DEAR TIM: I’m getting ready to build a large room addition that needs a beam to support the floor joists. I’ve been told that a wood beam will work, but I’ve always seen steel I-beams in other houses.

Q: My house plan calls for steel beams that will support the floor joists and even parts of a brick wall. Can I substitute wood beams for steel? Is a steel I-beam hard to handle on the job site? Do ...

Q: I’m building a new home and visited the job site a few days ago. I was aghast at a possible defect in my foundation. Parts of the concrete foundation are suspended in midair. The walls are only ...

Welcome back to the "Behold the Beam" series of articles. In part three (Firehouse®, September 2010) of the series, we discussed the first five of the 13 common types of beams that firefighters can ...

This beam from the World Trade Center will be incorporated into a public art project to be built in front of the fire station on Santa Barbara Street in San Luis Obispo. dmiddlecamp@thetribunenews.com ...