Taunton · Somerset
Floor joist repairs in Taunton
If a plumber or electrician has recently had the boards up at your Taunton 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£260per joist inc VAT
- Postcodes
- TA1
- Population
- about 65,000
- Area
- Somerset
- Pricing region
- South West
What should you know about the ground under Taunton?
Taunton (TA1) has around 65,000 residents and sits in Somerset. If you are just outside Taunton, we also cover Bridgwater (9 miles), Burnham-on-Sea (16 miles) and Tiverton (19 miles).
Clay soils are found in parts of Somerset. Parts of Somerset lie on a former coalfield, so a coal mining search is worth checking if movement has no obvious cause. What you mostly find across Somerset: Bath stone Georgian terraces, Victorian houses in Taunton and Weston-super-Mare, and post-war estates.
How much will floor joist repairs cost in Taunton?
These are guide prices for Taunton, using South West rates and including VAT. Your written quote follows photos or a survey, and is fixed once the repair is specified.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Splicing or sistering a damaged joist | £260 – £410 | per joist |
| Whole room of joists and boards | £2,050 – £6,200 | per room |
| Sleeper wall rebuild and ventilationest. | £410 – £1,550 | per room |
Which repair method suits a home in Taunton?
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
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
What happens when we carry out floor joist repairs in Taunton?
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.
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.
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.
Signs you may need floor joist repairs
- Soft or spongy boards near outside walls, hearths or the bathroom
- A musty smell, or fungal strands showing between the boards
- Ceiling cracks below that follow the line of the joists
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 Taunton: questions and answers
What is the price of floor joist repairs in Taunton?
Guide prices for floor joist repairs in Taunton start from about £260 per joist, including VAT, on South West 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 Taunton?
Yes. We take enquiries from across Taunton, including TA1, and from nearby places such as Bridgwater and Burnham-on-Sea. Send photos for a free initial view and we will tell you what happens next.
Does the ground around Taunton cause cracking?
Somerset mixes Lias clays, Mercia Mudstone, limestone hills and the peat and alluvium of the Levels around Bridgwater, which can settle. The former Somerset coalfield around Radstock and Midsomer Norton left recorded workings. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Will my insurance pay for rotten floor joists?
Usually not, because rot, woodworm and gradual wear are standard exclusions. Damage from a sudden escape of water, or a floor that dropped through subsidence, may be treated differently. Check your policy, and tell your insurer before permanent repairs start if either applies.
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 Taunton
- Retaining wall repairs
- Underpinning
- Lintel replacement
- Resin injection ground stabilisation
- Extension pulling away repairs
Floor joist repairs near Taunton
Each joist, sleeper wall and air brick at your Taunton property is itemised in the written quote, then fixed in price once the repair is specified.