[shanekw1]

Went to look at a deck repair today. 2 storey deck 50 x 10ish each level.

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There is a noticeable sag in the deck once I get up top.

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Cant really see in this pic, but the beam sags a good couple inches.

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Went underneath to look Some severely over spanned beams sagging. 3 ply 2x10 spanning 16 feet.

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And here is the problem. the posts for the second storey bear on this beam.

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So, how do I replace this beam without becoming a pancake?

 

[Tom Struble]

i don't think you can..:sad:it was nice knowin you:drink:

 

[shanekw1]

:laughing: Thanks for the confidence vote, Tom.:thumbsup:

 

[Mrmac204]

Wow, Shane you got a winner there. I'm guessing this is gonna cost a bundle, by the time you get the engineers report, permits, anti-gravity beam lifters etc.

 

[MarkJames]

Just to be clear, this is not my area of expertise....There's a job around here where a 1970's addition over an open crawlspace has a foundation wall with too much settlement on one side. They need to support a two-story addition over 30' while the wall and footing are redone. The plan is to support/lift with an I-beam, posts & bottle jacks. Maybe that's the ticket for you, or something similar.

And borrowing another idea from a house we had lifted (new foundation, etc.)....install temp support walls between upper and lower, then lift with beam & jacks under that.

("...but I did stay at a holiday inn express.")

Edit: I'd probably sub the lifting portion to a structural engineering firm. That looks easy for the guys who do that, plus they have the stuff.

 

[chris klee]

i just typed a whole thing about how i did something kind of like this and went to fix a spelling error and poof. it went away.

the jist of it was, we build temp walls. one on the ground sitting on a 2x8 or something then a knee wall up to the 1st level deck and a wall from 1st to 2nd level, jacked the 2nd level slightly then cut all the beams and posts out. we cut some 2x6's to hold up the 2nd floor on an angle like you see done with porch roofs before the posts are put in also (just to be sure). worked quickly to get that top beam and new posts back .

 

[shanekw1]

i just typed a whole thing about how i did something kind of like this and went to fix a spelling error and poof. it went away.

the jist of it was, we build temp walls. one on the ground sitting on a 2x8 or something then a knee wall up to the 1st level deck and a wall from 1st to 2nd level, jacked the 2nd level slightly then cut all the beams and posts out. we cut some 2x6's to hold up the 2nd floor on an angle like you see done with porch roofs before the posts are put in also (just to be sure). worked quickly to get that top beam and new posts back .

Sounds wonderful, but I need to get the bottom beam and posts out, while at the same time supporting the upper deck because the upper posts rest on the lower beam.

The temp wall sounds like a good way to support the upper deck, but I need to support the bottom deck, and if you can see in the pics, there is about 4' of room for the first 25 feet or so, then it goes down to about a foot of clearance between the deck and the dirt.

 

[MarkJames]

The temp wall sounds like a good way to support the upper deck, but I need to support the bottom deck, and if you can see in the pics, there is about 4' of room for the first 25 feet or so, then it goes down to about a foot of clearance between the deck and the dirt.

How about this? Skip the shallows and run your temp beam out the side and lift that end out there.

 

[Warren]

Sky hook.

Can you use cables and turnbuckles to tie the lower deck upward and back to the ledger of the second floor? I have never done it this way, but I have seen it done.

 

[tgeb]

Lots of good advice above.

Temp walls/shoring is the way to go o something like this. But I would be concerned about the attachment to the building.

You can't be too careful on these type of repairs.

 

[VinylHanger]

Screw jacks and beams. Easy stuff if I am understanding it right. Pull the decking and pour some temporary pads if needed.

 

[JBM]

I might pull the first floor decking up and run something to the ground for the second floor, and underneath the first floor deck should be fairly simple to support.

 

[JBM]

Or just take the top deck off and rebuild.

 

[shanekw1]

Or just take the top deck off and rebuild.

They really don't want to go the rebuild route. A deck that size could get mighty spendy.

 

[AmeliaP]

Wow..... That is a doozy. We've lifted quite a few houses for foundation repairs and we've fixed main beam sags but damn that seems like child's play compared to this.

You need to shorten the spans I'm assuming, to like 8'? So on top of what everyone else said add additional supports for the top deck as you go along. Or, maybe you can support it using the old beams and run new ones right on the inside of the old one.

As someone mentioned - I'd also be very concerned about how it is tied into the house.

Screw jacks and structural engineers will be your closest friends on this one. :laughing:

 

[deckman22]

It's doable, lots of temps & temp concrete pads along with some heavy duty jacks. Def some pucker facter when you get under one of those & start jacking, ha. Bid high.

 

[shanekw1]

Sky hook.

Can you use cables and turnbuckles to tie the lower deck upward and back to the ledger of the second floor? I have never done it this way, but I have seen it done.

This is so frightening of an idea that I want to do it one day.

Maybe not on this behemoth, though.

 

[shanekw1]

Wow..... That is a doozy. We've lifted quite a few houses for foundation repairs and we've fixed main beam sags but damn that seems like child's play compared to this.

You need to shorten the spans I'm assuming, to like 8'? So on top of what everyone else said add additional supports for the top deck as you go along. Or, maybe you can support it using the old beams and run new ones right on the inside of the old one.

As someone mentioned - I'd also be very concerned about how it is tied into the house.

Screw jacks and structural engineers will be your closest friends on this one. :laughing:

I am hoping to not have to do much footing work under there.

My span tables say that I should be good to go if I go to a 4 ply 2x12 for a beam.

 

[Rio]

I second the careful with the deck to house attachment and also when you do the new beam(s) all of those posts should have knees to the beam or some other lateral resistant framing; you're in B.C. and I'm sure you're in a seismically active area, likely zone D. The attached map is of the U.S. but it's easy to see that the active zones go right on up through Canada (and continue to Alaska). The map doesn't show Canada but it's easy enough to see the west coast is active and the closer to the coast you are the more likely it's a high zone

 

[shanekw1]

I second the careful with the deck to house attachment and also when you do the new beam(s) all of those posts should have knees to the beam or some other lateral resistant framing; you're in B.C. and I'm sure you're in a seismically active area, likely zone D. The attached map is of the U.S. but it's easy to see that the active zones go right on up through Canada (and continue to Alaska). The map doesn't show Canada but it's easy enough to see the west coast is active and the closer to the coast you are the more likely it's a high zone

The connection to the house on the lower deck seems to be a ledger bolted somehow to the foundation. I could not get inside to see if the bolts go right through or if they are in anchors of some type. The few bolts I could see looked like they were pulling down on the outside, like the deck is trying (or succeeding) to pull them out with downward force. The last 3 feet of the ledger that I could see has a split right down the middle. Will likely need to, at the very least, add a bunch more anchor bolts to the ledger.

Yes, I would definitely add some lateral braces to the post/beams as well.

According to that map, I am in the green zone (8-16).