Flooring Problem!

[John]

I sent a post the other day about installing a shower tray by myself. I haven't installed it yet due to the following discovery. I have made a stand for the tray using 6" x 2" timbers and a base of 3/4" exterior ply as I have done many times in the past. I could not get the base stable so it was not 'bouncing' slightly. I decided to look under the floor by removing a screwed down section of chipboard floor. Looking at the joists I think the householder may have a problem! The three floor joists I can see running under the shower area overlap (parallel) the existing house joists by approx 6" and are 'secured' by a No.

10 screw which cannot be any longer than 4" as it doesn't protrude out of the other side. This floor was laid when Wyatt Earp and his gang converted part of the loft space (its an old house with lots of sloping ceilings in bedrooms etc) into a shower and toilet room, the original shower installation itself was a right bodge job. What is the best way to fix this problem or should he get somebody in who knows buildings? If the three joists I can see are like this the chances are the others will be the same. I was thinking of using 4" (8mm Dia) coach screws, but wasn't sure if I am best leaving it alone and let the householder get the 'professionals in. If it helps the room is approx 10 feet by 6 feet with the joists spanning the 6 foot.

Thanks for any help and advice.

John

[BigWallop]

I think you'd be best to advise the owner of the problem, and then have them check if this is really fault. If you get involved, then the builder could say it wasn't them but you when were installing the new shower tray. So get the owner of the house to check it out before you go any further.

If it looks wrong to someone like you, who knows a bit about this sort of thing, then it's probably wrong and needs sorted.

[John]

Thanks, will do just that. The problem is they are on holiday till late next week and are expecting to come home to a new shower! Then I am booked in on other work. Oh well never mind. As a side issue can anybody see my posting in uk.d-i-y. I always post my questions to both groups but recently I can only see them in free.uk.diy.home. I can however see them in both on Google groups. weird!

John

[BigWallop]

The post is only appearing in the free.uk.diy group at this end, anyway.

The problem with floor is a weird situation, init? Do you carry on and complete the job for them, then hope for the best? Or do you leave it until you've had it checked out properly?

Was the old shower in the same position as where the new one is going?

Does the drainage system match up OK with the old layout?

Would you really get away with completing the job and saying nothing about what's underneath it?

It's a hard decision.

[John Rumm]

It sounds like the short overlap is the problem. Even if you coach screw it you may find it is still not good enough.

Could you replace one bit of joist with a new section and leave more overlap?

Or failing that could you add another bit of joist beside it to extend the length of the joint?

Say it currently looks like: ____________________ ____________________|_____________ |__________________

Add an infill at the end of one joist end, and then a longer section of joist (say 50cm) against it. Drill and bolt it up using toothed timber connectors:

_B_______B______B_ _________|__________________| posting in uk.d-i-y. I always post my questions to both groups but recently

Yup, seeing it on uk.d-i-y

[Rob Morley]

See you fine here. If you read a cross-posted message in one group your newsreader may automatically mark it as read in the other group so you don't see it when you open that group. Any replies to your original post will automatically be cross-posted (unless the responder removes one of the groups) and the same behaviour will apply. (I'm not sure how OE behaves, I've not used it for a long time.)

[John]

I understand all that, the problem is I cannot see my original posting on the uk.d-i-y group, only replies.

Cheers

John

[Rob Morley]

So even when you select View - Current View - Show all Messages your post isn't visible?

[John]

Not in uk.d-i-y, only the replies including my own. The original question is not there. It is in uk.diy.home. Very wierd, I do not understand it, it has only started in the last week or so.

Cheers

John