- Joined
- Feb 3, 2018
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 0
Hello,
I recently moved into my first home, built in 1900, SE Pennsylvania. There are some issues with the floor joists in the basement.
The majority of the floor joists are resting on the brick foundation and are in good shape, however around the opening for the stairs the header running along the opening is notched on each end and resting on a ledger nailed to the trimmer on either side. 5 tail joists are attached to the header in the same manner. all 3 ledgers have separated from the supporting member significantly. The header is about 5/8" below the floor on the "bottom" side of the stairs and about 1/8" on the "top" side of the staircase. The floor above has sunk in this location ~1/4" max. The wall directly above shows no sign of recent movement (cracked plaster, molding separating ect) and there is no movement/creaking of the floor so it appears to be "stable" for now. The staircase from the 1st floor to 2nd floor is also right above this area, so it is probably contributing to the overloaded connections.
Joist and Header size: 2.75"x6.75" on 16" centers, notched 3"
Ledger Size: 1 7/8 x 3"
The options I am considering are:
Run beam across all 5 joists and use screw jacks to raise back to proper height level with the rest of the joists then:
a. Build a wall along the edge of the steps to support the header and ledger. The concrete slab in the basement is 4" thick. To do this would I need to cut into the slab and then re-pour a thicker footer or is there a solution that would not involve modifying the slab/floor?
b. Remove ledger, fill notch with packing, and install joist hangers Do the same with the header.
c. Pack space on header to create a flush surface with the ledger and install joist hangers.
Thanks for the help!
I recently moved into my first home, built in 1900, SE Pennsylvania. There are some issues with the floor joists in the basement.
The majority of the floor joists are resting on the brick foundation and are in good shape, however around the opening for the stairs the header running along the opening is notched on each end and resting on a ledger nailed to the trimmer on either side. 5 tail joists are attached to the header in the same manner. all 3 ledgers have separated from the supporting member significantly. The header is about 5/8" below the floor on the "bottom" side of the stairs and about 1/8" on the "top" side of the staircase. The floor above has sunk in this location ~1/4" max. The wall directly above shows no sign of recent movement (cracked plaster, molding separating ect) and there is no movement/creaking of the floor so it appears to be "stable" for now. The staircase from the 1st floor to 2nd floor is also right above this area, so it is probably contributing to the overloaded connections.
Joist and Header size: 2.75"x6.75" on 16" centers, notched 3"
Ledger Size: 1 7/8 x 3"
The options I am considering are:
Run beam across all 5 joists and use screw jacks to raise back to proper height level with the rest of the joists then:
a. Build a wall along the edge of the steps to support the header and ledger. The concrete slab in the basement is 4" thick. To do this would I need to cut into the slab and then re-pour a thicker footer or is there a solution that would not involve modifying the slab/floor?
b. Remove ledger, fill notch with packing, and install joist hangers Do the same with the header.
c. Pack space on header to create a flush surface with the ledger and install joist hangers.
Thanks for the help!
