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January 12, 2008
When to Reinforce Floor Beams?
I think the beams in our kitchen floor (on the garden floor of a 1896 brownstone) need to be reinforced. The floor slopes towards the back of the house, and I get nervous walking around on it. My sense is that the previous owners put in a heavy sink/island, and it's affecting the beams. Then again, this may be a purely psychological reaction... Can anyone recommend a contractor/woodworker to explore this for us? We would appreciate hearing from other homeowners about brownstone floor/beam issues. Thanks!
Comments
Hi there -
houses settle over time or maybe somebody cut the beams part-way to install the plumbing for that sink. We were redoing our bathroom had a prob due to the latter and we used John, an irish carpenter ( cell 917 886 9576 ) It turned out that two beams had been cut through at some point and what remained had been compromised by water damage but all is good and level now.
Susan.
Posted by: guest at January 12, 2008 9:00 PM
sounds like you need a structural engineer. (sorry no one to recommend)
Posted by: Putnamdenizen at January 12, 2008 10:40 PM
If you open the ceiling from the basement you should be able to see what is causing the problem. I think the above posters are probably right. I see this problem often when plumbers are in a rush to run their pipe. As a general rule pipes can often be installed through beams as long as it is a hole in the middle of the beam and not a cut out from the sides. Another thing when you inspect your ceiling, check your beams for termite damage at the back wall, facing your yard.
Posted by: Rick at January 13, 2008 6:54 AM
I just had a problem of this nature. But it turned out to be a rotten support beam. I used Kijana at WMC to change it. Im sure he would come out at take a look. Number is 9175446791
Posted by: guest at January 13, 2008 7:38 PM
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