Rant: A job in Chicago last winter made me stop trusting old floor joists

I was working on a kitchen remodel in an old brick building, maybe from the 1920s. We pulled up the subfloor and found the joists looked fine, but when I put my weight on one, it just gave way. It was rotten right in the middle where you couldn't see it from the ends. The homeowner was standing right there and saw the whole thing. Now I drill a test hole in the center of every single old joist before I walk on it. Anyone else run into this kind of hidden rot?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabeth22010d ago

That's why I always check for old plumbing leaks above those spots.

margaretj4010d ago

Found a slow drip behind the medicine cabinet that explained everything.