How to Tell If a Wall Is Load Bearing: 7 Checks Before You Cut
Seven checks to tell if a wall is load bearing: joist direction, what sits below, stacked walls, roof framing, point loads, and signs that prove nothing.
Guides
Truss vs Joist: What’s the Difference and Which Should You Use?
Truss vs joist explained: how each carries load, spans, mechanical runs, who designs them, and why trusses can’t be cut. Covers roof and floor framing.
Steel Column Guide: W-Shape vs HSS vs Pipe, With Real Size Data
How steel columns work and how W shapes, square HSS tubes and round pipe compare, with AISC weights and radius of gyration for 11 common column sections.
Basement Support Beams: Steel vs Wood, Sagging Signs and Replacement
How a basement support beam carries the floor, steel vs wood and LVL beams, real W8 and W10 sizes, sagging warning signs and what replacing one involves.
Lally Columns Explained: Sizes, Capacity and When to Replace One
What a lally column is, how fixed columns differ from adjustable jack posts, what really governs capacity, and the signs a basement column needs replacing.
Castellated Beams: How Cutting a Web Makes a Deeper Beam
How castellated and cellular beams are cut and rewelded to gain depth without weight, what governs their design, and when they are worth the fabrication cost.
Bar Joists Explained: How Open Web Steel Joists Work
What a bar joist is, how open web steel joists carry load, how to read a designation like 18K4, joist vs steel beam, and OSHA bridging rules for erection.
Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings: How the Frame Works and What to Check
How a pre-engineered metal building works: tapered rigid frames, purlins and girts, frame types, how it compares with conventional steel and what to check.
Gusset Plates: What They Do and How They Fail
A gusset plate joins members at a truss node and is a structural member itself. What it carries, the five ways it can fail, and why it has to be designed.
Purlins Explained: C Purlin vs Z Purlin and What They Do
A purlin carries the roof sheeting to the frames. C vs Z sections, why Z purlins get lapped, how the roof braces them, and cold-formed vs hot-rolled steel.