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Floor joists faulty - what profession do I ask to repair?

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Hi All

I am a landlord and even when I bought the property 2 years ago the Kitchen Floor (no cellar) was uneven and sort of sloping at one end. This is obvious when looking at the skirting, as there is around an inch gap. Anyway after a while I had some work done to the house, and in a kitchen wall we found a redundant copper pipe that had not been capped/terminated property. This obviously has slowly leaked and damaged the floor joists etc. Now we need to put in a new kitchen and therefore need to fix the joists first.

Who do I ask for quotes for this job?? do I need a carpenter or should I ask general diy maintenance chaps - I obviously do not want to spend a lot.

I did contact a timber + damp company, the chap came around and as the existing kitchen was still there and lino he could only give an approximate quote. It was basically around £1000 to replace the faulty joists etc. What was annoying in the quote was that the costs will be higher if there is any brick work needed and also the kitchen has to be complete empty otherwise they charge more. The units and sink and appliances will have not be disconnected etc.

Any ideas who I should ask for more quotes? Or I should I go for a specialist damp co?

Thanks

Comments

  • ormus
    ormus Posts: 42,714 Forumite
    is the floor still in place? if so how do you know the joists need replacing?
    no one can give you a proper quote if they cant see the full scale of the problem.
    Get some gorm.
  • Do you really need a damp company, has the dampness been resolved by the pipe repair?
    Could you not have a couple of floorboards lifted to have a look what's happening below, Joists can be treated and repaired and the floor levelled by placing shims under the joists, Get yourself a competent handyman see what he thinks.
    Every day when I wake up I thank the Lord I'm WELSH. .
  • 27col
    27col Posts: 6,554 Forumite
    I would have thought that any half decent handyman would be able to do this. I did the complete ground floor of my first house as far back as the 1960's In those days I had only just begun to acquire any DIY skills. The extent of the damage and the repair needed can only be established by getting a few boards up and looking to see what the damage actually is. If it is wet rot then repair might be possible. If it is dry rot it is likely that the whole floor might need replacing. Dry rot has a tendency to return if the original conditions that caused it are not completely irradicated. The spores seem to hang around and re-infect the new wood. There may be some modern treatment available to deal with this. I am not up to date on the subject.
    I can afford anything that I want.
    Just so long as I don't want much.
  • Yep - the dampness is slowly resolving itself after the pipe fault.

    ok - I guess I will look into getting a handy person.

    Thanks
  • vaio
    vaio Posts: 12,287 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    If there is any rot there then all out and replace with concrete has a lot to recommend it
  • michaels
    michaels Posts: 29,085 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Could you claim on insurance?
    I think....
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