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Add floor blocking and remove temporary wall
You may have to add blocking directly below each pair of trimmers. Beams need solid support all the way down to another beam or the house foundation. Drive nails through the floor directly in front of the trimmers and then go beneath the floor and look for the nail shanks to determine the exact trimmer location. Use solid lumber the same thickness as the floor joists to fill the space between the subfloor and the framing below. Use at least two blocks to support the width of each pair of trimmers above. If the blocking falls over a bearing wall, add two additional studs directly under the blocking.
Lock the beams tightly together with rows of 16d nails driven about every foot along the beam. Then toenail the assembly to the underside of the tie plate to keep it straight and to the framing at both ends. Finally, remove the support wall and call for a framing inspection.
Editor’s note
As a contractor, I opened up quite a few rooms by ripping out walls and replacing them with beams as needed. Two things always amazed my customers: how quickly and easily the beam part went and then how extensive the rest of the job was. That work generally includes drywall patching, respraying textured ceilings, entirely repainting the new room and replacing sections of wood trim. Usually electrical outlets and switches need to be repositioned, which calls for rerouting cable and rewiring devices. If the wall contains plumbing pipes or heating vents, a plumber and a heating contractor have to be called in. And the finished flooring always has to be replaced. Be sure to consider all of these secondary expenses when calculating the cost of your project. Most of the materials for those items are fairly inexpensive if you do the work, but it’s best to get bids ahead of time for whatever work you plan to hire out.
—Travis
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