Adjusting Tele Posts

2/24/2012 at 1:22:35 PM

Hi Ryan,

For the telepost if you don't feel comfortable adjusting them yourself I would see if there is a local handyman service that can come out to do this for you. I shouldn't cost you more than $100 to have this done at most as it will only take a few minutes but sometimes handymen have a minimum charge for a site visit.

As far as the warping joists go, they are more than likely still completely structurally sound as wood does warp over time. The issue with most new home constructions these days is that the builders are using what we call "green wood" meaning it is still green from being a tree and has not dried out until after it was used to construct your home. This causes all kinds of issues with warping in the joists, walls, etc. If you are concerned about it though you may want to consider having a structural engineer come out to investigate. Then if the engineer does feel the joists need to be replaced your next step would be to contact a General Contractor that would be able to do the work for you with guidance from the structural engineer.

I hope you find this helpful.

Regards,

Ben

2/24/2012 at 4:30:30 PM

Thanks for the reply Ben, the one issue I have with a couple of joists is that there is a bump in the floor, more annoying than anything. The builder did try and fix by cutting and sistering but they really didn'f correct the whole problem, where the joist sits on the beam it seems this it where its pushing up, the other joists around it seem to be fine.

How much work is envolved with changing out a joist?

2/25/2012 at 1:26:02 PM

Hi Ryan

How olds the house?

Does the "bump" in your floor sit directly below where a Tele-post is situated? If this is the case then adjusting the tele-post is relatively easy, as long as there is sufficient room on the tele-post top plate thread to adjust it in the downward direction.

The adjustment of the bump in the floor may be become more difficult if the tele-post is situated some distance away from the problem area, in this case adjusting just the tele-post, might initially fix the issue in hand that is causing you concern, however have a negative affect in other areas.

It may be that your beam was heavily crowned ( especially if they used lumber) prior to installation, resulting in this high spot. If this is the case and the tele-post isn't situated directly below the problem area, then over time the beam will settle, if the beam is crowned in the correct direction (I am assuming it is!). I guess in this situation, it depends how bad the bump in the floor is and if you can live with it for a while to see if it settles.

Are the floor joist sitting directly on top of the beam, or are the attached to the side of the beam using Joist Hangers? Really in both scenarios "sistering" on new joists to the existing beam is (was) a waste of time if the initial problem of the bump in the floor is not resolved. In this case all the builder has done is "mirrored" the problem with new pieces of lumber (Sistered Joists). I am assuming your builder used the same dimensional lumber (I hope so!)?

If the issue is more than just adjusting the tele-post and as I have not seen the job site I think your way forward is to consult a Qualified Carpenter, General Contractor to inspect the work in detail. I would highly recommend that you ask them to bring a structural engineer on board for advice or you can consult one yourself. This approach not only the correct avenue to follow, it gives you piece of mind that the work has been carried out correctly.

Hope this input helps, let me know if I can be of more assistance.