Short Floor Joist Sister

[mlareau]

I'm going to install a corner shower unit with a drain that sits just over the edge of a 2X10 joist. The joist doesn't appear to bear a massive load, but it does support a large percentage of two bathrooms, one directly overhead and another about 10' down the span.

In looking at the situation, it appears I would easily have enough room for the drain if I were to completely sever about 5-6 inches from the joist and sister-over and past the gap on the opposite side, presumably with a 2X10.

The gap would start about about 10" from the outside wall header and extend about 6".

The sister would (of course) start at the header, rest on the sill plate and can only be about 2' long due to obsticles.

Is this a practical solution given the shortness of the sister, the resulting limited bolting/nailing areas (6"-7") on either side of the gap and the fact that the sister would have a solid resting point on only one side?

Thanks!

[Rich]

Probably not the best situation with that small of an overlap. A better choice would be to header the joist off wherever you need to stop at and then continue on with 2 joists on each side of your drain to the sill plate. That probably makes very little sense.
Breaking it down you would span a "header" from a joist on either side of the offending joist where the header would most likely be 2-2x10's. From there you would have another 2-2x10 joists that go from the header to rest on the sill plate. The new joists would go on either side of your drain.

[mlareau]

Thanks Rich, if I'm following correctly, your solution was my first choice, but I'd have to relocate a major drain pipe in order to fit the header--definately an option but a little more screwing-around than I'd like to do if I can avoid it.

While on the topic of cutting/moving pipes, there is also a water supply line going through the joist in question a couple of feet down at the "loose end" that I could cut then reconnect if I were to go the sister joist route providing a 4' sister instead of 2'. That would still leave only 6-7" or so nailing/bolting space at the sill plate end of the cut, but lots of nailing/bolting space at the other end.

[Rich]

Can you do a little graphic of what you have? I think it'll work without having to move anything, if I understand your situation.

[mlareau]

Thanks Rich, sent a small, rough (but I think descriptive) graphic attachment to the e-mail address on the main page: builder@construction-resource.com.

[Rich]

I received your graphic. It really is tight isn't it? There really isn't a good solution. I think the best thing you could do is, as you suggested, is cut the water line and reroute below the joists. If you do that will you have around 3" of bearing on the sill plate? If so I think you'll be alright. The other end is what you will need plenty of space for nailing. Try not to nail to close together on the splice. Each of the rows should be at least 6" apart and staggered. 3 rows top to bottom should be plenty.
One thing going for you is there are joists that are pretty close to either side of your splice.
I have to cover myself here, as much as I hate to, if you're not comfortable doing this please consult an engineer for a quick check.

[mlareau]

Yep, it's a tight one, and yes, there should be about 3" of bearing on the sill plate.

Thanks much for the advice.

Mike