Swindon · Wiltshire
Floor joist repairs in Swindon
If your floor in Swindon dips by a wall or bounces in the middle of the room, the joists are worth checking. Send photos of the floor, the outside wall at ground level and any air bricks, and we will tell you what the pattern suggests.
Guide price from£260per joist inc VAT
- Postcodes
- SN1, SN2, SN3
- Population
- about 200,000
- Area
- Wiltshire
- Pricing region
- South West
What should you know about the ground under Swindon?
Postcode districts SN1, SN2, SN3 cover Swindon, a Wiltshire town of about 200,000 people. Neighbouring towns we cover: Calne (13 miles), Cirencester (14 miles) and Carterton (16 miles).
Parts of Wiltshire have clay that can shrink near trees in dry spells. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. Housing stock in Wiltshire: Stone cottages, railway terraces in Swindon, and large post-war and new-build estates.
What should you budget for floor joist repairs in Swindon?
Prices in Swindon are worked out on South West rates. They include VAT and are a starting point: access, the extent of the damage and whether an engineer or building control is involved all move the figure.
| 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 |
Repair options we may recommend
Sleeper walls and ventilation
Settled or damp sleeper walls are rebuilt on a sound base with a damp-proof course under new timber plates. Blocked air bricks are cleared, extra ones added where the void has dead spots, and soil or paving heaped against the outside wall is lowered.
Best for: Damp ground floor voids or joists on poor supports
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
What to expect when we carry out floor joist repairs
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.
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.
Is it time for floor joist repairs? Common signs
- A musty smell, or fungal strands showing between the boards
- Floor dipping towards an outside wall or in the middle of the room
- 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.
Your floor joist repairs questions
How much should I budget for floor joist repairs in Swindon?
Guide prices for floor joist repairs in Swindon 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.
Can you survey a property in Swindon?
Yes, Swindon is covered, along with postcode districts SN1, SN2, SN3. We also cover nearby Calne and Cirencester.
Why do houses in Wiltshire crack?
Southern Wiltshire is chalk, while the north around Swindon, Chippenham and Trowbridge sits on Oxford and Kimmeridge Clays that are prone to seasonal movement near trees. Bath stone was mined underground around Corsham. 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.
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.
Related work in Swindon
- Wall tie replacement
- Structural crack repairs
- Subsidence insurance claim repairs
- Gable end wall repairs
- Subsidence repairs
Floor joist repairs near Swindon
If a floor in Swindon has dropped after plumbing or heating work, send photos of any lifted boards and notches, and we will price the strengthening.