One of the things that inspectors look for is structural defects in floor joists. In a recent home inspection I noticed the floor in the dining room had a little too much bounce about a 1/2  foot from the wall facing north. It's normal to have some deflection in the middle of the room due to the load the joist carries from furniture. No more than a 1/2 inch is acceptable. however when there is a lot of bounce and/or sags in the floor then further investigation is required.

                                                                   An Electrical Upgrade

In the basement I noticed some bored holes made in two floor joists. The owners informed us of a recent electrical upgrade that required the installation of a metal raceway for the larger electrical conductors. Floor joists are allowed to have bored holes in various parts of its span, but there are certain rules that apply to prevent the joists from becoming a structural defect. One rule is, bored holes must be within 2 inches of the top and bottom of the joist. Anything less is considered a structural defect.In the picture below the bored hole is less than two inches from the bottom which does not allow the joist to have the strength to support the load above, thus the noticeable bounce. Notice also the damage at the bottom of the joist, this was a real butcher job.

The width of the hole should also be considered. The width of the hole depends on the size of the joist. The way it's determined is depth divided by three. The floor joist in question is a 2x8 which is actually a little less, therefore the holes cannot be more than 3 inches in width. You may not be able to tell from the picture below, but the bored hole measures four inches in width, clearly over the allowed limit. You can see though the extra room on the left side where the armored cable passes through.

When upgrading a home sometimes modifications in existing building materials are necessary. When a contractor needs to make changes, find out if he/she knows the proper steps, and what's required by code, because one problem often leads to a much bigger and more costly one.

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