Basement I beam set too high

Jlynn024

I own a ranch house and on the main level there is a hump that runs across the whole house in the center of the floor. I went to the basement measured from the floor to the top if the beam then measured up the side of the basement wall and there was an inch and a half difference. So I'm thinking the beam is set to high and is causing this hump in the floor issue. If I lowered the support collums on the beam an inch and a half would all the door frames and wall corners show major settling cracks?

mae-ling

They could.
Is the beam only up in the center or is it up where it meats a basement wall too?
If the floor has heaved your doors should be not working properly.

Jackofall1

Hello and Welcome Jlynn024, to the best darn DIY'r site on the web.

Sounds like whoever built this place forgot about doubling the bottom plate.

I would say that lowering the center beam would not be a DIY'r job, there is just too much at risk.

Mark

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Jlynn024

Bottom plate? I'm not sure what that is? The basement is barebones unfinished. As far as lowering it, I can't at this point anyway because the Collums have no means to be adjusted. Do you have any recommendation on who would take on such a job of lowering the beam or recommend some other action? Any specific issue this may cause by DIY? Also Mae all the doors shut smoothly I'll have to check where the beam sits in the wall when I get back home.

Thanks

Jackofall1

Toss a level on the walls, are they plumb? If they are then my guess is it was built that way and if you start messing with the center beam everything will be thrown off.

The top or more correctly said the sill plate is the (usually 2 x 8 or 6) that sits on top of the foundation, or the foundation was never level to begin with.

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Jlynn024

I will check the walls tonite. I'll tell ya a theory iv kind of thought out I could defiantly use your input. The people I bought the house from put a perimeter drain in the basement under the floor all alongside the walls. Now I'm not sure but it seems as if the basement walls are settling but the beam in the center that runs the length of the house is not. Therefore there if a hump you can feel on the main level of the house. Is lowering the beam an option or any other route you might consider?

Jackofall1

Following your theory, I would definately have a knowledgable person out to look at what you have going on, if the parimeter walls are sinking then you need to have that resolved before you ever think about the center beam.

Mark

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GBrackins

could you post a photo of the beam and top of foundation wall?

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Gary

"You get what you pay for, and sometimes free costs more!"

DexterII

I believe that I would contact a local structural engineer before making any modifications. First though, I would set up a transit or laser level in the basement, and shoot the bottoms of the joists, in order to get an accurate picture of what might be going on. Obviously, something is amiss, since you can feel it on the main floor, but your basement floor is not necessarily level throughout, so using it as a gauge is not the most precise approach.

Jlynn024

Jlynn024

doesnt look like i could lower that beam period. Probably more problems than its worth any way. I dont have a laser but the beam is set at 86" but when i measure at the wall to the joice its 85. If anyone has any other advice or needs any more information from me I'd be more than happy to share. It sounds like i had better get an engineer of some sort before it gets out of hand... I have two other pics also just says they failed to upload

GBrackins

where the beam goes into the foundation wall it appears there is a 2x nailer on top of the steel beam. is the top of the nailer level with the 2x sill plate on top of the foundation wall?

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"You get what you pay for, and sometimes free costs more!"

mae-ling

Run a string line under the beam with a 2x4 as a spacer on each end, then all the way it should be 1.5" below the beam. If it is higher in spots where a telepost is then it may need to be lowered.

Jlynn024

herea another pic of the Joices and the strange designed perimeter drain system. Which also concerns me a lilttle bit

Jlynn024

yes, the 2x4 on the ibeam and the 2x4 on top of the foundation are level. The picture without the black pipe does not have a 2x4 on the top of the foundation though