I need to cut a floor joist
I'm working on a bathroom remodel, incl replacing the shower. The shower drain pipe and supply lines come into the space under the shower through an adjacent floor joist; this will be important. Note this is an 1860's farmhouse, and the floor joists are old-school actual 2x8's, not modern 1.5 x 7.25.
The new shower base has the drain hole in a slightly different location, a few inches away, impinging on a joist under the middle of the shower. My original plan was to sister a goodly chunk of (modern) 2x8 to the "back" of that joist with structural screws, then nibble away at the joist just enough to make room for the drain.
However, now that I have the floor cut out, I can see the drain needs to be dead center in the middle of that joist, so it needs to be completely severed, and the drain would impinge on the proposed sistered 2x8 behind it. Buying a different shower with a different drain configuration is not an option.
I could cut the joist and tie the cut ends into new cross pieces connected to the joists on either side, but the existing drain & supply lines are squarely in the way of this.
The only potential solution I've come up with is 1/2" or 3/4" plywood spacers on the back of the relevant joist, with the new 2x8 across those, screwed through both into the original 2x8. Thoughts? Other ideas?
I have a relative who is a general contractor, I'll try to get him to look at it, just gathering ideas at this point.
ETA: photos. The pencil is the target location.
EATA: never mind, problem solved. See comment.