strengthening floor for new tub location
I have an upcoming bathroom remodel where the location of the fixtures is being rearranged and the tub is going to a new location. I am concerned about the weight of the tub in the new location. The existing floor framing is 2×8 and the client is leaning toward a Bain Ultra air tub which is something like 19″ deep.
I would like to sister all the joists but my concern is that the closest wall underneath is not within the footprint of the new bathroom above. So while i could rest one end on the exterior wall, the other end is potentially just floating, screwed into the member it’s sistering. Now, I know this will add some strength but with only one end bearing, still leaves me concerned.
Wondering if anyone’s been in a similar situation and what they did? is steel my answer?
thanks,
Nick
Replies
Knock holes in the ceiling below, so you can gain access to nail/bolt off the wild ends.
the issue has to do with getting my framing to the closest wall, not with fastening it.
You don't need to get all the way to the inside wall, but you want to be close -- within maybe two feet. And you need to have the ends fastened, not just wild.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
makes sense.
If it's not practical to sister, due to stuff in the way, or the span is wide enough that you want a joist mid-span between two others, you can effectively header-off the "wild" end of the new joist, using joist hangers to hang the header.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
Why can't you get bearing on both ends?
If I couldn't get bearing on both ends I would consider post and beam under the joists supporting the tub.
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The existing layout of the floor below makes it difficult to get bearing on both sides, short of ripping out the ceiling below. I considered the post & beam option but would really like to minimize architecturally the impact on anything below.My thought on it, as of right now, is to get some 1/4" steel made up at the size of the existing 2x8s and sister on. The catch is that I also have to get a drain line through, so that location will have to be laid out for the steel fabrication. I was hoping somebody might have a better idea.
Remember one thing, they want the tub moved. You have to do whatever is neccessary to make this safe for them. A ceiling demo is a small price to pay for the permanant fixture and peace of mind they are wanting.
Another thing I like to do is sister LVL's. They take the sledgehammer much better than dimensional lumber. I rip them to the required height and pound them home.
Matt- Woods favorite carpenter.
What kind of span are you talking about for those 2x8's?
and we know how deep the tub, but what's the width?
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I'm going to have to double check what the span is. The tub is 32" wide and has a 46 gallon capacity.
I have never seen a new house or house plans that had the framing altered by the placement of the bathroom fixtures. Is it really that big a tub?
That having been said, if you do want to beef up the joists, I'm not sure it is that important to get bearing on both ends. The intent of sistering the joists would be to reduce the deflection of the 2x8s at mid-span. I can't see the tub loading the existing joist ends until they fail in shear, which would be the only reason to worry whether the new joists spanned to the interior bearing wall.
My concern isn't that the joists will fail, just that they'll deflect (i.e. callbacks for ceiling cracks).
I've heard of framing being altered to accept a tub that was carved out of a solid marble block. ;-)Otherwise, I'd think that two people, standing right next to each other on the same joist would present a greater load than a full bathtub. But hey: I come here to learn, not to educate. I'm not a framer, an engineer, or - for that matter - a contractor of any kind.