This Old Barn

[quicksandfarmer]

I decided what I needed to do was to put a rim joist on the inside of that sill to give me something to attach joists to. The opening in the foundation is about 14', so if I used a 16' piece I could support it on the foundation for a foot at each end. Two of the existing joists were 16' 1/8" apart so a 16' piece would just fit between them*. I figured I would double it to give it some stiffness.

I also decided to commit heresy. To this point I've been trying to replace the joinery of the original framing. The beam at the other end of the joists was still solid and I could notch the replacements to match, but on this new rim joist I decided to use joist hangers.

Here's a shot of the new rim joists. You can see how punky the old sill is. I attached the inner one with lag bolts, and the center of that old beam is still so hard that I couldn't drive the lags into it with a drill, I had to use a wrench for the last few turns. They went into the new wood no problem.

You can also see something interesting on the wall behind. Remember I said the beam had sagged about an inch? Look at that stud. It's mortised into the sill -- and the mortise has pulled out about an inch. When the beam sagged, the rest of the wall stayed put and the stud came loose.

*(It took me forever to get the 16' piece in there. Turned out Lowes had sent me one that was 16' 1". Once I figured that out and cut off the extra inch it slid in like butter.)

 

[quicksandfarmer]

When I put the rim joists in, they went behind two of the old joists that I was keeping so I needed to shorten them by the thickness of the rim joists, 3". I had to think about how to do this, the only way to access the ends was on a stepladder from below.

I have this flush cut blade for my Sawzall:

I ripped two pieces of subfloor to 2-7/8" -- the thickness of the rim joists, less the thickness of the blade. I screwed them to the joist against the sill. Then I used the blade as a spacer, and put another piece of wood on the outside. I did this on both sides of the joist. In this picture at the bottom you can see the piece of 2x4 I tacked up to hold the joist once it was cut.

I had a slot the thickness of the blade exactly the distance from the end that I wanted. I ran the blade down the slot. Note that I have the blade upside down in the saw so that I can cut all the way through.

The finished cut -- perfectly straight. You can see the other joist in the background, I've put one of the guide pieces of wood on. On the right is the mortise pocket that this joist originally sat in.

The old joists are 3" thick so I can use a joist hanger for a doubled 2x to support them. Here's the finished product. On the left is an original joist, untouched, mortised into the sill. The two middle ones are the original joists that I shortened, attached to the rim joists with joist hangers. Behind the rim joist you can see their mortise pockets in the sill. To the right is an all-new joist, also held by a joist hanger.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

OK, got all of the joists in! Time to start putting down the floor!

I actually ran into a bit of a snag. There was an electrical wire that ran down to the basement, it had just been run farmer-style through a crack in the old floor. So before putting the new floor in I needed to disconnect it and drill a hole. When I went to disconnect it I learned that it had no ground -- 12-2 Romex with no ground! I had no idea such a thing existed. It was just a short piece, but it was the piece between the panel and the first outlet so the whole circuit was ungrounded. In good faith I couldn't reconnect it. I thought I had some 12-2 in my wire bin, but none of the pieces were long enough. So it's a trip to the hardware store before I can resume work.

 

[Wagtail]

A Flush-cut sawzall blade... I was unaware there was such a thing.

Interesting AND I've learnt something!

 

[quicksandfarmer]

A Flush-cut sawzall blade... I was unaware there was such a thing.

Interesting AND I've learnt something!

Like everything else, I got it on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052A1PWA

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Putting those joists in was a bit of a chore. I'm working by myself, and it's about 9 feet from the floor to the bottom of the joists. So what I have to do is hook one end and then walk the other end up the stepladder and hook it. The basement floor is uneven and the stepladder rocks and it takes all of my concentration to keep from falling off the stepladder. This meant that I needed to put the joist hangers in first. So I had to come up with a way to place them. I know they come with those tabs to nail them in place, but I've never found them to be as precise as I like.

First I draw a pencil line where I want the joist to be. I cut a piece of scrap to 3-1/8" wide, and chamfer the bottom corners so they don't hang up on the hanger. I use a clamp to hold it against the line, flush at the top and bottom, and then I screw it in place.

Then I use a clamp to hold the hanger in place, and I put two temporary screws at the top. I use screws because it's easier to adjust the position if it isn't quite the way I want it.

I put nails in the holes, then take out the temporary screws and put nails in those holes. Then I remove the spacing block.

Perfect placement every time. I use a palm nailer to drive the nails, it's like magic. I especially appreciate it when I'm on a wobbly stepladder and using one hand to steady myself.

 

[Have tractor did travel]

Quicksandfarmer:
This is a great thread. Historical context, overcome problems, explanatory pictures, well written in concise chronological order. You are a good writer and a good craftsman.
Eric

 

[quicksandfarmer]

Quicksandfarmer:
This is a great thread. Historical context, overcome problems, explanatory pictures, well written in concise chronological order. You are a good writer and a good craftsman.
Eric

Thank you, that's very kind. It helps inspire me to work to be thinking about writing it up.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

A Flush-cut sawzall blade... I was unaware there was such a thing.

Interesting AND I've learnt something!

Never saw one before either

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I finished the floor today!
I have to say this is an epochal event. I've owned this barn for 17 years, and for the first time I can walk around inside without fear of falling into the basement. This changes everything!