Help! Big hole in ceiling joist

[glen8]

This was posted in the electrical section but think it may be better here after reading some of the replies.

How much is this going to cost me to fix

Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it

Yesterday I decided to have a go at installing four spotlights into our hallway ceiling. The plan was to replace the two existing lights and add an extra two.

Thinking it was a good idea I went feet first and started drilling holes and running electrical cable. Unfortunately my brain didn't kick until a good hour later when it dawned on me that the joists were running over the holes I'd drilled

To be honest I should have quit well before this point but I stupidly carried on and drilled out part of the joist making room for the light.

Now, the spotlights we have are the philips LED ones which luckily don't generate much heat but the back of the case does get quite warm and I'm starting to really worry about starting a fire that and me taking a chunk out of the joist has brought me to these forums.

1. Would the lights be ok sat VERY close (but not touching) the joist?
2. Will the joists be ok with this amount taken out?
3. Am I worrying over nothing?
4. Am I not worrying enough and should get an expert in?

I've switched the lights on to see just how much heat they do generate and after three hours you can keep your finger on the back but it is quite warm.

am such an idiot

 

[^woody^]

Take the floorboards up to get access, and screw and glue a 600mm piece of 18mm ply across the cut out

 

[glen8]

The hole is under the bathroom and we live in a new build so it's not proper floorboards.

Just out of interest, how much would someone charge me for a new ceiling would they be able to repair or replace the joist from below?

Thanks

 

[mointainwalker]

To answer your joist question you need to give a lot of detail.

1) What is the joist size ?
2) What is the size of the hole in the joist
3) Where is this hole along the length eg. 1/8, 1/4 etc.

Find the photo odd. You ought to be drilling into the bottom of the joist but it looks more like the side. How ?

Does the Phillips literature not give info about proximity to flammable material ? They really are the ones to answer that IMO.

 

[^woody^]

If you can get to the floorboards by lifting the covering, then you can still remove a section of the boards by cutting an opening.

Otherwise, cut out a square of the plasterboard and do the work from below. If you are neat, you can replace the bit you cut out and fill the joints, but it will show and will never be perfectly hidden

To re-skim the whole ceiling you may be looking at £100 or so

 

[glen8]

if it's going to cost £100 to do the ceiling, since I still have to relocate the spotlights anyway I might as well do that

To answer the above questions, I've no idea. Just drilled the holes and saw all this wood I knew I'd balls it up

I'm not doing any DIY from now on, never been a penny pincher before so don't know why I bothered this time. Just one big headache!

 

[Static]

Looks like a tji joist.. so probably will need plating.. would need alot more info

 

[joe-90]

If it were me I'd drill a new hole in right place then cut a bit of timber and use a sander to make it just the right size to be placed back in the hole you've drilled in eror. If you used a hole cutter then find the bit you took out. If it is a tight fit, glue it back using PVA. If it is a bit loose use Arildite or similar - then patch the hole up. Why look for work if you can get away without doing it?

 

[glen8]

Just had a joiner come to look at this mess, he is supposed to be pretty good.

He said two of the holes I'd drilled in the plaster are infront of joists, the other two are infront of a beam. It's one of these which I'd drilled into which he says is fine.

While obviously not a good thing to do he said nothing is going to fall down 'phew'. He went into a load of mumbo jumbo and lost me a bit but something about new builds using laminate wood as an RSJ which is put between the two beams. Luckily I had only made a small hole in this laminate which he says won't matter at all. The big hole you can see in the photo is in the beam which is ok he says.

He's getting someone else to come over to relocate the spot lights as I've given up doing it now

 

[big-all]

on the pictute you show if the plasterboard is 12mm then that wood looks like its 20mm thich
so that one looks like its specificly to hang a light fitting from

where you using a hole saw with a drill bit[auger] in the middle ??

if your usung a hole saw when you got to depth did the cutter come away easily ?? as i would expect the cutter to be fairly stuck in some at least because off the timber still being connected rather than cutting through

ok egnore me as i missed the last 2 posts and didnt realise they are" I"beams