Crooked floor joist hangers Kitchens, doors, rails, stud, tables, chairs, stair cases, garden furniture etc... Find answers and ask questions here!

[Gary22]

At present I am having an extension built. The builder has recently fixed floor joist hangers with some not nailed upright. This means that the wooden joists, in these hangers, are leaning at about 15 degrees.
I put a long spirit level across five joists, of which three are leaning and between the first and fifth joist there is a drop of about an inch.

When I mentioned it to the builder, he said that he would be planing the joists so that they were level. I said to him that I wanted the new floor to be level with our existing floor and did not want to be stepping down into the extension. I told him that I did not want the floor to have packing between the joists and floorboard and he said there would not be and the new floor would be level with the old.

Is it okay for the hangers to be at such an angle and is this a common
practice of planing the joists down? Also will that mean he will be planing the underside of the joists so that the ceiling is level?
Any relevant advice will be appreciated as this has not been a cheap job.

Thanks in advance, Gary.

[tonyfred]

This is rubbish Gary. Hangers should hang perfectly upright and planing joists is only necessary sometimes to match up with existing floor levels but even this is very very rare as the joist heights etc should be set out correctly in the first instance so that the floor levels match.

Sometimes you do get bowed joists, they are unavoidable, but these can be straightened by inserting spacer noggins bewteen the joists to keep the same distance centres. See our project called levelling timber joists for more advice and take your builder to task. It is not hard to get hangers level and is a fundamental task which ensures a level floor.

[thedoctor3]

Go to the project on the website called levelling floor joists, it will give you more information.

[Gary22]

Thank you for your replies thedoctor3 and tonyfred they are very much appreciated.

Gary.