I was quoted $16,000 to replace a rotting structural supprt beam

[Account Closed]

I am looking to purchase a duplex in Chicago with a built out basement, but the inspector was able to access the main support beam and found it was rotten or termite infested. It is a 30 foot support beam. I got a quote from a company that specializes in replacing support beams and quoted me $16K. That seems very high? Can someone recommend a company for me that would likely cost less or confirm that seems like an accurate price?

[Michael Hayworth]

I'm a GC, not a structural engineer, but I can't think of any application in which a 30' span would be covered by a tiny 4x6 wood beam with no middle supports. The implication of that is, if there are middle supports, you can typically use shorter beams - instead of one 30', for example, use 3 10', or 4 7.5'. (Even 10' is a fairly big span for a 4x6 glulam or LVL if it's bearing significant load.)

It may be that the company doing the replacement is quoting steel, or that there are factors I'm not seeing here. (The print on your photo is hard to read even when I blow it up.) Obviously, getting more quotes is the way to go. 

To build supports, cut out the beam, and replace a beam like that if I can use shorter spans, rather than one 30' long one, I'd be under $5K in most cases. But I'm in Texas and you're in the land of big government and corrupt unions, so I have no idea what prices will be like in your area.