or you could tear out he whole beam and replace it with a iron header bearing on the walls at the ends so to keep your opening clear.

No wood to concrete contact so a bit of metal flashing in between, no big deal but important.

I know the feeling wolf dog. Im thinking I will be beter off building a new house instead of fixing the old one. Once I figured the roof, windows , kitchen, 2 baths, and fixing the sloping floors. Yes i can do the work myself or at least have been able to. but the cost and my disability diagnosis makes me think building something new with handi cap in mind for the future may be my best option.

Engineered lumber is a consideration when size matters.

Yeaahhh I'm..ore of a rip it down at start from base up type of guy but my buddy is on a seriously small budget and he's (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) bent on this so .... I've offered to pay for a contractor to just come and look multiple times but

The little bit of construction work I used to do has me with a lop sided love hate relationship with renovating houses down here . No codes , so real set way , janky handyman fixes , you try and fix one thing and 10 other things break because they where all holding on by the same invisible thread. Swear most of the houses down here built around the 60's-80's where just thrown up to get stuff built ..and idk if it's a Southern phenomenon though because when I talk to Northern guys about this stuff there like

It's up here too if the house is old enough...

My place is over a hundred years old, full 2x4 rafters, 2x6 ceiling joists, same for floors, needed to jack up the floor to level it....but by and large its pretty well constructed as it's weathered numerous blizzards, hurricanes, nor easters, and still standing! lol

Like I said earlier, it's amazing how many non code construction methods seem to work....good enough....lol

That's odd. As a commercial carpenter construction quality has gotten worse, with the south of the border labor force, over the last 30 years. Of course, redneck engineering can be quite odd too.

So much fun guys