Hi everyone - this is my first post (but probably not my last!)
I'm converting an old stone outhouse into a holiday home and have removed a very old staircase. x4 floor joists (8x2) had been cut out to make room for this staircase and were being held up by a prop and 6x6 piece of wood.
The stairs are being relocated so I now need to extend the joists, by 1100mm, back to their original length and have them sitting on the wall plate as the other joists do.
My question is which is the prefered way to do this:
a) Do I cut a length of 8x2 so that it can sit on the wall plate and overlap it with the cut joist by 500mm and bolt them together with 3 or 4 bolts.
or
b) cut a length of 8x2 so the it fits into the existing wall plate hole and butts up end to end with the cut joist and then cut another 1m length of 8x2 to be bolted onto the side of both the existing joist and the newly cut joist (500mm on both)
or does it make little difference structurally and both methods are acceptable?
Many thanks in advance for any suggestions or other methods.