Our Structural Projects Gallery
Check our some of our favorite structural remodeling and repair projects
Vienna Structural Engineering Load Bearing Wall Removal
Typical 1980s floor plan - rooms are closed off, narrow hallway, poor lighting. We like to say that you don't always need more space you just need to use what you have more efficiently. Our client hated having to shout between rooms and every family gathering ended up with guests arriving and bunching up in the narrow hallway to take off their coats. No one would hang out in the living room and everyone ended up just getting in the way in the kitchen (sound familiar?). They needed a plan to open the space, remove the bottleneck and get more light (both natural and artificial).
We designed new beams, moved duct work widened the hallway and added a closet to the front office room. In the future the client will be replacing all of the flooring.
Oakton Structural Engineering Garage Repair
A family member hit the gas instead of the brake and drove into the wall between the garage doors pushing back the structure supporting the 2nd floor master bedroom. When we arrived the only thing holding up the front wall were the tracks supporting the garage doors. We installed temporary steel columns to support the 2nd floor then performed an evaluation project with our Structural Engineer. Even though this was a low speed crash, the shock wave from the impact rippled through the garage and loosened the ceiling drywall which resulted in cracks in the joints.
The repairs involved rebuilding the front wall, designing and installing new custom garage doors/tracks/WiFi enabled opener, screwing in all of the ceiling drywall before installing replacement stucco on the outside. Our stucco team has 30 years of experience installing it properly and knows how to match the texture and color.
Arlington Structural Engineering Fireplace Removal
100 year old house in Arlington. The angled fireplace took up way too much space in the living room as well as a corner of an upstairs bedroom. A load bearing wall separated the Living Room and Dining Room into two small rooms. The client wanted to open the space and keep the fan textured ceiling. We engineered the replacement beam and other structural repairs required as part of an initial evaluation phase.
The project took a lot of advance planning since the chimney had to be removed and the roof quickly closed in to make it weather tight. After removing all of the masonry, including a 10" thick concrete pad for the fireplace, we installed the new beam and repaired the floor system. Walls were repaired, our painter matched the old school textured ceiling and we patched the hardwood flooring. Now the client has a single large room that provides better use of the space.
Missing Load Bearing Wall
Between Kitchen and Family Room
Our client purchased this home with an open floor plan between the kitchen and family room. No one was living in the house but it had been recently renovated. Within two months of occupying the house cracks began to form on the two story family room wall. Their child's upper level bedroom floor felt funny and started to develop a dip. After some investigating, they received shocking news - a load bearing wall supporting the 2nd floor had been removed and that area was floating in the air. The house had been modified without permits. The work was completed by an unlicensed contractor. After a few false starts they were referred to us. Our first concern was the structural stability of the home. A previous contractor attempted to build a temporary wall that was also not sound.
We built a proper temporary wall so the homeowner could feel safe living in the home. Then we performed an engineering evaluation to design a beam that would span a 22' opening and properly support the 2nd floor load all the way to the ground. When we create a proposal for this type of project, it is a detailed roadmap for how we will do the repairs. There are many factors to consider.
Structural integrity is critical but de-construction and re-construction of the finished space impacts flooring, drywall, electrical and more. In this case, due to an increased point load, we had to open the concrete slab in the basement and expand one of the existing footers. The footer sat right in the area of the basement bathroom which required us to remove and replace the tile floor. We have to manage all of this while the client continues to live in the home.
Fairfax Station Kitchen Remodel w/ New Beam
Our client wanted to enlarge their small kitchen by incorporating space from the old kitchen, dining room and part of the formal living room. The wall separating the kitchen and dining room was load bearing and contained duct work for the second floor. First we zoned the HVAC with a second system in the attic to serve the upper floor.
Then we installed a new flitch beam, consisting of three engineered LVLs with steel plates in between, to replace the wall. To properly support the new structure, we cut the concrete slab in the basement to increase the size of the footer supporting that section of the house. Once the structural phase was complete, we were able to start installing the new kitchen.
Reston Load Bearing Removal
Our client had a typical 1970s floor plan with a small living room and a small family room. They wanted to open up the center load bearing wall to create one open space that would work better for living in the space and let more natural light into the rooms throughout the day. This project is a great example of why we incorporate the structural engineering as part of our design process rather than letting homeowners get their own engineer. When we initially ran the numbers for a 19 foot beam (the full width of the space) there were a couple of issues. (1) The beam would be too tall and have to stick down below the ceiling (2) It required a footer enlargement in the client's recently remodeled basement to transfer the load properly.
Our team brainstormed on the issue and came up with the perfect solution. The client's pantry closet was very small and sat at the edge of the family room. We went back to the engineer and said what is the longest beam we can install that will be flush with the ceiling and not require a footer enlargement. The math said a 17' flitch beam with (3) LVLs (2) 3/4" steel plates would work. We enlarged the pantry which allowed us to place a wall at the end of the beam and doubled the client's pantry space. It looks like the house was built with this design.
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