Huge hole in floor joist? should i worry?

tlbean2004

9 years ago

I had my crawlspace inspected yesterday because i was concerned about rot that was caused by a plumbing leak many years ago.
The inspector said that the wood was dry where the leak was.

But he also told me there was a joist under the bathroom that has a huge hole in it.

I knew there was water damage to one of the joists because of the termite inspection when i first brought the home.
But i did not know it was a big hole.
It seams the damaged section might have been cut out by a previous owner.

Should i worry about replacing this joists?
Im not to worried because the bathroom floor seems very solid and the joists on either side of the damaged joist are ok.

Any opinions?

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Comments (7)

johnc777
9 years ago
A hole in a joist may or may not be cause for concern depending on the size of the hole, where it is in the joist, and where in the span of the joist the hole is. The attached document (the second page has a nice picture) covers holes in joists.

In many cases the damage can be repaired by "sistering" a new joist to the old.

Here is a link that might be useful: Notching and Boring Guide
tlbean2004
Original Author
9 years ago
Here is a pic.....

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I would be concerned how much the floor is out of level and if that has compromised the operation of any doors. You might need to take the load off of the framing in order to repair/replace the damaged portions. It is wise to use Grace water based primer (WB Primer) behind any Vycor adhered directly to sheathing (especially OSB) if you don't want water to get behind it. Unfortunately, it is usually sold in 5 gallon containers. Tyvek HomeWrap is pretty watertight (unlike most other housewraps) but it is not very abrasion resistant so I would not use it or any vinyl product as flashing. Avoid the use of unfinished aluminum sheet flashing against pressure treated wood or anywhere else where it will be in constant contact with water.
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Hi snoonyb, thanks for responding to me. One thing I can say about this guy is that he has been honest with me up to date. He told me about it up front. I didn't stumble upon it. I still freaked out, nonetheless. LOL. He said that when they were cleaning the site after the excravation (with shovels) a whole chunk of it broke off and fell out. He thinks that since the last garage was so poorly built and was actually leaning in the direction of the house, that it put unnecessary pressure against the foundation and caused that area to fail. I know my foundation needs pointing but I guess it must need more work than even that if something like this is happening. I've since inspected the foundation and found some other holes, though not as big as this one. Actually, what I am showing you is what I am seeing all over the foundation, where the grout has fallen out of the exterior bluestone. Though you can't see it in this picture, the hole is quite deep (7"). He told me when he points the foundation with mortar mix he will also use a pastry type bag to make sure he gets it in deep. I have been doing some research on my own and found a product called Rockite, an expansion cement. I understand that it is for interior use but can it also be used to go into the deep holes first and then covered over with the mortar mix?
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millworkman
9 years ago
Floor joist rot, rotten plywood from a poorly constructed overhang/soffit, rotten fascia from improper roof edging/underlayment and you were worried about throwing money away with a repair and purchasing a flat screen TV?
tlbean2004
Original Author
9 years ago
I know, im rediculous!
I wish i didnt have to deal with this too.
Looks like i will not be able to buy anything fun for a while.
:(
music9704
9 years ago
I guess this is resolved? Anyway, its hard to tell without the picture. It could be a simple fix of scabbing a 2x whatever on the side of joist. It depends on type of joist, size of hole, location. Was the hole, for sure, caused by water damage. Could it be a pipe that's been moved? Just cause the joist are dry doesn't mean there's not more damage to the wood. Who inspected it? Did they give you any advice?
tlbean2004
Original Author
9 years ago
Not really resolved yet. It appears to be water damage. There was no pipe ever there to my knowledge. The inspector recommended that i have it sistered. You can see in the pic some of the 2x8 has been removes along with a part of the subfloor. I think that is a water pipe next to it in the picture.
music9704
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Yeah, it looks like you should sister or maybe just run a "scab" right beside it. a scab should be about 2' longer on each side of the damage. What type of flooring do you have? The reason I ask is because of the hole in the plywood. I would be concerned about that. You may need to cut a piece of plywood to match the hole (as close as possible), put glue on top of the plywood then place it in the hole. You will then put your sister/scab joist in, you can also put glue on top and on the"inside" of it as well. you will probably need to block under the plywood. Block means to either nail another 2x on the side of sister joist or nail a block between your joist pressed up tight to the plywood (the latter one is what I would do). Be careful not to nail thru your floor if using a nail gun. A screw and screw gun may work best here. If your floor has a week spot you may need to add blocks in a couple of places.

Huge hole in floor joist? should i worry?

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johnc777

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Huge hole in floor joist? should i worry?

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