Sinking and Uneven Floors – Causes and Repairs | Bay Crawlspace

Most houses are developed with relatively even floors but slope over time because of sinking or sagging floor supports.

In homes with a crawlspace, the outside walls are supported on a continuous footing along the perimeter of the home and the inside walls are supported on footings and piers, which support beams, floor joists, and the subfloor.

If you have sinking and uneven floors, your floor support is inadequate. The only reason things inside the living space of a home drop are because the supports underneath have dropped.

Causes of Sinking and Uneven Floor:

It’s important to accurately diagnose the cause of your sinking uneven floors. There could be multiple causes or any combination for sinking and uneven floors:

1. A pier settled
2. The foundation has settled
3. Floor joists or girder beam is sagging and bowing
4. Joists or beams could be rotten
5. Damp joists or beams could be crushed under the weight of the home, aka compression

The best repair varies from home to home. There are many repair techniques we use to properly stabilize the uneven floors and make them feel more even. The main goal should be to prevent further sinking.

How to Repair Sinking and Uneven Floor:

The main repairs used to stabilize and correct uneven floors are:

1. New footings and floor supports
2. Supplemental beams
3. Foundation push piers
4. Foundation underpinning
5. Beam replacement
6. Beam reinforcement
7. Sistering floor joists

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