Floor Joists 1/2" drop/sag at main beam

[HarleySilo]

I've demoed the kitchen and entry way in prep for new tile floor, during the process I've discoved the floor is uneven, particularly in this area...



Well, my father and I jacked the kitchen floor joists where they meet the main beam (centerline of the house), and re-hung them 1/2" higher. The kitchen floor is now level. In identifying the real problem, and fixing it, I have now determined I want to fix the remaining area where the joists have fallen 1/2". Here's a pic to help explain the issue...



So the remaining 25" section where the joists have "fallen" has two separate walls above it. They run down the centerline of the house, but run next to the main beam not over it. To jack that will obviously require a different method than the hi-lift jack and 2x4's we used for floor joists in the kitchen (no wall and very little weights, could push them up with a 2x4 withouts jack).

Anyone have any suggestions about this process?

 

[Lakee911]

I can't see your pics (blocked at work), so I can not comment, but this seems like a duplicate post from your cabinet and tile question.

Folks at John Bridge should be able to give you some structural suggestions and I'm sure Bob will chime in too.

Jason

 

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[HarleySilo]

It is, if that's annoying I appoligize. Since it's a different topic I thought I'd start a new thread in case some weren't reading the other one, so I could gather all opinions.

 

[HarleySilo]

The support wall will go over/on the basement floor. With joist hangers installed, and then the wall wouldn't be supporting soooooo much weight, no way I'm putting in afooter. Here's so updated pics...

 

[hj]

floor

If that picture shows the way the floor and joists are installed, then one has to wonder who the handyman was who built it. The "ledger" HAS to have a support wall under it to carry the load, and 2x4's nailed to the sides of the joists are not an acceptable way to carry the load.

 

[HarleySilo]

Well, the "ledger" since I don't know it's proper way, is what was used throughout our home in place of joist hangers. The joist were/are nailed to the beam, but only with 2 nails on average. I was told by one of our roofers (crackhead probably) that the ledger is supposed to have a triangle of nails driven in underneath each joist. Well it's more like 1 nail a foot, thus the reason it "rolled" or shifted under the weight of the joist.

So there are no support walls underneath any of the ledgers in the entire basement.

I still plan to build a wall which which will have the top plate run flush with the ledger, which is the way the one original wall in the basement was built, your statment saying "the ledger must have a wall" would imply to me that there are 2 walls missing in the basement, however they would be about 1 foot away running in parallel, so I'm not sure what you mean....

I think they were running out of nails, or perhaps won a free case of glue when they built our home 20 yrs. ago

 

[Jimbo]

I suggest you try over at the do it yourself forum. Click on interior. They have a forum on architecture and codes, another on walls and ceilings, and another general remodel forum.


You are talking with plumbers here. Many of the guys are quite knowledgeable across several trades, and I agree with the comments that have been made about how unsatisfactory the construction of your floors is. But that is a common sense opinion, not an expert one.

I would suggest that you get a good general contractor in to look at it. We see only some small photos, and someone needs to take a "big picture " look at it. The supports your are proposing look very sturdy. My point is that maybe you don'd several small spot supports. It seems like you are going to end up with a basement full of posts. There might be a way to do one overall fix with a bigger beam and fewer posts.

One comment about jacking floors: this is also something which should be done by an experienced professional. When you start jacking things that have been sagging for a long time, there are going to be reactions in the walls, floors, and ceilings above.