Can I move the posts under the beam in my basement? [closed]

Question

I have a parallam PSL in my unfinished basement and am wanting to move the support pillars for finishing purposes. The parallam is currently supported at the end by wood posts and 2 steel pillars in the center (7.5' in from the end with a 9' gap in the center). Can I add another pillar and shift them around to create a 9' gap from one end to the first steel pillar, and the other 2 pillars at closer distances? I can't find documentation on the product and don't know how to calculate loading

Edit: Looking at the basement structural plans, there is a long footing run underneath where the poles are and where i plan to move them. I've spoken to the engineer who designed the basement and said as long as the pole is on that run of footing, I should be fine. The long footing was poured because it's a load bearing run and poles were there to give me an option of either a load bearing stud wall OR just the poles. I even have pictures of the footing pour prior to basement floor pour to confirm it exists.

Answer 1

Possibly, but you should consult a structural engineer. For the cost of less than a day's work for an engineer you will get an answer that you can rely on. I know, it's unfortunate that you'd have to pay for this, but if you've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into this house, or value your life it's probably money well spent.

The short answer, in the absence of engineering work, is no. The reason is that those posts sit on footings that are below the slab, if you move off the center of the footings they won't actually be structurally supported, and could punch through the slab and cause the beam to collapse.

Answer 2

Very unlikely. The floor concrete may be anywhere from 1/4 inch to 4+ inches thick . The existing posts should be on footings ; depending where you are, like 18" deep. I tiled a basement in Joilet IL and found a hole where the concrete had been 1/4".