Do we need steel beams when installing an Egress Window [closed]

Question

Our contractor suggests that we use steel beams restraints when we implement our egress window his explanation is:

"Because your foundation is so tall, I don't want to cut the egress without putting a vertical steel beam restraint on each side of the new window. Your foundation will be weakened after the cut. The foundation will break within 5 years because of the hydrostatic pressure on the west side. "

Does this make sense ... Our basement ceilings are 12 feet tall ...

Thanks

Paul

Answer 1

In my area, qualified engineers are required to review modifications to building structures. From my experience, if the contractor is worried about the strength of something, there is probably good reason to have it reviewed by an engineer.

Also a 12' high basement wall is no small item, openings place in it can cause issues if not done properly.

As Joe and others have mentioned, often times when placing new openings in existing concrete or cmu walls, two different load carry elements are compromised.

1. Vertical Carry Capacity. This is where steel lintels are used to carry the wall above that was previously carried by the wall that is being removed.
2. Lateral Load Carry Capacity. Basement walls are designed to carry pressure perpendicular to their surface. Be it from wind, soil, water, or seismic. Openings (full height or partial height) create a weakness that must be compensated for. Steel beams (running vertically from foundation to floor system above) can be used to support the weakness created by placement of a new openings.

Personally I would insist that a qualified professional review any modifications of this type. They can gather the necessary information (something we cannot do here), and make the correct judgement call. This way you can get your second opinion, check the contractor, and rest easy knowing that your home is going to be safe.

Answer 2

I agree with your contractor. A 12' pour is extreme (and awesome) for residential. You could take this to an engineer but why? It is really an opinion thing as the force on the wall is a relative unknown to the engineer. Some things that will effect or pressure basement walls -

1. The dry and wet cycle of your soil. Soils like clay hold a lot of water and can expand.
2. Given #1, the drainage right next to your foundation. A lot of foundations don't have a proper way to deal with #1. There are lots of systems that can funnel water by the house a few feet away.
3. How packed the soil is.
4. The amount of water pressure from underground water sources. I had a house where if you dug three feet down on one side of the house there was a stream and it would run for days after a rain. I simply diverted it with a faux wall before house corner.
5. Frost cycles. With a rain and then weeks of freezing can probably do more damage than the reasons above.
6. Earthquakes/movement.

My point is this isn't an exact science unless there is a deep analysis of your exact situation. An engineer is probably going off of local guidelines or load charts. Meaning he is giving an educated guess. The other thing is - given this opening what engineer would say don't support it? It is his/her butt on the line if it fails.

I treat this type of situation the exact same way I treat opening up load bearing walls. Over-engineer, and spend less money on engineers. To me adding vertical supports is a no-duh thing. You have a 12' pour and you want to ruin that by not putting in a few vertical supports? The cost not to do it will probably be half the cost of the beams/anchors. Also if basement doesn't have a door I would think about it given these costs.

Answer 3

Sounds like he's (your contractor) talking about lintels. In order to pick up the load of the brick or concrete above the opening steel lintels are installed.

Here's an example of a lintel installed at the time of the wall being erected

Allied Steel

A beam can be use instead of a lintel.

Edit, possibly lateral bracing with beams placed as posts?

Acculift Foundation Repair

If a contractor was suggesting that this should be done, it must be for a good reason. I could see how it can be precived as overkill, but as long as the price is reasonable I'd be good with it in my house.