Gillingham · Kent
Floor joist repairs in Gillingham
Floor joist repairs in Gillingham start underneath the boards, not on top of them. We look at the joist ends, the sleeper walls and the ventilated void before suggesting sistering, splicing or replacement, so the price reflects the timber you actually have.
Guide price from£280per joist inc VAT
- Postcodes
- ME7, ME8
- Population
- about 100,000
- Area
- Kent
- Pricing region
- South East
Why does the ground in Kent matter for floor joist repairs?
Gillingham, Kent: about 100,000 residents across postcode districts ME7, ME8. If you are just outside Gillingham, we also cover Strood (3 miles), Gravesend (8 miles) and Maidstone (9 miles).
Much of Kent sits on clay that shrinks in dry summers and swells in wet winters. Parts of Kent lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. Across Kent, most homes are Victorian terraces in the Medway towns, weatherboarded and Wealden houses, 1930s semis and seaside bungalows.
What happens during floor joist repairs, step by step?
Photos and a call
Send photos of the dip or soft area, the outside wall at ground level and any air bricks. A short call about when it started, and any recent plumbing or heating work, tells us whether the problem is local or widespread.
Written quote
You get a no-obligation written quote listing which joists are sistered, spliced or replaced and any sleeper wall or ventilation work. It becomes a fixed price in writing once the repair is specified.
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.
What to look for before calling about floor joist repairs
- A musty smell, or fungal strands showing between the boards
- A gap opening up between the skirting board and the floor
- Floor dipping towards an outside wall or in the middle of the room
Floor joist repairs prices in Gillingham
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 |
How we usually approach floor joist repairs
Replacing joists and boards
When rot or woodworm runs through most of a floor, it is usually cheaper to replace the joists, strutting and boards together. Where joists run parallel to an outside wall, restraint straps tie the new floor back to it so the wall keeps its lateral support.
Best for: Widespread rot, or a whole floor that has dropped
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
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.
Questions about floor joist repairs in Gillingham
What is the price of floor joist repairs in Gillingham?
Guide prices for floor joist repairs in Gillingham 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 Gillingham?
Yes. We take enquiries from across Gillingham, including ME7, ME8, and from nearby places such as Strood and Gravesend. Send photos for a free initial view and we will tell you what happens next.
Does the ground around Gillingham cause cracking?
North Kent sits on London Clay, central Kent on Gault and Weald Clays and the Downs on chalk, so shrinkable clay is widespread. East Kent around Deal and Dover had a small deep coalfield, worked until the late 1980s. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Why is my floor bouncy?
A bouncy floor usually means the joists are deflecting too much, often because they span too far, have lost their strutting or have been weakened by notches. It rarely means imminent failure, but it is worth checking, especially if the bounce appeared after work in the room.
Can floor joists be repaired without taking up the whole floor?
Yes, in most cases only the boards over the affected joists need lifting, and three or four boards are often enough to sister a joist or splice a rotten end. Widespread rot is the exception, because the whole floor must come up to remove the decay.
More repairs we carry out in Gillingham
- Mining subsidence repairs
- Roof structure repairs
- Retaining wall repairs
- Resin injection ground stabilisation
- Gable end wall repairs
Floor joist repairs near Gillingham
Got a bouncy or sinking floor in Gillingham? Send a short video of someone walking across it, and we will tell you what it is likely to need.