Is there an option cheaper than a steel beam for my Ottawa opening?
Is there an option cheaper than a steel beam for my Ottawa opening?
Steel beams are one option, not the only one. Built-up wood beams and glued-laminated (glulam) beams are both recognized in Part 9 of the 2024 Ontario Building Code (clauses 9.23.4.2. and 9.23.4.3.), and a qualified, registered designer (BCIN), an engineer, or you, for a house you own, can design any of them for your opening.
What drives the choice is the load the beam carries, the span of the opening, the available depth between your finished ceiling and the floor above, and how the load travels down to the foundation. A built-up wood beam assembled from 38 mm or thicker members, nailed in a double row with nails at least 89 mm long not more than 450 mm apart, can be built on site from material a carpenter already handles. Glulam is factory-made and arrives as a single piece. Ask your designer which profile fits your floor-to-ceiling depth before anyone prices materials.
The posts that carry the beam to the foundation matter as much as the beam itself. A wood column must be at least as wide as what it supports and at least 140 mm by 140 mm, unless calculations show less is adequate. Ask your designer how the load is carried down to the foundation, because a beam that fits the opening still needs a clear path to the ground.
What to ask when you get quotes
- What beam material does the designer recommend for this span and load, and why?
- Is the beam sized by a Part 9 span table, or does it need a Part 4 calculation?
- Who prepares the design drawings, and are they registered (BCIN)?
- What does the quote include for temporary support, posts, patching and finishing, and disposal?
- Is the permit application included, or is that a separate step?
Before the first cut is made, have the written contract with the full scope and price, the permit, and the design drawings all in hand.
Related service: Wall Removal & Beams What it costs: Wall removal and beams
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Carpentry IQ -- Built from the Ontario Building Code, Ontario regulations and City of Ottawa sources and real construction experience. Answers are for informational purposes only and are not a professional assessment.
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