Cracked Floor Joist? Here’s Who to Call

If you’ve ever wondered how your house supports you and all of your furniture, appliances, and favorite things, you can give credit to your floor joists. These are beams that run below your subflooring, horizontally positioned, and anchored to the walls. As the bones of your flooring, it can be concerning when one of them breaks, as they are essential to a well-structured home. Here’s how to determine who to call to repair your floor joists.

Before Hiring a Flooring Pro

Before reaching out to a flooring specialist, it’s important to do a bit of background research, both on your home’s situation and on the particular professionals you might call. Entering into a repair contract with extra knowledge will ensure the best possible outcome for your floor joist repair.

Plan Your Floor Joist Repair Project for Accurate Quotes

You may have had a recent flood that has warped your floor joists, or you may have noticed a sagging spot in your floor. Preparing some information in-advance can help you give your contractor all of the essential details, resulting in the most accurate quote you can get upfront.

Present the following information to your contractor:

• The square footage of your home, and specifically the flooring area where you will need repairs

• How many joists you think need to be repaired

• The nature of the damage, whether it's cracked, warped, falling, or uneven joists

• Other issues you’ve noticed while walking on the floors, such as creaking

You should call at least three floor specialists or general contractor companies to compare their quotes, presenting them with the above information. In most cases, they will need to physically inspect the joists to give an accurate quote ahead of beginning the work.

Check Your Floor Joist Repair Contractor’s Qualifications and References

You can ask to see your contractor’s licensure, proof of insurance, and membership documents to flooring contractor associations, such as the National Wood Flooring Association and Professional Flooring Installers Association. 

The contractor should also provide past client references who you can call to ask about the process and their satisfaction with the contractor’s work. During a conversation with a reference contact, you may want to ask about project communications, accuracy in quoting the job, and timeline and deliverables. If the references aren’t easily reachable or give a glowing review, this could be a red flag. Social media, internet searches, and website reviews can also be helpful sources of information.

Questions to Ask Your Floor Joist Repair Contractor

When you discuss your project with your potential contractor, you can ask various questions to ascertain their knowledge and reliability when it comes to your repair. Here are a few items to cover with them:

• Have you completed a project like this before? If so, how did it go?

• How accurate are your typical estimates compared to the final cost? Does your contract guarantee I will only pay the quoted amount?

• What is the timeline for this project?

• What are some ways I can know that the project has been done well, or what are your goals for this repair?

• Do you have references I can contact about your past work?

Hiring Your Floor Joist Repair Contractor

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Once you’ve interviewed multiple contractors and feel satisfied with a candidate's qualifications, you can move forward with the hiring process. These include obtaining a background check, looking for red flags, and getting a contract, among other things.

Ask for a Background Check

Flooring repair and structural work is a big job that is essential to your home, so it’s important to hire someone you trust. Before beginning work, you can ask your contractor to undergo a background check and provide you with a copy. This will alert you to any red flags. You can also ask them to present to you copies of their certifications and licensure to work on floor repairs.

Look for Red Flags and Prepare to Troubleshoot

While it would be nice to hire the first contractor you meet and wash your hands of project oversight, this is a recipe for potential issues in the future. To best protect your home, project, and investments, it’s essential to be diligent about noticing any red flags in the hiring process. 

Some potential red flags include:

• Hesitation in providing references, copies of insurance, background check, and licensure

• Inability to give a specific quote or timeline in writing

• Failure to clearly communicate the steps they will take in the repair process

• A quote that costs significantly more than other contractors’ bids

Get a Contract and Arrange Payments With Your Floor Joist Repair Contractor

Your contract should list the deliverables, timeline, costs, and total price and be signed by both parties before any work begins. It should also include if there’s a warranty provided for issues you may experience later. 

You should arrange for payments—including amounts, dates, and payment method—when you sign the contract and include those details in the documentation. It’s normal for a contractor to ask for 10% to 30% of the project total upfront as a down payment. You may decide together that you will pay in segments, such as halfway through the project and at the final inspection, or that you might wait until the entire project is completed to pay.

After Your Floor Joist Repair Contractor Has Finished

Once the repair is complete, you should thoroughly inspect the job area and ask the contractor to explain what they’ve done to ensure it matches with your plan. You may want to have the contractor show you what was repaired and test any previous problem areas to ensure they are fixed. At this point in the project, you can give them your final payment per the signed agreement.

If you are happy with their repair, leave them a review on their website or offer to be a reference for others in the future. You can also ask them if there are any other ways you can support their business, and let them know that you will be calling again for repairs if the need arises.