# Can you sister 2x8 joists w/ 2x6?



## tammy09 (Sep 5, 2009)

Hi everyone. I am obviously new here but but not a new DIYer  Anyway came across this forclosure that has been gutted & an upper addition was added. Well when they did all of this, they did not have a permit. Needless to say things were done wrong Namely the floor joists... In order for us to buy this CHEAPPPPPPP house that has new exterior & windows, this floor has to be fixed to code so before we actually buy I want to know if the floor has to be lifted 2 inches (knocks everything else off) OR can we add 2X8s next to the 2x6's It is an upstairs bedroom.. Other than that everything else is basic stuff that we wouldnt have to hire out for. Please advise thanks Tammy:wink:


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## oldfrt (Oct 18, 2007)

tammy09 said:


> Hi everyone. I am obviously new here but but not a new DIYer  Anyway came across this forclosure that has been gutted & an upper addition was added. Well when they did all of this, they did not have a permit. Needless to say things were done wrong Namely the floor joists... In order for us to buy this CHEAPPPPPPP house that has new exterior & windows, this floor has to be fixed to code so before we actually buy I want to know if the floor has to be lifted 2 inches (knocks everything else off) OR can we add 2X8s next to the 2x6's It is an upstairs bedroom.. Other than that everything else is basic stuff that we wouldnt have to hire out for. Please advise thanks Tammy:wink:


Doubling up on the 2x6 and/or blocking may add enough support.
What is the span of the joist now.

Sistering with 2x8 would require a notch to fit over top plates,rendering it to the stregnth of a 2x6.

Go to this site for quick reference:http://www.awc.org/calculators/span...o.+2&submit=Calculate+Maximum+Horizontal+Span

and check with local Building Inspector.


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## tammy09 (Sep 5, 2009)

*2x6 sistered w/ 2x8*

Thats the thing, it's already been inspected & it has to be fixed first so rather than tearing the entire new floor up are there any other options in fixing to code??

This is just a deal I hate to pass up if things can be gone around. Tearing the entire floor up would not even be worth it. But if it be fixed to make it like they were 2x8s..... 

The rest of the house are 2x6s so he just matched up with out a permit lol.

Thanks for your response any other ideas? I am going to have to hire a contractor, but I would like to be able to throw some legit ideas at him rather than him just sticking it to me ya know? lol
Tammy


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

What is the current span?
If the Inspector (?) wants 2x8 to meet code you don't have much choice
Not sure what sizes I-joists/LVL's come in


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## tammy09 (Sep 5, 2009)

*The span is aprox 18-20*

This is an addition that extends into the upper level that was already there room that was added I am going off the small room underneath


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

Without knowing the span distance no-one can tell you what will work


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## oldfrt (Oct 18, 2007)

tammy09 said:


> This is an addition that extends into the upper level that was already there room that was added I am going off the small room underneath


 It's hard to say what exactly can be done in your situation without seeing the layout of the house.
Bearing walls and weight considerations have to be allowed for.
The installation of a carring beam under the joists may be a solution,and an easy fix since the house is gutted.
Lumber yards can spec a beam for you if you have the code requirements and a viable floor plan to go by.


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

OR can we add 2X8s next to the 2x6's It is an upstairs bedroom..--- Yes, you can sister 2x8's to 2x6's and keep the 2x8 rating for a longer span. Need more information? Just ask....

Be safe, G


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## oldfrt (Oct 18, 2007)

GBR in WA said:


> OR can we add 2X8s next to the 2x6's It is an upstairs bedroom..--- Yes, you can sister 2x8's to 2x6's and keep the 2x8 rating for a longer span. Need more information? Just ask....
> 
> Be safe, G


 
In order to sister the 2x8's to the 2x6's they would have to be notched to sit on a bearing point(top plate) therefore weakening thier structural integrity.

Rules for notching:

*Notches:*

Notches should only be made in the top edge of the joist.
Notches should be no deeper than 0.125 times the depth of the joist.
Notches should be no closer to the structure supporting them than 0.07 times the span of the joist and no further away than 0.25 (¼) times the span. This is to avoid the area of maximum shear force, and the area of maximum bending in the joist.


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## tammy09 (Sep 5, 2009)

*Worth the cost???*

Maybe I started with the wrong question in my question in my 1st post about sistering 2x6 joist with 2x8... 

We came across this 4/2 house that someone had gutted and started major rennovations on. They are now in preforclosure & we are looking at buying this house for around 25-27K. It has new siding, nice fixtures, nice t jettedtubs with walk in showers in both baths. The problem is they didnt have a permit & the main issue is the addition they added didnt use the right sized joists So if we take on this project & IF there is no way around tearing up the floor would it be worth it? tHERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT NEED FIXED. But these are the perfect things that myself a DIYer loves to do. The house will never be a 200K (appraises for 87K now) home BUT if we got it so cheap and did 15-20K worth of work it could be a nice little retirement investment. We are planning to live there for several years though SOOOO, so would this be a good investment or no? It would be paid in NO more than 10 or evn 5.


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

If the cost is worth it then its worth it
Sounds like $$ in would be less then what it is worth

Who is saying the 2x6 floor has to be fixed?
Bank?
Inspector?

Even with tearing up the floor I'd say its worth it
Not sure if tearing the ceiling up below is an option
IE - lowering the ceiling below instead of raising the floor


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## tammy09 (Sep 5, 2009)

Scuba_Dave said:


> If the cost is worth it then its worth it
> Sounds like $$ in would be less then what it is worth
> 
> Who is saying the 2x6 floor has to be fixed?
> ...


 
Yeah it is the pesky building inspector. The crazy thing is, the house was built with 2x6 joists!!! He is saying that todays codes are 2x8s. I just need a good viable solution that would work before we higher a contractor So far there were a couple of ideas I have jotted down... I just can't get over this price! It's almost cost less than my van LOL! & its not that bad 
By the way, seeing how far you have come on your house... wow It actually stokes me up lol. You did an amazing job EVERY where Its gorgeous! Anyway This is the house exterior. As you can see those upper windows are not to code either... thats no big deal but for the price not much outside needs right away besides a little landscaping  So this is my delima. Take the dive or not Until the floor is fixed it is unihabitable


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

My house has 2x6 fior floor joist on the 2nd floor
But for the spans it no longer meets code
My addition all the floor joists are 2x12's


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Tammy , call your local Building Department to see if they are more strict than the IRC, or UBC. *As per code, you can notch a 2x8 - 1-7/8"deep at the end to get the required 1-1/2" bearing. *

Notches at the end of the joist
should be no deeper than 1/4 the
depth. Limit the length of notches
to 1/3 of the joist’s depth.


Look here: page 31- fig. 2 = http://books.google.com/books?id=iwSasc7rowcC&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=cutting+floor+joists&source=bl&ots=QXmpJ27uh0&sig=_gxHd_J8ucqXSoDYWkc1dvbUWKs&hl=en&ei=6X4ISvoZofi2A_m65fsB&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3#v=onepage&q=cutting%20floor%20joists&f=false
Be safe, G


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## tammy09 (Sep 5, 2009)

GBR in WA said:


> Tammy , call your local Building Department to see if they are more strict than the IRC, or UBC. *As per code, you can notch a 2x8 - 1-7/8"deep at the end to get the required 1-1/2" bearing. *
> 
> Notches at the end of the joist
> should be no deeper than 1/4 the
> ...


 
Thanks G! You guys are awesome!:thumbup:


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

Here is some help to do a proper job, notice the *hole drilled *at the apex of the notch and why, be sure to use glue: 

http://www.finehomebuilding.com/PDF/Free/021184090.pdf

Any other questions, just ask, we are here to help! 

Be safe, G


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## oldfrt (Oct 18, 2007)

GBR in WA said:


> Here is some help to do a proper job, notice the *hole drilled *at the apex of the notch and why, be sure to use glue:
> 
> http://www.finehomebuilding.com/PDF/Free/021184090.pdf
> 
> ...


 
Good post GBR,

It's amazing how different opinions can yield some great end results.
Locally,our Building Inspector would not allow any notching on the bottoms of floor joists.Just his interpitation,I guess.
Probably be a good move for Tammy to check local opinion first.


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

"Probably be a good move for Tammy to check local opinion first. oldfrt". *Exactly*--- as I said in post #14: "Tammy , call your local Building Department to see if they are more strict than the IRC, or UBC." Great minds think alike.... lol.
Be safe, G


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## tammy09 (Sep 5, 2009)

*The joist are no problem!!!*

Okay well this morning we had the realitor & a contrator meet us at the house... the joists are a simple fix. Thanks for all of the input, it helped! ANYWAY. The addition he did w/o a permit is the problem. I have to hire a STATE inspector to come in & do an inspection. So in order for us to do that, we had to put an offer on the house so the cieling, dry wall could be torn off to check the structural integrity. So our offer is contingent upon the cost of fixing the roof. This guy did a hack job.. If we get It, I will be here a lot  The pictures I will post will be unbelievable!! I just realized something else today, the center part of the house (in the pic i posted) seems to be sagging in with the weight of the center...... Hope you all had a great DIY, holiday weekend. Cheers. Tammy


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