Fire Damage! What to do?

[Joshua Levasseur]

So i am currently working on putting a house under contract and upon inspection, i noticed some pretty extensive fire damage to some of the support beams running in the basement. The seller says there was a chimney fire around 40 years ago and it has been like that ever since. Would you recommend replacing the beams or is there some sort of restoration that is possible? 

[Josue Vargas]

@Joshua Levasseur

I would consult a structural engineer.  Worst case you have to replace it if is not structurally sounded.  It sounds that "extensive fire" is a genuine concern regarding the integrity of the structure.  I would not trust the the seller story of "it happened 40 years ago and structure still in place with no damage".  

Depends on the location of the fire within the structural elements, you can replace just a portion and then braced-it/connect the new portion with steel plates and bolts.  You need to place temporary supports to do this work.  If the damage also happened on bean/column joints, it will be more time consuming.  Have a contractor to look at it and give you a cost estimate, that way you have an idea when negotiation time comes in place.