Moldy, Rotten Joists Replaced to Stabilize Home in High Point, NC

Challenge

A one-story home in suburban High Point, NC, was suffering an unfortunately severe case of wood rot and mold on most of the joists found in the home’s crawl space. The floors had begun to sag and pull away from the upper-level walls causing an immediate concern.

This was a problem obviously caused by years of high humidity, a condition that encourages mold growth and wood rot. If a home’s humidity problem is not dealt with in a timely manner, the wood joists holding up the floor will begin to grow weak, start to crumble, and turn the home into a dangerous place to be.

Solution

Certified Field Inspector Kent Dunn suggested a complete wood replacement job. Foreman Adam Blake and his crew were in agreement and set out to re-stabilize this home’s dangerously sagging floors.

After installing a new access door, the main challenge the crew faced was the very small amount of room they were given to work in. The crawl space reached only 27″ at the widest opening and 10″ at the smallest. All of the tools were transported into the crawl space to make the job more efficient. The original joists of the home were spaced 24″ away from each other. Tar Heel Basement Systems decided to space the new joists even closer, at a maximum of 16″ to replace the rotten joists and add additional support. The project used a total of 60′ of band replacement, 70 sections of 12′ 2″x8″ yellow pine, and 90 2″x8″ joist hangers.

Now that Tar Heel Basement Systems has given this home some much needed TLC, it will be a much safer and healthier place to live.