Should We Upgrade Floor Joists In New Construction

The sister joist is anchored to the old joist with construction adhesive and nails.

Should we upgrade floor joists in new construction.

Wood i joists with dimension lumber top and bottom chords and osb web. I joists have major advantages in high volume construction with standard layouts. Should you use i joists for your new home. When you re building new construction you re tasked with making a lot of decisions.

This sample table gives minimum floor joist sizes for joists spaced at 16 inches and 24 inches on center o c for 2 grade lumber with 10 pounds per square foot of dead load and 40 pounds of live load which is typical of normal residential construction. Measure the width and length of the existing joist. Joists are installed at a very early stage in the building process and in older. They hold up the weight of a building absorb impacts on the floor and create structural support so that the floor will be stable and secure.

See the image below for an example of joists spaced 16 on center 16 o c. The notching and boring rules of thumb for solid lumber are shown in fig. Floor joists are an important part of the supportive structure of a floor. If your home is more than 20 years old your floor joists are most likely solid wood 2x8s 2x10s or 2x12s.

You can notch and bore joists without sacrificing critical strength but you must follow the rules. The base price of your home is the cost of the structure plus all the standard finishes. What are the alternatives to i joists. Purchase the type of lumber that matches the width of the existing joist.

What are the advantages and disadvantages to using them to support your new floors. The good news is we have used all of the options discussed and can give you some insight as to which might fit your new home. The floor joist spacing is the distance between the centers of any two installed joists. This is because they are.

To avoid buckling subfloor panels should be spaced with a 1 8 inch gap at all edges and ends to provide room for naturally occurring expansion. Follow the rules to keep your floor solid. Holes and notches as applicable are then cut in the new joist and the utility lines are threaded through and reconnected. We will try to answer some of these questions below.

Tongue and groove edges on many premium floor panels such as weyerhaeuser s edge gold osb panels are designed to self gap. True floor joist span calculations can only be made by a structural engineer or contractor. Most new construction uses 2 by 8 lumber for joists although 2 by 6. If you re planning to customize and if you re building a new home you probably are then you have to also factor in the cost of upgrades.

Open web trusses with wood webbing held together with metal plates.