Hello all,
I inspected a 45 year old house. The 2x10 floor joists rested on the wood beam but the ends of the joists butted together they didn’t over lap. The joist ends at the beam were secured using two 1x4s on each side.
Was this acceptable 45 yrs. ago.
Where can I find more info on this?
Thank you for your help!
I don’t know the standard 45 years ago, but if they have 1.5" bearing I would call it okay.
Yes they do have at least 2 1/2 inch bearing and I didn’t see any issue relating to the butt joints.
Thank you
The bearing looks fine but there should be bridging at least 8’oc…in my opinion only.
Hi Marvin,
I would agree on the bridging if I saw any movement-twisting… The only movement I saw was from wall bracing. The block foundation wall is braced (wall parallel to the joists). The bottom of the brace is in the concrete but the top is braced against the floor joists (2x4 spacers). This needs to be evaluated/repaired. Not sure how they can brace this but the method used isn’t working.
Yes I have seen that 45 years ago and nothing wrong with it other than the fact it was more laborous to do it like so.
Typically, the floor system spans were always close to 12’, 14’, 16’, etc. so the 2x10’s were installed side by side so you did not have to cut them and just nail them together.
What I also do not see in the picture is the 1x3 wood bridging at mid-span that took care of twisting.
Maybe we just don’t see it but were there. 
Do you call out the “temporary” screw type jacks in the basement? I see this more times than not, and mention it to the client, and in the report, but don’t really call it a “defect”.
I think the real issue is not that they are temporary screw jacks, but that they are not secured to the floor.
Posts and columns with screws are NOT necessarily a defect. However they need to be welded or secured in concrete so the screw doesn’t move. All post or columns need to be secured at the floor and at the beam to prevent lateral displacement. The post also must have a 3" minimum diameter over its full length except where the screw is.