Marlow · Buckinghamshire
Floor joist repairs in Marlow
If a plumber or electrician has recently had the boards up at your Marlow home, the joists they worked around are worth a look. Deep notches and holes in the wrong place weaken joists quickly, and sistering them is usually a short, tidy job.
Guide price from£280per joist inc VAT
- Postcodes
- SL7
- Population
- about 18,000
- Area
- Buckinghamshire
- Pricing region
- South East
What should you know about the ground under Marlow?
Marlow is in Buckinghamshire and takes in postcode districts SL7. About 18,000 people live there. If you are just outside Marlow, we also cover Maidenhead (4 miles), High Wycombe (4 miles) and Slough (9 miles).
Shrinkable clay is widespread in Buckinghamshire. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. Across Buckinghamshire, most homes are market-town terraces, 1930s semis in the south, and large late-20th-century estates in Milton Keynes and Aylesbury.
Which repair method suits a home in Marlow?
Splicing ends and fitting hangers
Where only the end has rotted, it is cut back to sound timber and a new piece is fixed alongside, bearing on the wall or on a new joist hanger. Missing or under-nailed hangers elsewhere are replaced at the same time. The damp in the wall must be fixed too.
Best for: Rotten joist ends in damp solid walls
Sistering a joist
A new length of treated timber, the same depth as the original, is bolted or screwed alongside the damaged joist so the two share the load. It is the quickest fix for a notched, cracked or sagging joist that is otherwise sound, usually after lifting a few boards.
Best for: Cut, cracked or sagging joists with sound ends
What happens when we carry out floor joist repairs in Marlow?
Lift boards and inspect
On site we lift a few boards where the floor is worst and check the joist ends, sleeper walls and void with a moisture meter. Outside, we look for high ground, blocked vents and leaks keeping the timber wet.
Repair the structure
Boards are lifted and numbered if they are going back, and rotten timber is cut out. New treated timber is fixed and checked with a level before strutting, hangers and any restraint straps go in.
Relay and ventilate
Boards are relaid or replaced, skirting refitted and air bricks cleared or added outside. We point out anything that would let damp back in, such as soil heaped against the wall, so the repair lasts.
Signs you may need floor joist repairs
- Soft or spongy boards near outside walls, hearths or the bathroom
- Ceiling cracks below that follow the line of the joists
- A gap opening up between the skirting board and the floor
How much will floor joist repairs cost in Marlow?
The ranges below reflect typical South East costs for floor joist repairs, including VAT. Scaffold, access and making good can push a job to the top of the range.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Splicing or sistering a damaged joist | £280 – £450 | per joist |
| Whole room of joists and boards | £2,250 – £6,700 | per room |
| Sleeper wall rebuild and ventilationest. | £450 – £1,700 | per room |
Rules for floor joist repairs in England
Like-for-like repairs such as crack stitching and repointing do not usually need building control approval in England, but anything that changes or strengthens the structure, such as underpinning or rebuilding a wall, does. If the work touches a party wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may apply.
Floor joist repairs in Marlow: questions and answers
What is the price of floor joist repairs in Marlow?
Guide prices for floor joist repairs in Marlow start from about £280 per joist, including VAT, on South East rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Do you carry out floor joist repairs in Marlow?
We do. Marlow and the surrounding area are covered, including nearby Maidenhead and High Wycombe. A free initial assessment from your photos is the first step.
Does the ground around Marlow cause cracking?
The Chilterns are chalk with clay-with-flints on the tops, while the Vale of Aylesbury and Milton Keynes sit on Gault, Kimmeridge and Oxford Clays and glacial till. The vale clays are prone to seasonal shrinkage near trees. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Is a sagging floor dangerous?
A gentle, long-standing sag is usually not dangerous, and many older floors have moved slightly over a century. A sag that is getting worse, soft boards or a floor dropping near a wall needs checking soon, because rotten joist ends can lose their bearing.
What is sistering a floor joist?
Sistering is fixing a new length of timber alongside an existing joist so the two share the load. It strengthens a notched, cracked or sagging joist without removing it, so it is quicker and less disruptive than replacement.
More repairs we carry out in Marlow
Floor joist repairs near Marlow
For a guide price on floor joist repairs in Marlow, use the quote tool or send photos of the dip, any soft boards and the air bricks.