Joists

[The Medway Handyman]

Is there a convention for which way joists run in a house? e.g. Front to
back or side to side?

And if the joists in the loft run front to back, would all the others?

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

[d...@gglz.com]

> Is there a convention for which way joists run in a house?  

Whichever is the shortest span.

[Dave H.]

"The Medway Handyman" wrote...

> Is there a convention for which way joists run in a house? e.g. Front to
> back or side to side?
>
> And if the joists in the loft run front to back, would all the others?
>

Usually whichever direction gives the shortest and therefore cheapest
joists[1], although it's usual to use 'em to tie the wallplates at the top
of the front and rear walls (up in the loft) together too, to give a bit
more structural strength.

Dave H.
--
(The engineer formerly known as Homeless)

"Rules are for the obedience of fools, and the guidance of wise men" -
Douglas Bader

[1] - which may explain the profusion of rooms in new houses which are just
under 2.4m in one direction... Although those are probably "big houses /
exclusive executive homes" by current standards?

[Roger Mills]

On 06/06/2010 15:03, The Medway Handyman wrote:
> Is there a convention for which way joists run in a house? e.g. Front to
> back or side to side?
>
> And if the joists in the loft run front to back, would all the others?
>
>

I don't think so! My house - as built - had some going front to back and
some going side to side[1].

Joists in the loft of a 'simple' house, with gable ends and the roof
sloping down each side from the ridge, are more likely to run front to
back - with the bottom ends of the rafters tied into them - or the
equivalent with a trussed roof. This doesn't apply to more complex roof
designs - such as hipped, or with additional gables at right angles to
the main roof. Even in the simple case, I don't think you can deduce
much about lower levels from the direction of roof joists.

[1] At one end of the house they're front to back, and then there's an
RSJ parallel to these joists - which supports an upstairs dividing wall,
and carries one end of the side to side joists at the other end of the house
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

[Malcolm]

The Medway Handyman wrote:
> Is there a convention for which way joists run in a house? e.g. Front to
> back or side to side?
>
> And if the joists in the loft run front to back, would all the others?
>
>

No. In my late 1990s Redrow house joists run side to side (except for
one small patch under the en-suite), parallel to the ridge of the roof.
I was in the house regularly while it was being built an have the
photographic evidence

Malcolm

[sm_jamieson]

On 6 June, 15:03, "The Medway Handyman" <davidl...@no-spam-

blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> Is there a convention for which way joists run in a house?  e.g. Front to
> back or side to side?
>
> And if the joists in the loft run front to back, would all the others?
>
> --

Commonly front to back downstairs, with sleeper walls to support the
joists and
reduce the span.
Often across the house on the first floor, using internal walls to
reduce the span.
And in the loft whatever direction is needed to tie the rafters,
usually parallel
to the gables.
Basically a compromise between shortest span and function.
Simon.

[ARWadsworth]

"The Medway Handyman" <davi...@no-spam-blueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:UUNOn.63932$bb1.24530@hurricane...

There is no convention. Sometimes the joists change directions between the
left/right hand side of a house or the front/back of a house.

Adam

[Dave Plowman (News)]

In article <UUNOn.63932$bb1.24530@hurricane>,

The Medway Handyman <davi...@no-spam-blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> Is there a convention for which way joists run in a house? e.g. Front
> to back or side to side?

> And if the joists in the loft run front to back, would all the others?

In London, if a semi or terraced house, they all seem to run front to
back. I was told this was for additional fire protection - if they went
side to side and into the party wall as of old, there'd be less wall
protecting them from fire.

--
*Why is the word abbreviation so long?

Dave Plowman da...@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

[Tony Bryer]

On Sun, 6 Jun 2010 15:03:22 +0100 The Medway Handyman wrote :
> Is there a convention for which way joists run in a house? e.g.
> Front to back or side to side?
>
> And if the joists in the loft run front to back, would all the
> others?

Traditionally on terrace and semi-detached, front to back, since
building joists into party walls was not allowed. Much less the rule
since joist hangers came into use.

--
Tony Bryer, Greentram: 'Software to build on' Melbourne, Australia
www.superbeam.co.uk www.eurobeam.co.uk www.greentram.com