Gaps between steel beam and joists?

[jacoscar]

I'm going to have a load bearing wall removed (joists meeting on top of it and coming from the two sides of the house); I still haven't found a builder yet.

I have two questions:

1)
Having removed part of the ceiling it looks like the joists are resting over the plasterboard and not directly over the wall (you can see some gaps below the joists. I don't know how this house was built but I though they would first have rested the joists over the wall and then fitted the plasterboard from below. Is this normal? See picture

2)
In an ideal world the RSJ is perfectly straight and the joists all lined up, but what happens if there is any slight unevenness (joists not in line)? Do joists need to be "shimmed" or would the builder just drop them above the steel beam when removing the acrow props? I have newly plastered walls above and I don't want any unnecessary movements

 

[23vc]

Not clear from the pic but there may be the odd gap, which when the steel is fitted can be packed with slate to get everything tight. Main risk to the finished work above is probably over tightening the props and pushing things upwards too much

 

[^woody^]

The joists are packed

 

[jacoscar]

The joists are packed

Sorry, do you mean the joists are currently packed or will be when the RSJ is installed?

 

[^woody^]

When the new beam is installed

 

[Notch7]

In an ideal world the RSJ is perfectly straight and the joists all lined up, but what happens if there is any slight unevenness (joists not in line)? Do joists need to be "shimmed" or would the builder just drop them above the steel beam when removing the acrow props? I have newly plastered walls above and I don't want any unnecessary movements

All builders and carpenters are used to packing things - it’s the nature of construction.

Joists would be packed using site made wedges or plastic wedge packers or bits of plywood.