Hello,

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm rebuilding my porch deck.
Most of the deck joists are in good condition, except they are pitched
slightly wrong. I'm wondering if it would be workable to simply
sister on a 2x4 to the side of the existing joists, which are rough
2x6s for the 6' span. I would set the top edge of the 2x4 to the
desired pitch, which be anywhere from 0" to 0.5" higher than the top
of the existing joists. So the 2x4s would basically just be nailers
to accept the porch deck and transfer the load to the existing joists.

Any problem with doing this?

Thanks, Wayne

Me.........would bolt on a 2x6 with the correct pitch to the outside of
the existing 2x6. I dont believe a 2x4 could handle the wieght long
term.

Wayne Whitney wrote:
Hello,

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm rebuilding my porch deck.
Most of the deck joists are in good condition, except they are pitched
slightly wrong. I'm wondering if it would be workable to simply
sister on a 2x4 to the side of the existing joists, which are rough
2x6s for the 6' span. I would set the top edge of the 2x4 to the
desired pitch, which be anywhere from 0" to 0.5" higher than the top
of the existing joists. So the 2x4s would basically just be nailers
to accept the porch deck and transfer the load to the existing joists.

Any problem with doing this?

Thanks, Wayne

If you nailed frequently, a 2x4 would be plenty but it might tend to
'roll over'.

A 2x6 would be better, and in the end prob. easier to work with.

Think about having a board at the near edge and at the far edge that
the new sister joist would be pressewd up against just before nailing.
Adjust those end boards once, and you have a jig, and all your joists
will match position nicely.

Dave

Wayne Whitney wrote:
Hello,

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm rebuilding my porch deck.
Most of the deck joists are in good condition, except they are pitched
slightly wrong. I'm wondering if it would be workable to simply
sister on a 2x4 to the side of the existing joists, which are rough
2x6s for the 6' span. I would set the top edge of the 2x4 to the
desired pitch, which be anywhere from 0" to 0.5" higher than the top
of the existing joists. So the 2x4s would basically just be nailers
to accept the porch deck and transfer the load to the existing joists.

Any problem with doing this?

Thanks, Wayne

Wayne-

How are the exsiting joists attached to the rest of the structure
(ends) & are they supported in the middle anywhere?

Sistering is on approach but then you've got the face to face "gap" to
catch water, debris

....a 2x4 might be a little small but doing the 2x6 thing is the same as
rep-placing all the joists

can the exsiting joists be fiddled with (easily) to get your desired
slope? You've got the porch pretty much torn apart, could you just
re-set the exsitng joists?


cheers
Bob

PS Id' use screws (SS of course) to set the sisters....screws are
better than nails in a lot of situations

Wayne Whitney wrote:
Hello,

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm rebuilding my porch deck.
Most of the deck joists are in good condition, except they are pitched
slightly wrong. I'm wondering if it would be workable to simply
sister on a 2x4 to the side of the existing joists, which are rough
2x6s for the 6' span. I would set the top edge of the 2x4 to the
desired pitch, which be anywhere from 0" to 0.5" higher than the top
of the existing joists. So the 2x4s would basically just be nailers
to accept the porch deck and transfer the load to the existing joists.

Any problem with doing this?

Other than quite a waste of material and that it just sounds "kludgey"
to me, the only real potential problem I would foresee might be that
you'll create a water trap between the two pieces that might lead to
early (as compared to if it weren't there) failures since it won't dry
easily between the two pieces. Could put a cap over them, of course,
but that's yet another step in the process...

If the house end were at the proper and same level, I'd probably go to
the trouble while I was doing it to make the outer rim the proper level
and re-hang them correctly, but that's just my nature -- if I'm going
to the effort, how much more effort would it actually be to fix it
right?

Alternatively, if it is only a 6-ft run, I _might_ consider shimming
the low ones as I have bandsaw and jointer to make the tapered cuts a
pretty straightforward operation, but still seems like the coward's way
out...

IMO, YMMV, $0.02, etc., etc., etc., ....

After reading these replies......I believe I am just a learning dumb
blonde. Good advise here.....and please take no notice in my post
before. I am no expert carpenter but just a DIY. But thanks people, I
am learning something new everyday.

Wayne Whitney wrote:
Hello,

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm rebuilding my porch deck.
Most of the deck joists are in good condition, except they are pitched
slightly wrong. I'm wondering if it would be workable to simply
sister on a 2x4 to the side of the existing joists, which are rough
2x6s for the 6' span. I would set the top edge of the 2x4 to the
desired pitch, which be anywhere from 0" to 0.5" higher than the top
of the existing joists. So the 2x4s would basically just be nailers
to accept the porch deck and transfer the load to the existing joists.

Any problem with doing this?

Maybe.

People tend to forget that a load on a sistered joist is transmitted to
the mated joist mainly through the nails and only small load component
from friction. Therefore, top mounted shims are structurally more
sound.
If you have a table saw, buy a taper sawing jig ($15 or so) and slice
off the needed pieces. Use construction adhesive and tack them in place
and secure with new floor boards and ring shank nails or screws as
preferred. Doing a dozen joists this way shouldn't take an hour; less
if you have help, more if the help brought a six pack. HTH

Joe

On 2006-12-07, BobK207 wrote:

How are the existing joists attached to the rest of the structure
(ends) & are they supported in the middle anywhere?

The 6' span joists are not supported in the middle anywhere. The
house end of the 2x6 porch joists bear on the cripple wall top plate,
with a slight notch on the bottom. The other end of the porch joists
are balloon framed into the outer porch wall.

can the exsiting joists be fiddled with (easily) to get your desired
slope? You've got the porch pretty much torn apart, could you just
re-set the exsiting joists?

Hmm, taking a closer look, it appears that I would only need to move
(raise) the joists on the house side, they are good on the other side.
I believe the connection on the house side is just two toenails into
the cripple wall top plate, so it ought to be possible to disassemble
that without damaging the joists. Then I can just shim between the
joists and the cripple wall top plate.

Thanks for the idea! Now I just have to figure out the stairs. :-)

Cheers, Wayne

On 2006-12-08, Joe wrote:

People tend to forget that a load on a sistered joist is transmitted to
the mated joist mainly through the nails and only small load component
from friction. Therefore, top mounted shims are structurally more
sound.

This is a good point and worth considering. The load on each of my
joists is 83.33 lbs/ft (10 lbs/ft dead + 40 lbs/ft live with joists
20" o.c.). I believe the shear value of a single 16d common nail
connecting a 2x member to a rough 2x member is over 100 lbs. So one
nail per foot connecting the sistered member would be plenty for the
gravity load.

Cheers, Wayne