Cut Joist

[towelfury]

I would some comments on the following joist situation:

Thanks

[Abe]

[Edwin Pawlowski]

The building inspector should have shot the plumber. I'd add a sister joist.

[Jeff Wisnia]

It's a bit hard to tell from the photo, but it sort of looks like there might be a pretty heavy piece paralleling that cut joist just an inch or so behind it. If that's so and that piece is properly supported and contacting the underside of the floor, that would seem to make the cut joist not much of an issue, 'eh?

If not, then certainly something more needs to be done.

It also looks like whoever was nailing the flooring in had a hard time finding that joist.

[kevin]

Looks that way to me too. But it doesn't look like the cut joist has much to hold it up except for the nails from the floor above. If thats the case, I'd just cut the joist a 1.5 inches more on either side of the pipe, then add two cross pieces from the adjacent joist to the larger beam. These can support the cut joist, which will butt into them. Use joist hangers on the cross pieces, installed before you put them up, otherwise nailing near that pipe will be a pita.

-Kevin

[trader4]

Well, not if the design called for the other nearby joint, which we have no way of knowing. If it did call for 2 joists and you eliminate one, your asking for big trouble.

Whoever did this should be shot. And a sister joist is the solution.

[Abe]

Look more carefully. It's just an optical illusion. What you're seeing behind the joist is the subfloor, not another joist.

[Jeff Wisnia]

Now that you point it out, I certainly agree. The perspective fooled me.

Something needs to be done...

Jeff

[Frank K.]

I disagree with it being sub-floor. The sub-floor is OSB. The "joist" has a side and a bottom. You can see what appears to be OSB in the gap on the right of the vertical pipe. The uncut joist is probably supporting a wall behind the toilet flange that is visible on the pipe. Sister the cut joist to assure a solid toilet installation.

Frank

[Jim McLaughlin]

After you shoot the plumber and the buildng inspector.....

Bear in mind I've been known to wear a belt and suspenders together, so this may be overkill, but...

I'd use 4 feet of 2" X "whatever" on each side of the cut on both sides of the damaged joist to "shim" out the joust, so that I culd properly "sister" the joist without the "sisters" themselves hitting the pipe. . I'd use a pnematic palm nailer to nail those in.

Then I'd put an 8' long sister on each side, tack nail that in to the "shims" with th palm nailer, and then seriously bolt the whole sebang together through all five layers of the 2" x whatever material. I'd use a lot of bolts.

[Abe]

You know what, you're quite right. It also appears to be a 4X rather than a 2X as the interrupted joist is. I'd say whoever put the pipe in must have installed the extra joist, and oversized it just to be sure. If that's the case, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Jeff Wisnia]

Maybe the OP will be kind enough to give us another photo from a better angle?

How about it towelfury?

Jeff

[Osurac]

[hallerb]

I would add steel plates plenty long and go from there

[Jim McLaughlin]

Yeah, steel would work.

Either way though, youd have ti shim out he joist adjacent t the pipe. That ipe's circumference, in the OP's picture, is wider than the thickness of the joist. There's no way to sister that joist with either steel or wood unlesss you shim the original joist on both sides.

Me, I'd uste the wood sisters. Steel ain't cheap, is not as readily available aswood, and can be very hard to work with without some special tooling for cuting to length and width, drilling bolt holes, etc.

YMMV.

[Larry Jaques]

On Wed, 21 Jun 2006 10:18:09 GMT, with neither quill nor qualm, "Edwin Pawlowski" quickly quoth:

Would you also have run a few of those nails (which are hanging out in mid air) through the joist in the first place? I'd shoot the builder. Oy vay!

[Chris Lewis]

According to Osurac :

Or, just look at the picture yourself, and let us know whether there's another joist behind the cut one, and approximately how far away from the cut one it is.

To me it looks like another joist with a bit of pressure treated lumber on the bottom. Eg: a sill plate.

Even if it is another joist (and probably not absolutely neccessary structurally), I really don't like arbitrarily severed joists, and it may give you problems with the toilet later on due to flex.

If it's what I think it is, a 6' or more piece of joist laminated on the backside (I _assume_ the pipe won't interfere on that side), with proper nail cleating would do the trick. If the cut joist has dipped, you'll want to push it up a bit to get it back in line before cleating in the sister.