Vent: Load bearing wall I knocked down last weekend is sagging already

I took out a wall in my basement in Des Moines last Saturday to open up the space, thought I braced the ceiling joists good enough with some 2x4s. Came back Monday morning and there's a noticeable dip right where the wall used to be, maybe a quarter inch over 12 feet. Has anyone else had a temporary support fail on them like that, and do I need to sister a new joist in there or can I jack it back up slow?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

jade_lane192mo ago

Oh man, I feel your pain. I once tried to brace a porch roof with a stack of old pizza boxes.

8

tylerr292mo ago

Man, that's rough. @jade_lane19, I ended up breaking down and renting a real post jack from the hardware store after my second attempt at using scrap wood failed miserably. That thing cost like 15 bucks for a day but it held the whole sagging beam up solid while I bolted in new supports. Have you ever tried using a bottle jack with a chunk of 4x4 as a quick fix?

7