Basement beam installation done properly?
We're in the Greater Toronto Area. We have had a 6" steel beam in our basement replaced with a 10" steel beam in order to have a supporting post removed. The old 6" beam was installed directly beneath the wooden joists. The new 10" beam was supposed to be the same, but after a failed first installation attempt to get the promised headroom our contractor recommended it be installed partially flush-mounted instead, by cutting into the joists.
We have, since the beam replacement, noticed things like creaking floors on the above floor(s) (not just floorboards or surface creaks, but deep groans underfoot), doors that no longer latch or have to be continually re-sanded on top to close, gaps appearing between baseboards and floors upstairs, and more. The floor noises getting worse and the continual re-sanding indicate, to me, an issue that is progressing.
We are concerned that there may be a potential issue with the stability of the beam installation, and whether it is properly supporting the two floors above it.
I have uploaded an album of photos to: https://imgur.com/a/DnmPx6n
In looking at the installation as a layperson, I notice a number of things that I am hoping that someone more knowledgeable than me might comment on.
1. The notches cut in the joists for the beam leave a considerable gap, and the joists do not rest on top of the beam. The only point of contact with the joists seems to be the overlap with the ledger board edge bolted to the side.
2. In some places, the joists don't even firmly rest on the ledger board edge. Either the joist wood is damaged, or there is a gap between the joist and the ledger board, or they've shimmed between the joist and the ledger board with a little wooden shim (that looks like it's getting compacted).
3. The ledger board is cracking in places where it's been bolted to the beam.
4. The beam on the other side of the basement — i.e., the next nearest thing providing any support to the joists on one side — is more than 12' away. On the other side, it's 10' to the foundation wall. I have seen discussion of joists resting on a ledger board: is that limited at all by joist length?
It's passed inspection, we're told — although the original building permit plans would have presumably been for under-joist installation as initially planned. Since it was subsequently reinstalled as partially flush-mounted, I don't know what revisions might have been submitted, if any.
We have asked for whatever plans, etc. are available from the contractor but have so far not been provided any.
We have, since the beam replacement, noticed things like creaking floors on the above floor(s) (not just floorboards or surface creaks, but deep groans underfoot), doors that no longer latch or have to be continually re-sanded on top to close, gaps appearing between baseboards and floors upstairs, and more. The floor noises getting worse and the continual re-sanding indicate, to me, an issue that is progressing.
We are concerned that there may be a potential issue with the stability of the beam installation, and whether it is properly supporting the two floors above it.
I have uploaded an album of photos to: https://imgur.com/a/DnmPx6n
In looking at the installation as a layperson, I notice a number of things that I am hoping that someone more knowledgeable than me might comment on.
1. The notches cut in the joists for the beam leave a considerable gap, and the joists do not rest on top of the beam. The only point of contact with the joists seems to be the overlap with the ledger board edge bolted to the side.
2. In some places, the joists don't even firmly rest on the ledger board edge. Either the joist wood is damaged, or there is a gap between the joist and the ledger board, or they've shimmed between the joist and the ledger board with a little wooden shim (that looks like it's getting compacted).
3. The ledger board is cracking in places where it's been bolted to the beam.
4. The beam on the other side of the basement — i.e., the next nearest thing providing any support to the joists on one side — is more than 12' away. On the other side, it's 10' to the foundation wall. I have seen discussion of joists resting on a ledger board: is that limited at all by joist length?
It's passed inspection, we're told — although the original building permit plans would have presumably been for under-joist installation as initially planned. Since it was subsequently reinstalled as partially flush-mounted, I don't know what revisions might have been submitted, if any.
We have asked for whatever plans, etc. are available from the contractor but have so far not been provided any.
