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We recently bought a ~75 year old house with a saggy kitchen floor. The joists are 2×6 on 24″ centers, with about a 10′ span. Underneath is crawlspace, but only with about 18″ of clearance except for a sort of “access well” under the sink area. The concrete floor in the crawlspace has been cut away to create this access well, but nothing was done to prevent the soil (pretty much just sand here in western Michigan) from flowing out from underneath so adding posts is not likely a permanent solution. Ideas? Sistering all the joists (or going to 12″ o.c.) after slowly jacking up the floor at midspan (2 bottle jacks with a 4×6 under the joists) is my current idea. Warning! I am an engineer, so I: 1.) think I know what I am doing, and 2.) have no fear. Bring me back to earth if necessary…
Thanks
did
Replies
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Seems like a plan.
With only 18 inches to clear under your floor, I would also add the joists and not try to install a beam mid span.
Gabe
*Sounds like you have the right idea. I'd do the same thing. Except, I might try to trick someone else into going in the crawlspace.
*However, a permanent mid-span support would make the most difference and (probably) involves the least amount of work. That 24" span between joists on the other hand, would concern me. I suppose you could add 2 x 10's 24" o.c. (not sistered, centered) and improve things, although you'll have to notch them over the sill (?).Jeff
*Thanks for the info; I had been leaning away from the mid-span beam anyway as the remains of the crawlspace floor are pretty questionable, but I think that adding 2x6 joists is what I am limited to as trying to fit 2x10's in there might prevent jacking up the floor. Tricking someone else into going down there is a great idea...did
*I would sister a 2x6 along side and add one in between. I would put them all in place, nailed at one end and as far out from the end as you can while still keeping them tight to the sub-floor. Then jack up (as you mentioned above)the center until the other end is up tight. I'm not sure what you have on either end to support your joists, but if you have foundation wall on one side and beam on the other, I would cut your joists to sit on the foundation and come to the beam (not over) with the new joists, nail the sistered joists in place and add a 2x ledger to the beam to support the un-sistered joists.
*I'm sure any of these solutions would work,but why screw around?? With really no room to work with,and no floor anyway (2x6 24" o.c.),get rid of the 75yr. sag,the whole thing,and build it as it should be built.
*Answer: It costs more due to collateral damage to everything else from ripping out the floor and living with the interim living space mess, especially in your own kitchen, isn't fun.
*What Jeff said!
*Uh, yeah - I have to live with this, and with my wife, in the interim! And no, cooking and washing dishes in the bathroom is not an option. Besides, demolition to that extent opens far too many "while we're at it" opportunities. Anyway, it's a fairly cheesy 75 year old house that's been vinyl re-sided, in a neighborhood of lots of other fairly cheesy 75 year old houses that have been vinyl re-sided, so I stand to gain a lot more by fixing rather than rebuilding. Also, this (along with new cabinets and flooring) has to be done by roughly Feb. 20, as we are expecting kid #1.did
*Experience dictates that "while we're at it" leads to "might as well" ... and "in the real world ..." etc. etc. etc.