My house's center beam is wood. It is basically three separate boards put together to make one thick beam. In the middle of one of the beams, there is a 4 foot crack running straight down the middle. Can I replace this piece of wood? It's not near the ends of the house, and it's not near the top or bottom of the board.
2006-12-21 12:23:20 · 4 answers · asked by peepoogenderparts 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Actually, I was just under the house a few minutes ago. Apparently, the previous homeowner decided he wanted to add his own little "semi-main" beam to the house, (extra support I guess) and one of the pieces of wood was knocked astray when my plumber bumped into it with a piece of pipe. I wonder if this could be a culprit in why the wood was cracked.
2006-12-21 12:42:26 · update #1
you could replace it or merely 'sister' it. you may have allready had this. a sister board is one attached to the present board to support it. think of it as a brace. the other option is to place a jack under it and , being sure the jack is secure by bolting to the floor and joist, leave jack in place. commomly reffered to as a house jack. if you were to replace the board the jack would be a MUST anyway to support the house as the other is being removed. this is not an uncommon problem. jacking is sufficient, though. if left unattended you may start to experience floor splitting on the first level and other maladies as the moving continues. its not too difficult. good luck.
2006-12-21 12:35:54 · answer #1 · answered by Stanley S 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i am assuming ur talking about the main grider under ur house that is part of ur floor system....the best way to fix it and never have to worry about it again is to:
nail a 6' - 2 x 6 on the bottom of the grider, centered on the crack area...
hire a brick mason to dig u a footer under the area that u just installed the 2 x 6.....
he will then install a block pier 48" long right under the crack and running long ways with the grider.....
this will carry all the weight u need and assure u that the load of the floor joist and the live load( people) will be transferred down thru the new load bearing pier....
lic. gen. contractor
2006-12-21 13:46:50 · answer #2 · answered by bigg_dogg44 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
if this a carrying beam your better off to get a 6ft piece of 2by 8 and put under the crack and get a jackpost from your local hardware store and snug it up .this is what i did with my 100yaer old home .you start dismantling carrying beams and your floor drops and jiprock cracks it wont be a merry christmas
2006-12-21 12:35:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like the wood is just drying out
2006-12-21 13:36:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋