Landmark

We've known for years that there was something fishy about the beam that ran across the middle of the kitchen ceiling. When we rebuilt the back of the house, we realized that one end was supported by a pair of L brackets, one of which was lag-bolted into a truncated 2 by 7 stud that rested on a doorframe made of 3/4 inch pine!
We finally placed 6 by 6 posts under the beam.

This is (obviously) the chimney end. We had to demolish a section of the wall in the hallway opposite the bathroom to insert the other post--a bit of a step backward, but necessary. It was no joke threading this through the wiring. I had to lift it slightly above the beam and then drop it into place; the sill is slightly lower than the floor. Still--all's well that ends well!