I think you should get an architect to inspect the structure ASAP. If the architect needs additional help he or she will consult with a structural engineer. Stop worrying about the vent. Make sure your house is not going to collapse.

I could be mistaken, but I thought the laminated beams aren't shorter, they're thinner than dimensional lumber beams. Sounds like whatever beam you use, it'll be 12" tall. A lumber yard can verify the beam size for you if you know the span and loads it will support. Otherwise, I'd skip the architect and consult directly with a structural engineer.

Sorry I know that's not much help troubleshooting your dilemma regarding the hood vent. Can you move the range?

That's not true about the beams. They can be as small as 7.25". It just depends on how far they have to span.

... my first contractor pulled out the window header THEN told me it was
supporting a load. People make mistakes, he said he'd fix it. He never
came back. What a JERK.

If I understand correctly, the area in question was supported by a framed wall with window header, and studs, which are gone:

Can you post your kitchen layout? I don't recall seeing a final layout, but seeing it might help spark ideas. The only thing I can think of would be to have the hood ducting come under the new beam and snake around to the existing duct (similar to the way ducting comes off a furnace). Maybe you could make it an architectural feature, or disguise is with a bulkhead on the sun room side.

Hi all. Thanks for weighing in.

Michael, I'm trying to get it taken care of as quickly as I can.

zmith, the span is 9' and I don't think I need steel or a 12" beam, but I don't know for sure.

pk, I've seen 7" and even 6" lvls also

treb, you are absolutely right, it isn't an I beam, it's a flitch plate. I can use the span tables but I have no idea how to estimate the load it has to carry. So can this guy cut the lumber on the existing beam and use lvls on either side of the new span?

mama, I'm about ready to give up. I can work around it, but it would look so much better if I could have a smooth contiguous ceiling from sun room to kitchen. Here's the layout.

I'm aware beams come in smaller sizes, but usually if you need a 12" timber beam, you need at least that height in a lam beam. And while an engineer isn't necessary to size a beam, a structural inspection may be required for permitting, and that's where an engineer will enter the picture. It's best to consult with one regarding installation and proper support of the beam.

Anyway, Eam44, the lumberyard may be able to assist you with the information they'll need,for instance, they'll ask if the opening is supporting just the roof or a roof and second story. If they're local, they'll know whether you're a snow-area or not.

For a 9' span, there are more conditions that require a 12" beam than not. I'm not clear at all where your hood exhaust will run.

Edited to add: I feel for you, Eam44. Whenever I attempt to renovate anything in my house I run into challenges like this. Let's assume you need a 12" beam. Show us on your layout where you want to run the hood exhaust and where it will terminate.

Thanks z. I have a second story, and I'm in Cleveland, so there's plenty of snow. I feel like I'm swimming upstream the whole way on this reno. The cooktop is on the other side of the overhang and the 6" round duct runs in the ceiling above and transitions 90 degrees to a 12" X 2" duct that goes up the wall of the overhang and vents out of the shed roof that covers this mess.

if I get a 12" beam, I'm allowed to drill into it by some fraction of its height, is that correct? Is it by 1/3? So if I repeated the 2@ 2" X 12" beams with wood in the middle the same thickness as the flitch plate, I could drill out an area as "tall" as 4", not sure how wide...

eam44:

Get inspection out, explain your problems, and see what they have to say. The code is what the inspector says it is on the day he says it.

Eam44, it's possible that if you double up the beam, you could do a rectangular cutout as long as it's within the zone where cutouts are allowed. Typically it wouldn't be possible in a single beam. I don't know the allowable dimensions for a cutout. This is information the beam manufacturer would provide.

Thanks z. A single beam on a load bearing wall, from what I've read, can receive a bore hole 1/3 of the depth (12") of the beam, so a 4" round hole in the acceptable zone. I would love it if that meant doubling the beam would allow for a 2" X 12" rectangular bore, but my guess is I'm not going to be that lucky. Maybe a 6" round, but I'm not going to be able to fit that either.

That's what I understand as well; you could do a 4" round hole on a 12" beam as long as it isn't located in the mid-section of the beam. You would need a taller beam to get in a 6" hole. I was looking at your pics again. What's the dimension between the bottom of the existing beam and the ceiling in the sunroom? I'm wondering if you can fit in a taller beam. I really think you need to get in touch with a lumberyard. Find out who the beam manufacturers are and then try to get some technical support from the mfr that would be supplying the beam(s). Different mfrs have different cutout allowances.

Well, it's going to be attached to the original framing lumber to which the floor joists are attached, that was 9", and it can be 24" tall (deep) with no problem, I just don't know what that means in terms of support. But there's a transition piece to accommodate as well between the 2" X 12" wall duct and whatever I connect it to... So even if an 18" beam allows a 6" round, the transition piece from 2" X 12" to 6" round is big.

Now in terms of areas, the area of the rectangular cutout 2" X 12" is 24" (lxw) and the area of a 6" round is closer to 29" (pi r squared), so it'd be great if I could make a rectangle instead, and transition that 2" X 12" vent 90 degrees through that beam.

You are allowed to drill joists, not beams; unless you have a stamped engineer's drawing.

This problem is not fixable

Maybe not fixable the way you had planned. Would it be possible (and
I'm asking Casey and others who are familiar with framing) to build your
own glued laminate beam against the framing lumber of the flitch plate and the 2x4 framing
already in place, then support all the layers with a couple of posts? If
you glued and nailed 2 or 3 thicknesses of 1 ¾" LVL against the span, then supported the existing 2x4 and the laminated beam with posts
at the yellow circles (and maybe the blue one), would that be
acceptable to you? You would have a raised panel/ledge above that
opening, but to disguise it you could lean a series of framed prints or
decorative plates, or if it's deep enough, a collection of pottery. (Using mounting putty for safety.)

The beam/ledge could be longer, depending on where it needs to be centered.

Mama, thanks for thinking about this. I have asked him if we could customize a beam for that spot. That's when he said, time to call an architect. I have so many constraints because of the vent (height) and the flitch played beam (thickness) I'm ready to tear that other beam out as well. Because it is there, I can't have a 1 3/4" beam...it'll stick out. It has to be 1 1/2" max. I wouldn't love the posts, but I could consider it...the load has to be transferred to footings in the crawl space below. There might be a way to tie posts into the support walls that do have proper footings, but I'd have to ask. And this contractor isn't returning my texts anymore. Another one bites the dust... Sorry to be so negative. As far as I can figure, I'm going to pay a lot of money, and still have a header and a soffit. Frankly, what's the point?

I'm very sorry you're going through this. I hope an architect can find a viable solution, and soon this will be just a bad memory. In the meantime, do you have access to a couple of floor jacks to support the 2x4 framing?

He was going to support the load with a temporary wall, but in the end decided it was ok, as did the guy who started all of this...who knows. I really appreciate you throwing your brains at this problem. I can't believe I can't think my way out of this one. The only idea I've come up with (besides just replacing the header) is to rip out and replace the beam in opening 2 with LVL to eliminate the flitch plate so that I won't be limited in "thickness" of the beam I need in opening 3. I could do 1 3/4", I could do 2@ 1 3/4". If that would allow me to use LVLs that are shallow enough to accommodate my vent. Do they sister LVLs together?

Steel and a structural engineer is your solution. Structural steel can be thinner and shallower than wood or LVL. But you need someone to properly design both it and the attachment points. As well as the footings for the point loads.

One quick answer - they do sister LVL beams to handle more load.

Planning for using an LVL beam is fairly simple, since the manufacturers have tables that show beam size and allowed span distance. The tables I've seen also state that the calculation assumes the span is for use on the 1st floor, 2nd story load above it. My contractor used the tables for planning, and then we had to pay an engineer to come out and certify the plans so the city would approve. The engineer was a complete waste of money, since my contractor understood the requirements much better than the engineer, but at least it got the city to approve the plans.

Bruce

I am so sorry you are dealing with this mess, Eam44. How frustrating!

I am sure I am not understanding everything happening with this crazy beam/wall of death. But what I hear you saying is that you want to tie the new vent into this old vent and it is causing a major headache. Well, that, and the fact that some idiot took out a load bearing wall and ran off.

It is like you have this brand new outfit that you are dying to wear. But, you are desperately trying to make the old shoes go with it. Now someone broke the old shoes heels off. You are trying to get them repaired, but even if you could they really don't match with your new style because they have buckles and you really hate buckles. The buckles are the soffits btw. Ok I think I'm getting way off track with my dumb illustration. Haha!

What if you pretend as if that old vent does not exist. Fix the beam without worrying about the vent. I wonder how well it would vent the fumes anyways? Seems like a long stretch to finally get to the outside when it has to make several right turns plus transition from round to a long skinny rectangle.

Now without thinking about the old vent, what is the most logical way to vent the new hood to the outside in the shortest path? What is upstairs? If upstairs if no good, could you vent it down instead? ( I'm editing to scrap that last idea because I think that means the dreaded downdraft pop up system which you probably don't want. )

I know you don't want soffits, but if a strait shot up or down won't work, could the dining room side instead have a soffit? Maybe make it look planned by doing a built in hutch or something underneath it?

I don't know what the green room is below the dining and to the right of the sunroom, but could it go out the shed roof on the other side of the sunroom wall?

Sorry if I'm getting this all confused as I usually do. My comprehension is really bad these days. Here is what I'm picturing for the vent if it cannot go strait up or down. Do I even have the range (red box) in the right spot?

reb, thank you for your idea, and your compassion! My guess is that I will end up having the same issue with the beam in the dining room, but I will ask whether re-routing would help.

Now I'm wondering whether it's possible to make the support walls extend out another 1 1/2", add the 2" X 12" beam outside of the current framing, and decorate it the way mama recommends....could that work?

"...could that work?"

There is only one person on earth that can answer that question. He works at the Division of Inspection. Have him out. Maybe have a donut or two available.