Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Any engineers, contractors or overall 'smart' people got a moment?

This is your solution. A sandwiched 2X6 will help in some spots but not in others due to the nature of imperfectly straight lumber. A perpendicular beam mid span will give more support overall even if you have to dig on either end to install and dig an access hole also.

You can buy a device designed for this. It is a steel post with a screw jack on the end like on top of a hydraulic jack. For the beam I would use a 6" thick lam beam or steel I beam for it's straightness.

If you are less than 18" off the ground, I wouldn't spend any big money on anything because rot will eventually destroy it anyway. Just put enough into it to enjoy it while you can(best option) or go big and have a professional jack up the whole structure then reinforce the floor.

Here's what I read:

2 related problems:

1) The 2x6s on 16" centers used as the floor joints for support are/were too small from the get go.

2) Some are now sagging which probably has negatively effected the plywood flooring contact.

Both reduce the floor loading which now you want to increase with the addition of slate tiles.

The best solution, as I suspect you know, is to redo the entire foor before adding the new slate tile. Cause if you don't, you run the risk of more sagging and having too fix it ($$,$$$) again.

If you could add both the center supports with the sistering to the joints you could get away OK. IMO, I don't think just center supports or Just sistering either alone is going to work.

Agreed on the notching. Just throwing the option out there depending on the support condition.

I'd dig a couple of footings, and beam the sob at the half point.

Easy peasy, no hassleasy.

the deflection is too great for slate using 2x6's simple as that. 2 layers of 3/4" ply aren't helping you any either.


ML

atv has it figured out. Split the span.

I'm with the "split the span" crowd, a treated 4X6 with the tall dimension vertical, even just blocked with patio blocks every couple of feet will do a bunch more than scabbing on the plywood. Does your crawl space get exposed to freezing? If so you might want to dig a trench, back fill with gravel to build your supports on top of.

They make a concrete "footing" block for under decks, that might fit the bill.

This way you can string line your timber and jack where needed blocking as you go. You can also go back underneath and add blocking later if settlement occurs.

I'm afraid the scabbing will create the opportunity for moisture in between the pieces to help rot the 2X6's over time.

All the form loading books, I've got a shelf full of them, are for "short term use", something long term like a floor joist is different.

Shortening the span is the answer.

My 2 Cents,
Mike

Let me try to explain what I'm working with here and perhaps that will help to clarify.

What started off as a simple Shack for hunting, ended up growing and growing to what it is now, more or less my home.

It started as 6, 6x6 treated posts, sunk 48" into the ground, on 8' centers. 6x6x16 beams laid across the posts and 7'-4" treated 2x6 joists were spanned between the 6x6 beams and hung with joist hangers. The outer spans between the beams are spanned with 2x12s. The rest is pretty standard, 2x4 walls, etc.

Eventually, two more identical spans were added with the 6x6 posts and beams with the 2x6 joists running in between. Total size is now 24'x16'.

The cabin is built on a slight slope, downhill at an angle from one corner to the opposite corner. The low corner has the joists approximately 16-18" off the ground, the high corner is about 36".

Everything under the subfloor is treated and the posts are soaked each spring with a petrolium/tar solution. The joists, beams, posts, and ground beneith are bone dry, no water runs underneith, even during a downpour, so whoever mentioned rot, i dont think its gonna happen, at least not in my lifetime.

As far as the suggestion to split the span, i agree, and wish it were that easy, but its not. There would be no way to dig deep enough to get under the frost line while under there to install posts to support a cross beam.

Sistering with deeper 2x's (say, 2x10s) is certainly do-able, as someone suggested, but other than screwing and gluing to the existing 2x6, i have no way to attach the ends of the 2x10s to the 6x6 crossbeams, aside from toenailing them in on the upper half of the 2x10?

I hope that clears things up a little. Maybe itll help you to guide me to a fix to this dilemma. If need be i could snap.some photos or a drawing to help to explain the existing structure.

u still have to split it ... u could put in two concrete pads for footings and place the "screw jack post" on top they do make Simpson strong tie face hangers that would work ...u have to order them in...as they are not joe homeowner items.

A complete waste of time and materials.

Since it stays dry, don't worry about the frost line. Just get something underneath to split the span.