We got a load of 3/4″ plywood for the floor, pipes to divert the drain / vent stack, and more soundproofing panels for inside the floor. Now that the joists are set in place, we can get blocking done (got some joist hangers from Rona) and get ready for the next few steps. Slow going!
For some reason, the laser distance meter isn’t very accurate. Is it more of a problem with precision over accuracy? The high-end Bosch from Canadian Tire is just as (im)precise as the medium-end one I bought a while back. (Thank you for not commenting on my diction.) When I measure and cut joists / blocking accordingly, the they are, across the board, almost a 16th too long (no pun intended). No, it’s not that I am forcing them to be snug – they’re just too flipping long. So it looks like these things are calibrated to round up when set to less than 1/32″ … as in, when something is, say, 26-1/32″, and the device is set to 1/8″ precision, it will measure 26-1/8″. Problem with the meter? No, likely problem with the user.
Nonetheless, some blocking got put in. I’ll have to sacrifice some of <ahem> Shane’s 2x12s, turning them into 2x8s … that is, if I can find enough without splits down the middle.
One of the tasks today was to jack up the old joist at the stairwell and splice it to the adjacent joists. FT stayed up top, and I brought the jack and some timber downstairs to the bathroom to see just how much this joist would move upward. FT thought that it wouldn’t move at all and that it would be simpler to shim the top of the joist to match the others. I, however, was stubborn.
In the end, with a little creaking and groaning from the house, it was put into place. I went back up and sank 4″ lag screws and spikes into the assembly.
5/24/2025 3:58 PM 2570041 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250524_155850 old floor joist fastened into place.jpg 5/24/2025 3:58 PM 2741795 1403 3 Ave N Lethbridge AB up 20250524_155853 old floor joist fastened into place.jpg
So now we can finally begin the floor blocking, sub-floor, plumbing, bathroom wall, etc.
Believe it or not, since I’m out of practise hanging blocking, the first block took bloody forever to level – 10 minutes for one block! Anyway, I’m on a roll now. Problem is, now I have to look for blocking material.