Hey everyone! So, we recently hired a general contractor for a big kitchen renovation, which involved taking down what we believed was a load-bearing wall. The contractor planned everything with this assumption, bringing in an architect to assess the situation and prepare the necessary permits. However, when demolition day arrived, they discovered that a beam we thought was just decorative is actually a steel header beam hidden under wooden planks. The contractor's boss then told us that we wouldn't need to install a new header, and the architect confirmed this in a letter to our town, even though he never took a look at the steel beam himself. Given this situation, do you think it's a good idea to hire a structural engineer for a second opinion, or would that be excessive?
3 Answers
It sounds reasonable to seek a second opinion, especially since sometimes even the pros can miss things. Given how you've explained the situation, I'm leaning towards trusting your contractor, but getting a structural engineer to confirm could give you peace of mind.
I think it’s important to trust your general contractor since they’re the ones managing the project. If they signed off on it, you should feel confident. But if you’re having doubts, maybe it’s time to find someone you can really trust for your renovation. Asking people online who haven’t seen the situation might just add to the confusion.
Is your jurisdiction doing any inspections? Often, there's a pre-drywall inspection where they check out structural work like the steel header. If your area does require that and everything passes, you may not need to worry too much. But if they don’t, hiring an engineer for a quick look-over wouldn’t hurt!