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My floor joists are sagging off of the main beam by 1/2” causing the floor upstairs to be uneven only where the end of the joists meet the beam. The joists are notched and sitting on a 2x4 ledger. Some of them have splits coming from where the notch was cut.

I was thinking of lifting the joists level, filling the open space above the notch with wood, and attaching the joists with hangers. I’ve attached a picture of how it looks now.

I want to change the floors upstairs from carpet but need to address this first. Would using the hangers to eliminate the notch be the appropriate way? Thank you.

floor joist

upstairs

wider view

Greatwaytobreak
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  • I do not see a 1/2” gap at the top, rather the joist and beam appear pretty even. The extra amount hanging below the ledger appears much larger than an amount that the joist may have opened up from the split - if that is what you are referring to. Is what you are saying upstairs a slow decrease in level over some distance? If so, it's probably the beam itself that is sagging. If the dip upstairs is very localized, then the problem is something else. – blarg Jan 02 '23 at 22:30
  • I updated the post to add an image showing the floor upstairs. The high point in that picture is the beam. The drop happens where the joist begins. – Greatwaytobreak Jan 03 '23 at 00:35
  • Does it continue to lower toward the (presumably) outside wall? If so, the issue, if there is one, is there instead (e.g., settling foundation wall). What does it do on the other side of the beam? I don't think of settling or other fatigue modes will generally cause things to go down, not up. – blarg Jan 03 '23 at 01:02
  • The only spot on the floor where there’s noticeable sagging is right off of the beam. It does sag on the other side as well though it’s not as pronounced. The joists on that side of the beam are also run shorter than on the side pictured. Most of the sag seems consistent with the exception of one area that is noticeably worse. – Greatwaytobreak Jan 03 '23 at 01:13
  • This is a good closeup of the beam/joist joint, but a wider picture would help, too. IMHO, the notch was cut a smidge too deep, so the end of the joist is sitting too low, and probably has been since installation. The only way to fix that would be to shim between the joist and the floor above, pushing the floor up to flatten it. If you lift the whole joist, you'll create a hump for the rest of its span. The crack is a bit worrisome, but a wider pic is necessary to know _how_ worrisome. – FreeMan Jan 03 '23 at 15:17
  • Also, is the level running parallel to the joist or beam below? And no, I don't believe adding a hanger will fix this situation. It might help keep the joist from splitting further, but I'm not sure where you'd attach the hanger itself to support anything. – FreeMan Jan 03 '23 at 15:18
  • I've added the wider picture. Shimming the floor was my first idea too but if the sag is caused by the ledger I wanted to address that so that it doesn't continue to sag. That's why I was considering the hangers, in case it is from the ledger. The level is punning parallel to the joist. To attach the hanger I was going to cut a 2x6 to fit the empty space above the ledger. – Greatwaytobreak Jan 03 '23 at 15:40
  • This is a text book example of why you don't want to notch joists/beams - structural members in general - at their ends. Besides reducing the load carrying capacity, such a square notch concentrates the stress at the corner of the notch, which only exacerbates the problem. – SteveSh Jan 03 '23 at 16:42
  • But back to the basic question - "Would using the hangers to eliminate the notch be the appropriate way?" The answer is YES. – SteveSh Jan 03 '23 at 16:45
  • Thanks Steve. Do you think it would be better to lift the joists then install the hangers or install the hangers and try to level the floor with shims? – Greatwaytobreak Jan 03 '23 at 16:49
  • I think you want to raise the joists and then attach them to the beam with an appropriate hangar. You may want to consider sistering the joists that are split at the notch (3'-4'?) and then attach to the beam using a hangar designed for doubled up lumber. – SteveSh Jan 03 '23 at 16:54
  • You may want to look at this Q&A, about raising & sistering joists. https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/236184/how-should-i-repair-this-floor-joist-that-is-too-short – SteveSh Jan 03 '23 at 17:09
  • Ok perfect. Good idea on sistering them. The split pictured is actually one of the less severe ones haha. I appreciate the help – Greatwaytobreak Jan 03 '23 at 18:37

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