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 ...

Coates Design has completed a multi-generational home in the Cascade mountain range that serves as a hub for the members of a large extended family.

Q. 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. Is ...

Q: 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. Is ...

Beams are a major part of construction projects whether residential, commercial, or public. They provide support for floors and ceilings, and come in a variety of forms.

Next to the wagon, more wooden planks and metal beams are staged. Through the scaffolding, we can see where the ground surrounding one of the concrete support beams has been torn up.

ASK THE BUILDER | It’s important to realize you’re dealing with people’s lives, and death and serious injury can result when you install joist hangers, beams and support columns the wrong way.

Q: I’ve never worked with metal joist hangers. When I hold one in my hand, I question whether it’s actually strong enough to support all the weight that will be resting on it. Are they safe ...

The World Trade Center's twisted steel supports, among the few remaining pieces of the 110-story skyscrapers still standing in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks, became an iconic image of defiance ...

Post-and-beam construction is popular for homes throughout our country. There are many smaller companies that build them within only a relatively small radius of their headquarters.

A metal support beam at a stadium being built for the 2018 World Cup in Volgograd, Russia has collapsed during construction work.