I mentioned awhile back that our house is older and has all sorts of issues. Slowly, I have been working my way through it remodeling as I go. We’ve had a sag in the floor between our bedroom and the master bathroom. I was planning to remodel the master bath but decided I needed to address the sag before I did anything else.
As a part of that, I planned to opened the cieling and install a new lintel and window near where I had everything opened. This weekend was the moment of truth. Since I was so anxious to get started, I woke up early on Saturday and took the family out to eat. We messed around and went shoopping (I hate shopping) and did all sorts of other stuff. Finally, I could put it off no longer. After lunch, I opened the cieling…and cried.
The master bathroom had been remodeled sometime in the mid-1980s we think (based on the decor). They added a gawd-awful garden tub and a stand-up shower. Whatever genius did the work directly caused the sag when they added the new drains during the remodel. My floor joists are comprised of 2×10 boards that run between load bearing walls. The genius who installed the drain pipe cut 5 inch notches in at least 7 of those boards to run the drain pipe (there may be more…I have to open more cieling). So, the original builder figured that the house needed 2×10 boards for support but the remodeling genius decided it was overkill and cut that in half to install the pipe. The original builder was right.
So I got the lintel and window installed but now I (probably) have to remove the drain pipe and install new 2×10 boards to properly support the house. I’ll have to jack a large portion of the floor to undo the sag as well. I’d like to find the guy who originally did the remodel. I think what he/she did was criminal. At the very least, I’d like to swat the genius right on the nose with a newspaper…or a 2×10!
*head-desk*… gah!
I think all remodeling done in the 1980s was criminal – or at least all the redecorating. UGH!
Yikes! You been struck by a smooth criminal! I am just hoping our builder didn’t screw up our floor. I creaks really bad all the way down one beam. I’ll get it fixed if we ever decide to redo the carpet or put in hardwood Fortunately no idiot remodeling to worry about.
I am sure you will have it all fixed up in no time.
UGH – that has to fall under criminal status somewhere!!
Oh no, oh no, oh no! Your pretty handy, I’m sure you can get it all up to snuff shortly.
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It’s amazing the damage that one human termite can do. Sometimes when they work in pairs, one will lean over and holler, “Ya derned fool! Yer gonna get us kilt.”
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Sometimes you just have to wonder what people were thinking!
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Oh, dude… that is so unbelievably bad… that looks like the sort of job a guy I worked with last summer would have done. 🙂
I wonder… is it an option to go UP and over the joist with the drain pipe? I don’t know what you have above, but if you could go up and box it in, perhaps you could scab a board to the lower part of the 2×10 (the most important part – doh!) after jacking?
I suppose you could go down under the joist too, but then you’d have to drywall around the pipe or put in a false ceiling…
Sheesh, dude, I feel the pain.
Ron
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I need to rip out a bunch more ceiling to find out what else might be screwed up in there! I think there are a few good solutions, none of which are simple. I am hoping to undo all of the drains and divert them through the unfinished part of the basement so this won’t even be an issue. We’ll see…