Previous owner took out a bearing wall and left a sagging 4x4. How to fix it properly

The buyers' plan is to shore the ceiling with temporary walls, pull the bent 4x4 and set a beam built up from 2x12s on 6x6 posts. Whether those sizes work depends on the span, on what sits above (a floor, another bearing wall, roof load) and on where the posts come down. Home Depot's pro guide to bearing-wall removal says the beam has to be sized from span tables, a beam calculator or a structural engineer, and that most areas require a permit for the work.

The International Residential Code settles the permit question. Section R105.2.2 lets owners skip permits for ordinary repairs but excludes removing or cutting any structural beam or load-bearing support. The posts matter as much as the beam. Family Handyman's guide to post and beam repair says floors sag when posts rot or sit on undersized footings that sink, and that a bearing post needs a solid footing on undisturbed soil. A new 6x6 needs that footing under it, not a thin slab or a sheet of subfloor.

For the shoring, Home Depot's guide calls for temporary stud walls on both sides about three feet from the work, a 2x10 top plate to spread the load and support at least every 8 feet. Family Handyman says to jack in short, slow strokes, raise a beam only 1/2 to 1 inch to take the weight off, back the jack with rated shoring posts and never leave a hydraulic jack holding the load. It also says only specialty contractors should lift a beam more than about 1 inch, because that much movement can crack plaster and strain pipes and chimneys.