[warrior327]

Hey guys,

I have several joists that sag in my crawlspace, about 6 to 7 floor joists in a localized area to be exact. When my house was built the plumber cut two floor joists side by side to fit the drains to the tub and toilet. The notches in the floor joists are 1/2 to 3/4 way through the joist. Currently I have 2x10's that are 16" OC and span 12-14 feet. This is the only place that I have sag in my house and that sag has caused the the ceiling to pull away from the wall and cause alot of drywall issues over the years. I am looking to jack the floor up to fix the issues. Problem is I cannot get jacks real close to the area, and unless I cut the drain pipe I cannot build a 2x10 beam to span 6-7 joists. The best I coulid do is put multiple 2x6 boards together and run jacks every three to four feet.

My question is will the 2x6's (doubled, or tripled) with jacks every three or four feet hold over time and prevent the floor from sagging?

Also, for the jacks I was going to dig down about a foot and make a pad that is 24"x24" with rebar crossed in the middle. I am trying to go overkill so I don't have to go back and fix sag over time. I have about 1' 6" to work in the crawlspace.

 

[warrior327]

Correction on the Title: Sagging Floor In Home, Due To Cut Floor Joists. Just realized that and my very first sentence. I have several floor joists that sag located in a crawlspace.

 

[Olcrazy1]

You said a span of 6 or 7 joists assuming 16" oc roughly 10 feet. I would say if you can only get 2x6 in there at a 10' span 3 jacks will be more than enough, actually 2 will probably be fine. If you are at 10' span I would put the jacks at 2' and 8', jack up until floor as straight and lock it down. If you have the jacks secures at the bottom in a 24" slab that will be strong enough. I would use ties to connect the beam to the joist since it sounds like it's just a flooring beam held up by posts and not sitting on foundation walls. Good luck however you proceed

 

[joecaption]

Really could use some pictures.
Tight quarters?
Most often the right way would be to add some proper footings, piers and a beam.
Any cut joist may need to be sistered or headed off.

 

[Bud9051]

Hi worrior, we could really use some pictures, but while we wait I can add to your thinking list. Although a well built tripple 2x6 might do the job, depending upon where this would fit, a length of LVL, probably available in 4x6 would certainly hold that up.

On a related note, I was leveling my bathroom floor before finishing the interior (open basement below) and noticed the 2x10 next to the toilet drain was cur half way through. hard to see, but when I got a look, it had cracked and was the primary cause of my leveling issues. Just can't give those guys wood cutting tools.

Bud

 

[warrior327]

Thanks for the input. The plan was to put in some footing and not use piers, but heavy duty screw jacks for future adjustments if need be. It will also be a little easier than dragging in alot of concrete and trying to form piers in 18 inches of head room. I won't be able to get pictures for a few days, and it is really not enjoyable going down into a tight fitting area like that. I will however try and provide the most information on that I can and even more when questions are asked. The two joists that are cut can be sistered on with another joist the whole length of the joist if a guy can work the new joist in there. With that being said what would be the best way to secure the sistered joist? 3/8" bolts? One of my thoughts was to try and sister on the joists that are hacked in half by the plumber, and in addition add a new joist in between the hacked up joist. Making 8" OC instead of 16" just to help span the weight. I have also thought about adding a joist to each joist on either side of the cut joists and than putting a header (boxing) in the joist that is cut for the plumbing.

Hopefully my explanation helped. I will try and get some pictures over the coming days to aid in the discussion.

 

[warrior327]

Also the cut joists are in the midle of the joist that spans from the foundation wall to the beam in the center of the house. I believe my joist span a distance of 12'-14' so that would make the joists that were cut for plumbing about 6'-7' in the joist. Literally in the middle of the joist. The point where it would sag the most.

 

[Bud9051]

IMO, a cross beam supported by several jacks would be better than adding new sistered joists. The new ones would still be 2x10's 12-14' long and that would still bounce. As for footings, this isn't holding the house up and it will be accessible to make future adjustments. Given that, there are pre-made pads you can buy and slide in there instead of pouring concrete. As long as you position them over undisturbed soil they will be fine.

Bud

 

[warrior327]

I took a few pictures that show the joists that are cut.
Picture 1: Shows the joist that is cut for plumbing
Picture 2: Shows the joist that is cut and is right next to the other cut joist.
Picture 3: Shows the plumbing that I will be tring to work around while getting beams up to support the floor.

 

[warrior327]

I cannot add images, and went to the the suggestions page for help, and am still unable to post images.

 

[warrior327]

 

[warrior327]

 

[warrior327]

 

[warrior327]

 

[warrior327]

 

[warrior327]

 

[warrior327]

Repair Option #1
Colors
Thin line Pencil Marks (Floor Joists)
Red: Cut areas in floor joists (pictures 1 & 2)
Green: New Joists sistered on to cut joist after jacking up floor joists to level
Blue: Beams (either 2x6's that are doubled or tripled together) In order to not do alot of plumbing work and completely rework the sewer drain this is the best method I have found for placing beams around the cut joists, as I cannot get directly underneath them due to plumbing
Brown: Heavy Duty Screw Jacks that are sitting un footers that are 2'x2' and 1' deep.

Bud you made a good point in just placing concrete pads down. I figured if I have to dig down to find solid ground I mine as well put footings in in the ground for heavy duty screw jacks

 

[warrior327]