Won't a "Watch Your Head" sign be enough?

In my last post, I pointed out a few significant problems with the stairwell and support beams in my basement.  I must admit that I've been a little discouraged about these setbacks, but I've satisfied by frustration by demo'ing and replacing the hopper windows (more on that later).

So what am I to do?  I'm starting to settle on two options:

1. The full blown fix (the permit-satisfying route)

This solution is definitely the most complicated.  I am thankful for my architect friend, Brad, for walking me through the approach.  Here are the steps (the pictures from the last post will help visualize the problem):

1. Fix the cantilever problem
1. Weld all the support columns to the steel I-beams
2. Weld cantilevered I-beam to the other beam that butts up against it. 
3. Dig out a 1' x 4'+ swath in the concrete floor on either side of the bottom of the stairwell, and pour a new 6"-8" slab.  Apparently my concrete floor is 4" deep, which is probably too thin for a load-bearing wall
4. Build load-bearing walls on either side of the bottom of the stairwell, each about 4' long.  These 4' sections will support the floor, allowing me to remove a portion of the cantilevered beam. 
2. Fix the stairwell height
1. Drill holes every 4' through the other steel I-beam in order to bolt the wood plate to the beam.  
2. Secure the joist to the wood plate using brackets.  Steps 1 & 2 will secure the I-beam laterally after we completely remove 3' from the center of the beam. 
3. Remove the 3' section of the I-beam that is above the stairs
4. Remove the 10" header on top of the I-beam
5. Remove a 3' section from the 8" joists that are closest to the bottom of the stairwell
6. This part is a little fuzzy...add some extra support to the bedroom wall that is resting on the joists that were removed...or maybe replace some of the joist...or maybe keep some of the joist in place. 

2. The simple fix (permit, what permit?)

This solution simply fixes some of the problems related to the cantilever before I cover everything with studs and drywall.  

1. Weld all the support columns to the steel I-beams
2. Weld cantilevered I-beam to the other beam that butts up against it. 
3. Do not dig out out a 1' x 4'+ swath in the concrete floor.  6" deep is probably a little overkill, and I would only do it to satisfy an inspector.  
4. Build load-bearing walls on either side of the bottom of the stairwell, each about 32" long.  These 32" sections will support the floor, making up for the long run on the cantilevered beam

I'm starting to like Option 2!  ;)  Plus, my father-in-law has offered to buy us a wooden "Watch Your Head" sign from the Amish in Lancaster...

Now I need to find a good welder!

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Were the stairs an afterthought?

It's been a while since my last post, so I thought I would make up with a long one!  A terrible cold tore through our family, and set us back a couple of weeks...it's nice to be back in the saddle again.

So my stairwell has a problem.  At least that's what the township inspector says (and all the codes books). You see, a stairwell to a finished basement is supposed to have head clearance of at least 6' 8".  I thought that meant that I had an 8" problem, but then I found out that they measure from any point along the toe of the stairs, even between the treads.  Its as if someone (a leprechaun?) rested a really thin imaginary board along the front edge of the stairs...any point along that board needs 6' 8" clearance.  So now I know I have a 12" problem.

How do I know that?  Well, like any good engineer (or maybe a procrastinator?), I modeled the problem in Google Sketchup.

Looking up the stairs from the side

Looking down the stairs

Notice those two steel I-beams?  Look closely...notice that portions of both beams have been cut away?  Its almost like the stairwell was an afterthought!

Remember that imaginary board?  The nice thing about Google Sketchup is that I can actually draw it!  Using Sketchup, I rested the board on the stair trends and then raised it 6' 8".  Since the board is imaginary, it cut through all the beams, headers, and joists that are in the way.  The result is a clear picture of the problem.  Green is the color in my imaginary world...

Part of the cantilevered beam and the first set of joists are in the way

Most of the header is also in the way

While analyzing this problem, we also noticed another one (doesn't it usually work out this way?).  The I-beam that ends at the bottom of the stairs (it runs the length of the basement) has a ~9' cantilever from the last support beam.  Apparently that isn't good either... 

Notice the 9' cantilever (on left side of picture)

And there are a few other problems:

• The cantilevered beam doesn't actually run the whole length of the basement...its actually two beams that butt up next to each other.  But they aren't welded or secured together!
• The support columns are not welded or bolted to the beams.  Instead, steal clips that are welded to the column are wrapped snugly around the beam.

And for those of you who prefer real-life pictures over the imaginary world of Sketchup drawings, these photos will bring us back to reality: 

The header and steel beam as we look down the stairwell

The cutouts in the two steel I-beams

What is a do-it-yourselfer supposed to do?  I'll present a couple ideas in my next post...

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