mveats
08-22-2007, 07:35 AM
I have a 100 year old home with Balloon framing. The wall under the interior staircase connecting the main floor to the upstairs has been opened. Directly underneath it, there is a staircase to the basement, also open to one side. Evident from the floor, there was at one point a wall under the staircase. My question is, what is the load maximum for the double header on the 10' x 3' stair opening on the second floor. The ceiling joists are 16” on centre and run perpendicular to the double header on the stair opening, so six ceiling joists have been cut. Structurally, do I need a post to connect the header to the main floor?? Or will a double header connected to the ceiling joists be sufficient without a post?