Cost to Install a Steel Beam in a Basement in Ontario: What Drives It

The cost to install a steel beam in a basement depends far more on the job around the beam than on the steel itself. A typical project in Ontario is made up of engineering, a building permit, temporary shoring, the fabricated beam, new posts and footings, installation and finishing. Two basements with the same beam size can end up priced very differently because of access, footings and how much finished space has to be opened up.

We don't publish prices because they would be wrong for most readers. Instead, here's how each part of a basement beam job is built up, what makes each piece bigger or smaller, and how to get a quote you can rely on.

Why basement steel beams get installed

Most basement beam projects fall into one of these:

• Opening up the basement by replacing a wood beam and several posts with a steel beam on fewer posts.
• Replacing a failing beam, such as a sagging, rotted or notched built-up wood beam.
• Supporting a wall removal upstairs, where new point loads need a path down to footings.
• Underpinning or lowering the basement, where the beam and posts are reworked along with the floor and footings.

Each starts the same way: someone has to work out the loads, size the beam and posts, and check the footings. The OBC Part 9 span tables cover some simple floor beams, but most renovation beams are engineered.

The cost components of a basement beam job

Engineering and design

A designer or structural engineer visits, measures, traces the loads from above, and produces drawings showing the beam size, post locations, connections and footing sizes. Those drawings go with the permit application.

Costs more when: the loads are complicated (walls or posts landing on the beam, a second storey, roof loads), the house has no original drawings, the existing footings are unknown and need investigating, or the design goes through revisions.

Costs less when: the beam simply replaces an existing one on the same line with similar loads, and the drawings are clear the first time.

Building permit

Changing a beam or moving posts is a structural alteration. The City of Toronto lists structural alterations among projects that need a permit, and other GTA municipalities do the same. Permit fees are set by each municipality's fee by-law. For houses, Division C of the Ontario Building Code requires the building department to issue or refuse a permit within 10 days of receiving a complete application, not counting Saturdays, holidays or other days the office is closed, so missing documents are what usually cause delays. See our guide to permits for load-bearing wall removal for what GTA cities ask for.

Costs more when: the work is bundled with a larger renovation or second suite, or the application is incomplete and goes back and forth.

Temporary shoring

Before the old beam or posts come out, the floor above is held up on temporary supports, usually temporary walls or shoring posts on each side of the beam line.

Costs more when: the beam is long, two floors bear on it, the basement ceiling is finished and has to be opened for the shores, or the shoring has to stay up longer while footings cure.

Costs less when: the ceiling is open and the work can be sequenced so shoring is up for as short a time as possible.

Beam supply and fabrication

This is the part we quote directly. The beam is cut to length and fabricated with whatever the drawings call for: holes for bolting a wood nailer to the top flange, cap plates or connection plates for the posts, end bearing details, and shop primer where specified.

Costs more when: the section is heavier, the beam is longer, it must be made in pieces with a designed splice so it fits down the stairs or through a window, or the connections are complex. See steel beam prices in Canada for how the steel itself is priced.

Costs less when: the beam goes in as one piece with simple, repeated hole patterns.

Posts and footings

A new beam usually means new posts, and new posts usually mean new footings. The Ontario Building Code requires columns to sit centred on a footing that conforms to its footing rules. That means cutting the slab, excavating, a footing inspection before the pour, concrete, curing time and patching the slab.

Costs more when: several new pad footings are needed, the existing footings are undersized, there's water or poor soil, or the engineer specifies larger reinforced pads.

Costs less when: posts land on existing adequate footings. Whether fixed steel posts or adjustable steel columns are used also affects the cost.

Installation

The crew removes the old beam and posts, gets the new beam into the basement, lifts it into place on its bearings, sets and fastens the posts, connects the joists and removes the shoring.

Costs more when: access is tight (narrow stairs, no walkout, small windows), the beam is heavy enough to need lifting equipment, the beam goes flush with the joists so every joist has to be cut and hung, or bearing pockets have to be cut into the foundation wall.

Costs less when: the beam is a drop beam below the joists, there's a walkout or large opening, and the bearing points are ready.

Finishing and making good

After the steel is in, someone restores what was disturbed: slab patches at new footings, drywall or a bulkhead around the beam, relocated ductwork, plumbing and wiring, and paint.

Costs more when: the basement is finished, services run along the old beam line, or the beam ends up exposed and needs a finished look.

What the installation process looks like

On a typical engineered job, the sequence runs like this. It's here so you know what to expect, not as instructions; structural work belongs with a qualified crew working from approved drawings.

1. Engineer's drawings prepared and permit issued.
2. Beam, posts and plates fabricated to the drawings and field measurements.
3. Slab cut and footings excavated; footing inspection; concrete poured and cured.
4. Temporary shoring installed on both sides of the beam line.
5. Old beam and posts removed; new beam set on its bearings; posts installed and fastened.
6. Joists connected and lateral support installed as detailed; shoring removed.
7. Framing inspection before anything is covered, then finishing.

Supply only vs supply and install

There are two ways to buy the steel:

• Supply only. We fabricate and deliver the beam, posts and plates; your contractor installs. This suits contractors who already have the crew and equipment for steel.
• Supply and install. We fabricate, deliver and install the beam and posts. This puts the steel scope with one company, which cuts coordination between the fabricator and the installer.

In either case the shoring, footings and finishing may sit with your general contractor, so be clear about who does what.

How to compare quotes

When quotes come in, check that each one covers the same scope:

• Does the beam match the engineer's size and length, including any splice?
• Are posts, plates and connection hardware included, and what type of post?
• Who supplies footings, shoring and slab patching?
• Who pulls the permit and books inspections?
• Is removal and disposal of the old beam included?
• Is finishing included, or only the structural work?

A lower number that leaves out footings or shoring isn't cheaper; it just moves those costs to later.

Get a quote for your basement beam

The fastest route to an accurate number is to send us your engineering drawings, or photos and measurements if you're still at the planning stage, along with notes on basement access. Engineering services are available for projects that need them. See our services for fabrication, delivery and installation of basement beams and posts.