loose floor joists

[gizsajoby]

hello i live in an old house where the down stair floor joist are loose at one end of my living room i have pulled up a floor board to inspect. the prevoius owner has mad a strutt out of a piece of skirting board rested on a brick to reolve the problem (the gap between joist and ground ia about 45cm). How do i fix this problem about 5 joists are loose, they move about 1/2 inch down from skiting board. can i used wooden strutts ?
any help welcome.

the floor boards are very long about 13ft what is the best solution, will i have to take up many floor board and will wooden strutts cause damp problems in the future.

cheers gizsajoby

 

[BFG]

Where the joist meets the wall, you can "pack" underneath the joist with slate.

 

[garyclay]

I've had this problem in a house caused by the joist rotting where the timber met the brickwork in the crawl space. Here's what I did.

1. Pack under the joist using hardwood wedges to fill the gap between the joist and the brickwork. This lifts the joist back into correct position.

2. Dig a hole (10inch*6inch, 8 inch depth) directly beneath the joist where it meets the supporting brickwork. Insert a house brick in bottom of hole to form foundation.

3. Using a pressure treated timber of suitable size (2*2 or 3*3) create a support strut to reach from top of brick to support the joist (cutting it very slighly long)

4. Place end of strut on the brick and hammer into position to support the joist.

5. Fill hole with dry Postcrete or suitable concrete mix. Add a little water (most of the moisture will be absorbed from the surrounding ground)

6. Lie back and be impressed with your own workmanship.

I did this in a house 8 years ago and it has been very effective to this day. Hope this helps. I am however not a builder and accept no responsibility.

Gary Clay