Damaged Joist Pt 3

[hotwheels514]

Thanks for the replies. I got someone out here today to do an estimate, and he wouldnt give me an estimate cause he said my husband could fix it himself. He suggested putting a 2*8 (the same size as the joist) the whole

3-4 ft span of the joist between the staircase walls, to use wood glue and bolt it in. He said it only needed to be done on one side. I forgot to mention the crack, I don't know if he saw it. The crack is not all the way through the joist. He said the joist 'isnt as bad as I think it is' because the damaged part is between 2 walls supporting it, and the walls are only a few feet apart. He said he would be worried if the walls were farther apart. He also said the bathroom notch is nothing. I would like to have one more builder come out to look at it anyway. What do you guys think?

[tbasc]

The suggestion is worth following. Rather than bolts, I'd consider nails and construction glue.

The load will be sent down through the walls to - eventually - the earth. I'd check the "load path" to make sure that you know how the extra load is carried to the earth. TB

[Don Phillipson]

This is called "sistering" and is the standard way of reinforcing a damaged joist. If your husband can cut wood to fit (say 3/4 plywood on each side) and drill holes large enough for secure bolts (say 3/8 inch) he can sister the joist himself.

[Don Phillipson]

Glue yes (secondarily, to distribute the load, if any) but I would not use nails on any joist with both a cutout and a crack in it. Screws, lag bolts, etc. can be tightened just right and cause less vibration during insertion.

[hotwheels514]

Thanks. Yes, he did say use screws and bolts. Is there a particular kind? Now really the problem is how do I access the 'good' part of the joist to screw the new wood into? There are wood boards (I dont know what they're called) that go diagonally up the whole staircase that are in the way. They hold up some other boards and also the drywall was screwed into them.

[Rick F.]

Unfortunately, some of that stuff may have to come down to get proper access if it's not already available -- this is where the price starts going up I'm afraid.. However, you could have a handyman come by to fix the damage afterwards (e.g. replacing drywall, etc).

[Tom The Great]

I've seen joist repairs done with carage bolts. Really clamps down on the damaged joist, for the construction adheasive to make contact.

later,

tom @

[Abe]

Nails - no. Bolts - yes.

[Tim Fischer]

That might make sense IF the walls are load-bearing. I kind of doubt they are, though...

-Tim

[jaymay75]

You don't really need glue, as it really doesn't add much stregnth when using bolts. Use 1/2" bolts or bolt rod spaced every 1.5' and stagger them. Make sure the holes are as tight as possible. Put One bolt at the top, one at the bottom, etc. No closer than 1" to the edge. I'd go at least 3 feet to each side of the problem area. Crank them down tight, and you're good to go. I'd use 2x lumber, not OSB or plywood.

Tim Fischer wrote:

[Tony Hwang]

Is it beam or joist? If joist there is more than one. One joist going bad won't crumble the house. Sistering is the thing to do. Fastening is nailing, or bolt and nut.

[hotwheels514]

Thanks everyone. Tony-it is a joist. And yes, only the one joist was damaged. My husband sistered it (on both sides) to the best of his ability and it definitely looks a lot better. Don't worry, we didn't use nails. On the one side we did go a couple feet beyond the damaged area, but on the other side it was not possible to go beyond the damaged part because of the walls. On that side there was less than 2 inches of 'good' wood to bolt the new wood onto. I have no idea how many joists support the 2nd floor, so I was worried about it. I'm hoping everything is ok now.

[<aemeijers]

Don&#39;t forget to sell hubby&#39;s sharp tools in the next garage sale.

aem sends...

[Tim Fischer]

Are you really saying that you &#39;notched&#39; the joist down to a 2" width?? And you&#39;re hoping a couple boards &#39;sistered&#39; to the damaged area will make up for this?

I hope I&#39;m hearing you wrong. If so, I really beg you to bring in a structural person (not a handyman). Maybe your city inspector will come out, or at least recommend someone...

-Tim

[hotwheels514]

Tim- I think you are hearing me wrong. The joist was notched 2 inches away from the wall. So there was a space 2 inches long for us to bolt the new sister to on one end. I didn&#39;t have a handyman look at it, I had a builder look at it.

[Tim Fischer]

Gotcha. It&#39;s probably fine, I just get a little concerned when the structure of a building gets hacked away! Hopefully the ordeal is now over for you!

-Tim

[jaymay75]

Can you take a picture of this and upload it

[hotwheels514]

I have a digital camera, but how do I upload pictures to this website? Do I have to just upload it to another website and provide a link?

[hotwheels514]

I think I figured it out. I think you can see the pictures by going to

The first pic is as you are walking down the stairs. The second pic is kind of looking up at the sistered joist as you are walking up the stairs. Made a joist &#39;sandwich&#39; by bolting all 3 pieces together. You can see in the middle on the left the piece of the original joist that was cut out. It has two little nails in it, just a piece of &#39;filler wood&#39;.