Uneven Floors: Historic Charm or Shaky Foundation?
Thanks in part to HGTV, not everyone wants a new home. Old homes have serious fixer-upper potential, and the charm that decades of history leave behind can’t be manufactured.
When walking through a historic property with our clients, one of the most common issues is something you might ‘feel’ before you see it.
Sloping or sagging floors. Is there a dip or is it just your imagination? Why does it feel like a marble would roll from the living room to the kitchen and straight out the back door?
Most importantly, is this simply cosmetic or could it be catastrophic? In other words, does it need to be fixed, and what’s that process going to be like?
Well, there’s more than a few possibilities. Since I’m not an expert in structural engineering, I can only provide a brief overview based on my experiences with my clients.
Ultimately, you need to know what’s going on. The problem could be multi-faceted and difficult to understand in layman’s terms. Thankfully, an inspection is part of buying a home. Further, a contractor or structural engineer should be able to provide some invaluable insight.
Similar to bringing your car to a mechanic, there’s always a possibility that they’ll make the problem sound worse than it is to rack up your bill. For this reason, you might consider hiring an engineer JUST to inspect and evaluate, then hire a contractor separately to fix the problem.
It might just turn out to be a poor installation job. The floor could be ripped up and redone perfectly level.
It could also be some bending in the wooden joists underneath the floor. This is normal in older homes and may not even require repair. If the floor sags in a spot, there’s a decent chance some bending joists are the culprit. They can be fixed and new supports can be installed. The process of doing that repair varies and you’d need an expert to tell you how simple or complicated it will be.
Of course, it could be even more serious. Faulty foundations could be causing the entire floor to slope, putting cracks in the walls, and causing load-bearing issues. The entire house could need to be lifted, or worse. It could be more than you’re willing to deal with and pay for. But just because there’s a dip in the floor doesn’t mean you’re at that point yet. Again, getting an expert’s advice is recommended.
Now you’ll have a place to start if you find yourself in a home you love, but standing on uneven floor.