i take all this constructive critisizm to heart. he doesnt want to hire a proffesional, and he knows a guy that will get him a custom beam mad cheap so he doesnt care about cost. he already has been warned im not responsible if im wrong but i would give it a wack for him. the reason he came to me is that beam manufacturer’s refuse to give a rating on the beam because of lawsuits like you guys are talking about. they say only an architect can rate a beam and all they are responsable for is the order.