Open Floor Plan Beam Design for a Residential Remodel in Iowa

The Project Goal

The homeowner wanted to create a more open first-floor layout by removing several interior walls between the living and dining areas of an older two-story residence. Wall finishes had already been removed in the project area, which allowed StructSolve to review exposed framing and evaluate how the proposed changes could be supported.

Because the work involved multiple interior wall removals, the project needed more than a general opinion. The design had to address how floor and wall loads would be transferred through new beams, posts, existing bearing points, and basement-level supports.

Why Engineering Was Needed

Removing walls in a two-story home can interrupt the existing load path, especially when those walls support framing above. In this case, the proposed open floor plan required engineering input for beam placement, beam sizing, post support locations, and load transfer into the basement.

The source material also documented several existing conditions that affected planning. The home used older framing methods that differed from modern top-plate and bottom-plate construction. StructSolve noted that this condition was unusual compared with current construction methods, but it was not identified as requiring modification by itself. Other areas, including a second-floor window opening, adjacent wall attachment, attic floor framing, and visible floor joist deflection, were also reviewed as part of the broader project guidance.

StructSolve’s Design Scope

StructSolve evaluated the feasibility of removing three first-floor wall sections in the proposed remodel area. The documentation included a first-floor demolition plan showing the walls to be removed and a new-work plan showing proposed beam, wall, footer, and bearing locations.

The new-work layout identified multiple new LVL beam spans and coordinated their support locations with existing masonry bearing points and new basement footers. The design guidance also called for minimum built-up post supports at beam ends and noted where basement systems may need to be coordinated or re-routed so the new structural supports could be installed.

Key Structural Design Considerations

A central design issue was load transfer. Some proposed beam supports could align with existing bearing masonry, while other supports required new posts and footers at the basement level. The guidance identified where new footers were needed and noted minimum post-jack capacity for certain support locations.

The design also addressed beam-to-joist connections. StructSolve recommended using standard joist hangers to connect existing joists to the new LVL spans and identified a higher-capacity hanger requirement at one beam connection. This helped clarify how the new open floor plan framing should connect back into the existing structure.

The evaluation also noted additional framing concerns outside the main wall-removal scope. A second-floor window opening used non-current framing methods and was recommended for re-framing with a header, cripple studs, king studs, and jack studs. Another nearby wall connection needed more permanent attachment. In the attic, a soft floor area with visible movement below suggested that joist strengthening should be addressed and that additional attic loading should be avoided until repairs were completed.

Construction Documents and Details

The design-focused documentation included schematic first-floor plans for demolition and new work, beam sizing notes, basement support guidance, and photo-marked support locations. These materials helped translate the remodel goal into specific structural work items for the project team to coordinate.

The deliverable also separated required remedial actions from an optional joist-sistering recommendation for the first-floor living areas. This distinction helped the homeowner understand which items were tied to the proposed structural modification and which item was presented as an optional strengthening measure.

Project Outcome

StructSolve concluded that the proposed open floor plan was feasible with properly designed new beams, posts, connectors, and basement support. The documentation gave the homeowner and project team a clearer path for planning the wall removal while also identifying related framing items that warranted attention before or during the remodel process.