Looking for professional help to replace column with beam in your Chicago home? Reach Structural Beam at 773-917-8998 today, for a free quote!

Install a load-bearing beam to replace column with beam in your home

Column, when it is in place, is a fine element of the architectural layout. Columns, that are out of place, and in the way, don’t need to be there anymore. Get the freedom of shaping your living space, call Structural Beam today at 773-917-8998 to replace load-bearing columns with beams, and make your home more livable.

Get it out of the way

When looking to convert your basement into a living or recreational space, you might need to install a support beam along with support steel columns, to do away with old structural columns, that get in the way.

Why did they even put them there, one might ask. Such was the old construction way, besides that basement might have never been planned to be anything more, than just a basement.

Now, when many homeowners are looking to better utilize the property and get more bang for a buck, new construction technologies come to help.

Structural steel I-beams come to help

To get rid of a load-bearing column, you’ll need more columns. Yes, that’s right. Structural steel I-beam is strong and can span distances, yet it needs support, too. To install structural steel beams, that can support heavy loads and eliminate the need for the old support columns, you’ll still need to install new columns, made of structural steel I-beam, that will be providing the structural integrity.

How do we do it at Structural Beam

Structural engineer’s assessment

Blueprints and on-site assessment

Since we are dealing with load-bearing members that hold the weight of your house, this kind of job requires a qualified structural engineer. Structural Beam’s experienced structural engineer will examine the blueprints of your house, to establish whether the column you are looking to remove is a load-bearing one. For example, with basement columns, it’s most often the case.

New supporting structure calculation

Based on the blueprints, and results of an on-site examination, the structural engineer will do the calculations, and create a blueprint for a new supporting structure that will replace the old column.

There still will be supporting columns, but, due to the free-spanning ability of structural steel beams, columns can be positioned on the sides of the support beam, sometimes with the steel column partially set in the existing load-bearing wall. Thus, the space-obstructing old support column can be done away with.

As a homeowner, you need to know the overall cost of the job, and that’s where our steel estimators come in. You’ll get an exact price estimation of your project, including costs of raw materials for fabrication, cost of fabrication of the new support beam, and its supporting steel columns, and the cost of new support structure installation.

Raw materials supply is arranged by Structural Beam

A great opportunity for our customers, we supply all the structural steel materials at wholesale price. This helps to considerably reduce the overall cost of your column replacement/installation project. No need to arrange your own supplies, we’ve got you covered!

Structural steel fabrication

The new supporting steel structure will be fabricated in Structural Beam’s own well-appointed structural steel fabrication workshop, by highly-qualified ironworkers, using professional equipment. In our fabrication shop, we follow the best, and to-date practices of the steel fabrication industry.

The replacement/installation job

Support beam installation to replace an old load-bearing column is quite similar to replacing the load-bearing walls with structural beams. It requires a lot of planning, calculations, and careful execution.

Indeed, one can’t be too careful when dealing with structural support columns in the basement. Please make sure that only licensed professionals do any alterations on any part of your home’s structural support structure.

Structural Beam’s stellar structural steel erectors will work alongside builders:

• Installing an appropriate, strategically placed temporary support structure
• Removing the old, out-of-place column
• Installing the new structural steel I-beam along with its supporting columns
• Removing the temporary support, checking of the resulting structure by the structural engineer

Decorative metal columns installation

If you and your architect have chosen to use metal columns for decorative purposes, they won’t be load-bearing, but will still require fabrication and installation.

Structural Beam’s miscellaneous metal fabricators will produce decorative polished stainless steel columns, and our miscellaneous metal erectors will install the columns.

Any kind of structural member alteration/replacement/installation work has to be done by qualified and licensed professionals, after getting all the required approvals from the concerned local government regulating offices.

For the best outcomes, affordable price, and pleasant customer experience, choose Structural Beam, your local Chicago IL one-stop structural steel solutions provider, with brick and concrete masonry services available.

Call us today at 773-917-8998, so we can get your column replacement project rolling in no time!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an I beam be a column?

I-beam makes great columns, and some types of I-beam, like H-piles, are exclusively used as piles and columns. The shape of the metal I-beam is well-suited to withstand the shearing forces.

Can beams be used in place of load-bearing walls?

Structural steel beams are often used to replace the old-bearing walls, which limit the living space plan options and eat up a lot of internal space of the building. Installed together with structural steel support columns, steel support beams provide an easy way to rebuild a house. Metal support beams give new life to your home, allowing you to remodel it to your new requirements.

How much does it cost to replace a column with a beam?

For us to give you a precise answer, please upload the blueprints you’ve got to the form on our website. Otherwise, just call Structural Beam at 773-917-8998, to get a free price estimate for your column replacement project!

How much does it cost to replace a column with a beam?

We’ll need more information on your project to give you an answer. Please upload your blueprints by using a form provided on our website. We’ll get back to you with a free approximate price quote.