how do i replace a rotting floor beam that supports the south side of my house which is app. 110 years old?
Answers:
You will need to call a contractor and have it looked at. You have to lift the house up and replace the beam and I would look at all of the others at the same time so that you don't have this expense again. As well as replacing the foundation.
Good Luck
Call This Old House
Other answers:
I would call a repair guy and not try that fragile of a thing on my own.
I would call a repair guy and not try that fragile of a thing on my own.
use another board along side of the rotten one
first you shore up the floor joist by putting a temporary support beam under the joist that are being held up by the beam you want to replace This support would run parallel to the rotten beam and held up by jacks or posts of some kind ( generaly just a few 2X4s or 4X4s placed verticaly between a solid footing and the temporary beam)If there are floor joists on both sides of the beam you want to replace, you would need to put temporary supports on both sides of the rotten beam. Then you replace the bad wood and make sure the new beam has enough support and is not going to collapse before removing temporary supports
you need to take the floor out and replace the beam, while you are there doing one, best to do them all. It stinks, but it must be done.
We had a Summer home when I was growing up that the house foundation was Cyprus logs and over 100 years old. Cyprus does not rot but it was settling in to the ground, and the hose was crooked. We contracted with a "house moving company" to lift the entire house, and put a new concrete block foundation on it. You may have to do something similar.