What size beam for a 10' span in my kitchen

Question

I am looking to add a beam in my kitchen to replace a wall that currently separates it from the butlers pantry.

The span is 10'

Above the kitchen is an unfinished attic space that may some day become a walk in closet for a bedroom.

The space above the kitchen is 23' deep (with joists crossing the existing wall at 8') by 12' wide by 7' tall (from top of joist to top of roof spine).

I live in North Carolina and we dont get much snow but sometimes we've had high winds.

The joists are 16" apart and varying widths and depts as such:

9' (2x6) overlapping to 5' (2x7) on one side of the center beam and 10' 2x7 on the other side of the center beam. (any clue why they did this).

I notice the rest of the house which has a larger span using 2x9's

Detailed photos here: http://flickr.com/photos/rubyanne/show/with/2720108659/

What size posts and beam do i need to install? Posts will need to be supported below in the crawlspace as well.

Thanks in advance everyone!

Answer 1

You need to talk to a structural engineer. You will need a drawing from him before you can get a building permit.

Would you really trust an answer you got on this forum?

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