On Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 8:26:02 PM UTC-4, Sheldon wrote:
> On Wed, 17 Mar 2021 16:31:21 -0700 (PDT), "
> > wrote:
>
> >On Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 2:28:49 PM UTC-5, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> >>
> >> The furnace is below the kitchen. No room for lally columns. But thanks
> >> for the suggestion.
> >>
> >> Cindy Hamilton
> Normally a joist would be set so the coloumb needn't be directly under
> the kitchen... it's a very simple and inexpensive job for someone who
> knows what they're doing. A joist could be made from three 2" x 8"s
> bolted together... probably need a coloumb at each end of the joist.

You don't put columns at the ends of joists. You put them in the middle.

The basement has a concrete-block wall right down the middle, with
an opening in the middle that has a beefy steel lintel, just as it should.
This divides the space into two sections about 15 feet wide. The joists
sit on top of the block-wall foundation and on top of this wall. Gravity
holds them in place without any fasteners.

There are areas where there's no cross-bracing, so that the heating
ducts can run down a joist cavity. That, and the fact that the lumber
has shrunk over the past 74 years (and is consequently a little loose
around the nails) is what causes the movement.

> Your house construction just needs some strenthening. I'm surprised
> because older homes were over-built so that floors didn't bounce...
> 50+ years ago lumber was cheap... in fact back then lumber was full
> size, a 2" x 4" was actually a full 2" x 4"... now lumber is 1/4"
> less. Who ever built your house really cheaped out... a kitchen floor
> should be rock solid.

A lot of the lumber used in this house was reclaimed from other projects.
The rafters have some unnecessary cutouts in them.

Thanks for your comments. I'll take them under advisement.

Cindy Hamilton