×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

subfloor termites

subfloor termites

subfloor termites

(OP)
we are looking at a house built in 1901, the foundation is rock and the subfloor is deteriorating. the joists and girders have been patched in the past and have severe termite damage, the outside of the house looks good with the walls in good shape. the floors in the house are sloping to the center of the house. what if anything could be done and what kind of costs if would we be looking at to replace the subfloor and possibly correct the foundation

RE: subfloor termites

My suggestion would be to have a residential contractor come to your house and estimate what it would cost to 1. replace the floor entirely and 2. correct only portions of the flooring system.  The house is over 100 years old and it must be assumed that a great deal of work, time and money will be invested in order to sustain the residence for many years to come.

Aside from telling us that the foundation is rock, what is wrong with it?

If you'd like to have some idea of what it would cost for those ideas mentioned above and have some mechanical aptitude I suggest going to the local library and looking up the Means Construction Cost Data for Residential work.  Here you will get a unit cost based on square foot.  Moreover there are many indexes to factor that unit cost with such as location etc.

RE: subfloor termites

Use light gauge steel joists when replacing old rotten/damaged/eaten away wood. Light gauge does not rot, it does not attract any insects, it is light and strong at the same time.
www.givmorehomes.com

RE: subfloor termites

I would suggest finding another house to purchase.  I don't know where this area is, but it is a buyers market out there now, and you should be able to find a home with no real problems for a very reasonable price.

RE: subfloor termites

I've found that most of the termite and rot damage in older houses occurs around the perimeter rather than in the middle. Your floor is deflecting at the center, which raises the possibility of an unplanned load from above,a removed beam or column in the basement, or simply inadequately sized joists. You should consider these possibilities in addition to the termites.

RE: subfloor termites

Termites cause damage to timbers, but in addition their burrows underground can be quite extensive and extend down to a depth of several feet.
Over a long period of time these burrows may collapse, and any structure or foundation above the burrows may also start to settle.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources