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Wide Load

Adding a set of stairs in the dining room is not the last of our changes. The stairs are blocking the doorway between the living room and dining room. To remedy this situation we are getting rid of the arch and creating a 9' wide opening. After removing the cabinets on the dining room side we starting demoing the walls.
Because this is a load bearing wall we need a strong header. We decided on a 10' glulam. To support the roof while installing the new beam we built a temporary wall. (Yes, we were watching LOTR while working.)Looking a little better with the beam in place
Just for comparison, here's the old doorway from the living room
And the new opening
From the dining room you can see the old doorway and laundry area
And the new opening
Now that the stairs and doorway are in we can turn our attention back to the basement. There's still a lot of work to be done before the weather turns.

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