Joist repair?

Question

I just purchased a house that has an unlevel floor. The ends of 4 joist had dropped a bit and the floor is wavy due to water damage. The span of the joists are 13 feet long. How would I go about repairing?

Answer 1

You don't mention if you have a cellar or crawl space but the work is the same. Get a heavy duty jack and jack up the joist until the floor is level and then support it. If in a crawl space you can use concrete blocks and then on the top of the blocks use wood to make up any small difference. Wooden wedges can be used if you only have an inch or two. If in a cellar you can use us joist supports, these are steel columns with an adjustable screw on the top. If the joist have come loose from where they were attached then you can use joist hangers after you get it where you want it. This is really work for a professional but what ever you do make sure you have someone to help you in case of trouble

Answer 2

i would make a header out of a couple of 2x6's nailed together, then nail it to the bottom of the floor joists. then use bottle jacks if you have a crawl space, or lolly columns if you have a cellar, and jack the floor up and install joist hangers to re secure the joists to the end joist. if this doesn't make sense to you, hit the library and check out a book on home improvement/repairs, or call a pro. what ever you do, make sure that you jack it slow, and be sure that the jacks are level and plumb. good luck, hope this helps you decide what to do.