Structural Work for Older Pasadena Houses
Opening a wall in an older Pasadena house: we trace what it carries, an engineer sizes the beam, and the ceiling, plaster lines and trim stay intact.
"If this wall comes out, will the ceiling start to sag?" The question comes up on a first walk through an older Pasadena house as soon as a new floor plan is on the table. The answer comes from tracing what the wall holds up: ceiling joists, a section of roof or a post bearing down from above. If it proves to be bearing, an engineer sizes a beam and posts, and the ceiling stays level.
Tracing what the wall holds up
In the attic we follow joists and rafters to see where each one lands, and below the floor we look for a post, a doubled joist or a footing lined up with the wall. A wall that crosses the joists at right angles is the likelier one to bear. When it does, a flush beam hidden in the ceiling or a dropped beam below it can take the load, with posts at both ends carried down to new footings. The engineer's drawings set the sizes and connections, and the set goes to the City of Pasadena for plan review.
When the job reaches the roof
Some Pasadena lots fall within mapped fire hazard zones, where ember-resistance rules can apply once work touches the roof, attic vents or eaves. If a beam pocket or a new post means opening the eaves, we price ember-resistant vent screens and noncombustible blocking alongside the structural scope. Inside, the beam goes in under temporary shoring, the old wall is taken down, and the ceiling is patched so plaster lines and crown molding run straight across the new opening. Original casings near the work are pried off by hand and stored until the patch is painted.
About our Structural Work serviceEverything we do in Pasadena
Structural Work in Pasadena: common questions
A door that swings open by itself, cracks fanning from the corners of windows, a floor that runs downhill toward one wall and a chimney leaning away from the siding all deserve attention. Crawl under the floor and check for a sill with no anchor bolts, bare cripple walls and wood that crumbles under a screwdriver.
Yes for the permit, which the City of Pasadena issues for structural changes. A bolt-and-brace retrofit can use a standard plan, while a new beam, added posts, a bearing wall removal or a foundation repair needs an engineer. A house inside a historic district may also see the city review changes to its exterior.
Retrofit work from the crawlspace leaves the rooms overhead as they are. Taking out a wall means losing the plaster on that wall, though the ceiling and neighboring walls are covered and protected. Trim near the opening is numbered as it comes off and reinstalled afterward, and the patches are skimmed to blend with the surface around them.
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Send the details and we will set up a walk-through and a written scope.