Doctor Structure

Center Beam Replacement 19th Century Post and Beam House, Harrison NY

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Below are some progress photos depicting substructure reinforcement and temporary bearing beams for our project replacing a center truss girder on an early 19th century post and beam house in Harrison: NY.

IMG_1674
Cracked main girder in post and beam ceiling in 18th or early early Nineteeth century farmhouse Harrison NY

The house has been heavily modified over the years and it appears that in a circa 1980s renovation a load bearing central truss was cut out leaving only a single undersized beam to bear floor wall and roof loads on an approximately 30′ x 17′.  The old hardwood beam cracked under the load and is being replaced by a new solid white oak beam with a pair of steel angles inserted from the top for reinforcement.

I will publish details of this as the work proceeds.

Temporary beams in place
Temporary load bearing beams support floor before removal of cracked center girder. It is my supposition that the rod seen in the first photo attached to a structural truss. Sloppy renovators in the 1980’s modified the roof line and  seem to have cut out the upper section of the truss and rod leaving this beam alone to carry much of the second floor of the house.

Photo group below shows shoring and reinforcement in the basement and crawl space areas in preparation for jacking the floor level above.

Old basement girder probably reclaimed barn timber preparations for shoring underway

Harrison Truss Rod

All Photography by Benjamin Fiering. Reproduction by permission only.
A Third Floor Project #Thirdfloor

 

Structural preparations Harrison, NY

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Doctor Structure is in (or shall we say under) the house. #housecalls #thirdfloor

Old basement girder probably reclaimed barn timber preparations for shoring underway
Cracked main girder in post and beam ceiling in old farmhouse Harrison NY

Initial preparations in Harrison NY. Scope: Shore floor framing in new solid footings. Reinforce original wooden girders at basement and 1st level floor then shore second level. Remove cracked beam and replace with new locally sourced white oak timber with inserted steel reinforcement.

Lest there be any confusion, Doctor Structure does make house calls.