Remodeling On Cable Lake

....we have been doing some remodeling on Cable Lake.  Our current project is removing a wall.  This wall is serving no purpose, it creates a hall but removing it would open up the room.  A  previous contractor told me that it could not be done as it "holds up the house". 

We asked my ex-son-in-law Jason for his opinion.  He had an idea to hide a strong micro-laminated beam up in the attic and hang the ceiling on it, sort of like a suspension bridge...........




....in the upper left is this beam, a high tech blend of natural wood and chemical glue.  the 2X4s coming down suspend the ceiling.  Big question is:  Will it work??............




....here is some of the blocking in the attic to support the beam and keep it from shifting once it was "bearing"..........



....holes were cut in the floor to add blocking and transfer the weight to the wall below at the pressure points on the ends of the beam...........



....now the moment of truth.  Cutting out the 2X4s and watching to see if the house collapses!........



....halfway done.  No sagging noted............



....cutting the last one.  The measured sag is less than 1/4 inch!  It works!!....



....We have to wait for the electrician (Jake comes tomorrow afternoon) to move the wiring in the wall.  Three outlets, three switches and a thermostat............



.... so I leave you with a recent sunrise from the new location of the hot tub.............



Uncle Hans