kimr74•1d ago

Shoutout to the guy who talked me out of using LVL beams for a simple header

Last week I was dead set on ordering LVL beams for a 6 foot opening in a load-bearing wall. This old timer at the lumber yard told me to just use two 2x12s with 1/2 inch OSB in between instead. He showed me the span table and did the math right there on the counter. Saved me about 80 bucks and a lot of hassle hauling those heavy beams. I still think LVLs have their place but for smaller spans I'm never overengineering it again. Anyone else get talked out of something that seemed necessary?

2 comments

2 Comments

hill.margaret1d ago

That "overengineering it" part really hit home for me. Isn't that just the way people think these days, throwing the biggest, most expensive solution at a problem before they even look at the basics? I see it all the time with folks coming into the store wanting the top-tier, heavy-duty stuff for jobs that a simple, old-school fix would handle just fine. Sometimes the right answer is just plain common sense and a little bit of math, not the most expensive thing on the shelf. It's nice to hear someone actually listened to good advice instead of just grabbing the priciest option.

avery_flores171d agoTop Commenter

You know, @hill.margaret, I used to be one of those people who figured the most expensive tool was always the best bet. This post really changed my mind though, because I realized I was skipping the simple reasons why a basic fix works just fine. It makes a lot more sense to just think through the problem first and save the fancy stuff for when you actually need it.