We are putting a 12x24' addition on the back our our house, making a large open room that measures 22x24' (1st floor only). My contractor says we will need a support beam that will span the 24' width of the house to support the second floor and a support pole placed somewhere along that beam. He said we could do a beam only, but if we did that the beam would have to be larger and would protrude into the space more and would be more expensive.

Others I have talked to say that this is not necessarily true and there are beams (steel) that would support the room and would not be obtrusive, and that expensive. If I could get away without the support pole that would be great, but that would depend on the size of the beam and the cost.

I'm looking for some information so I can have an informed conversation with my contractor. Can anyone shed some light on this? Thanks.

Without the size of the beam, it is not possible to determine if it will support your structure.

Have an engineer or architect that is certified evaluate your situation and make the recommended beam size.

Also the building dept will need drawings by an architect that would show the size.

Chuck