How To Identify & Fix Rotting Floor Joists

Got Rotting Floor Joists?

Floor joists are one of the most integral aspects of a home.

Like the foundation, floor joists are a huge form of support within the home. Without floor joists, most homes would have sagging floors that are limited to one level only.

Many homeowners do not realize how important it is to have properly functioning floor joists within their home, as they tend to be hidden. Often times floor joists are located under the home in the crawl space.

This means that they are often forgotten about due to being out of sight and therefore out of mind.

Identifying & Fixing Rotting Floor Joists: Everything You Need to Know

• Why Are Rotting Floor Joists a Concern for Homeowners?
• What Are Floor Joists?
• Signs Of Rotting Floor Joists
• Can You Fix Rotten Floor Joists Yourself?
• Book a Free Evaluation Today
• What Our Happy Clients Have to Say About us on Google

Why Are Rotting Floor Joists a Concern for Homeowners?

When floor joists begin to rot, or their integrity becomes compromised, it could cause severe damage to the entire home. Not to mention it can become extremely dangerous to have rotting floor joists under the home.

In order to be able to catch any issue with floor joists before they affect the structural integrity of the entire home, it’s essential to know the warning signs.

All homeowners should be aware of what the warning signs are of rotting floor joists, as well as what to do when the floor joists start to rot. Not only could this knowledge save a homeowner a chunk of change, but it will prevent the homeowner from putting their family at risk of a serious accident.

In the event that a homeowner believes their floor joists are beginning to fail, or have been otherwise compromised, they should contact an experienced foundation repair expert. Brown Foundation Repair has been diagnosing and repairing rotten floor joists for homeowners since 1963. Don’t risk the money or the safety of your family, call us today for a stress-free consultation.

Call us today at (972) 271-2621 to speak with our representatives, or book a free evaluation online at your convenience.

What Are Floor Joists?

Typically, floor joists are used to support flooring that spans over an open area. Normally this open area forms the living level of a home.

The floor joists in a home are installed equidistant and parallel to one another and span between load-bearing walls or where large open spaces are necessary below walls or structural beams.

As a result, the number of joists and their size will be determined by the distance between the supports and the load-bearing beams, which will be determined by the purpose of the upper rooms.

As part of the design process, openings for staircases or lifts must be taken into account at an early stage. To make space for these openings, the joists around them are strengthened.

In most cases, floor joists are formed from solid timber, which means that they can dry out and deteriorate over time. Thus creating uneven floors in the open home spaces, especially in older homes.

Over time, new floor joists have been engineered to be compromised of engineered timber. Both I-joists and metal-web joists are made of softwood flanges and sheet material webs, our team uses either hardwood flanges or metal webs to connect the softwood flanges.

Both of these products significantly reduce the amount of solid wood needed which ultimately results in little to no shrinkage and less noisy floors as the joists age.

Signs Of Rotting Floor Joists

Every homeowner should be aware of the warning signs that rotten floor joists create. Without this knowledge, they could put their family’s lives at risk, as well as cost the homeowner a pretty penny. Here are the most common warning signs of rotting floor joists.

In many cases, the warning signs for foundation issues can also be caused by rotting floor joists.

Therefore it is extremely important to have a qualified foundation repair expert view the damage and determine what exactly is damaged.

Sagging Or Sloping Floors

The most common sign that the floor joists may be rotting is a sagging or sloping floor.

This is due to the fact that floor joists directly support the flooring within the home, therefore it is the first to be affected.

If a homeowner notices their floor in the living room or other open spaces is sagging or has a slope to it, then the floor joists could be compromised. It could also be a sign of a damaged foundation.

Either way, it is imperative to diagnose the issue and repair it immediately to ensure the integrity of the home is not damaged.

Extra Moisture

When there is an excessive amount of moisture within the walls or in the foundation of the home, it could cause the floor joists to fail.

If a homeowner notices an excessive amount of moisture, they should check through all of their floor joists to make sure they have not been compromised, and haven’t started to rot.

It’s essential that the homeowner fixes the cause of the excess moisture to ensure their floor joists are not compromised beyond repair

Can You Fix Rotten Floor Joists Yourself?

In simple terms, yes.

A homeowner can fix rotten floor joists by themselves, but it is not recommended.

Many homeowners believe that they can simply jack up and repair the floor joists themselves, but it is very risky and could be dangerous.

Additionally, when a homeowner chooses to DIY their floor joist repairs, they could risk further injury and extensive damage to their home.

Without years of knowledge and expertise, there is no way to know for sure that the job was done correctly.

Furthermore, the homeowner could wind up with serious injuries and huge repair bills on top of their medical bills.

When homeowners repair their own floor joists it could affect their homeowner’s insurance coverage.

Without a certified and reputable company to repair the home, the insurance company will feel as if the home is a risk to its occupants.

Therefore the premiums for the homeowner’s insurance could be raised.

Additionally, most homeowners are not fully aware of the local codes that must be followed, therefore the repair job may not be up to code. This will make it extremely difficult to sell the home once the homeowner decides to move somewhere else.

Unfortunately, in the long run, the homeowner could be paying a high price to fix their DIY repair job.

Book a Free Evaluation Today

As soon as you notice sagging, creaking, or excess moisture on the flooring in your Texas home, give us a call today.

You can trust in our expertise and knowledge — with over 50 years of experience, we’re the team for floor joist inspection & repair.

Call us today at (972) 271-2621 to speak with our representatives, or book a free evaluation online at your convenience.

What Our Happy Clients Have to Say About us on Google

Brown Foundation did a phenomenal job. I had Tony come and look at my foundation and right off that bat he told me what would be needed done and also see what I was able to work with. Great service extremely professional as well the work crew. I still have work on my forever home to be done and will definitely use them again.

Emily L.

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