roof be experiencing any additional loads (like a new ac unit or something)

Just my .02.

 

[Supracentral]

To support that kind of load without a support column, would probably require some sort of steel I-beam girder. You'll need to find someone like a Civil Engineer to figure it out. However; I doubt you're going to be able to "do this yourself with a friend or 2 helping".

 

[te72]

Paging Suprahero, I think this sort of thing might be right up his alley, or would know who to point you to...

Although it might be tempting to remove that column, you have to ask yourself ONE question:

"What is all this stuff in my garage worth to me?"

 

[yhatzee89]

you have to ask yourself ONE question:

"What is all this stuff in my garage worth to me?"

Then check your insurance policy to make sure your garage is actually covered before you do anything like this

 

[staehlin180]

You may not need a steel girder. Depending on roof dead loads, snow loads, and whatever else yor local jurisdiction requires you may be able to get away with a glulam or paralam beam. Check with an enginer first.