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Ok so this is kinda weird. Im in a townhouse in Michigan. So it has a basement. I have noticed there is a weakspot where it shakes over the basement. I have never been too concerned. I have noticed shaking like this in many buildings in Michigan. I am originally from California where many buildings seem more reinforced due to the earthquakes. Well recently Ive noticed I can feel like a micro swaying upstairs in my bedroom. During the recent thunderstorms with the heavy winds, Ive noticed the swaying is more pronounced. My roommate seems nonplussed over it. I am wondering what to do. It feels like the upper floors of a skyscraper.
Should I worry? Is this all in my head? What course of action should I take? I dont want to alarm the landlord over nothing. Should I talk with neighbors about it? I dont want to overreact but the surfside condo collapse in Florida has me a bit spooked. I know there was a sinkhole back a few years ago in a Detroit suburb in a house.
No one here can answer this …you need it looked at
I know that the landlord will dismiss it based upon earlier experience with my furnace. As a renter, if I go to the city/county, etc., will they investigate it or does the landlord need to request this? I guess that is the focus of my question.
If the floor shakes when you walk- happens a lot in older houses in the northeast. Oddly enough, newer houses with trusses don't do this.
If you call the building department, the likely outcomes are (1) nothing or (2) house will be declared uninhabitable.
That gives me some relief. As Ive said, Ive experienced this quite a bit in Michigan buildings. I was alarmed by the swaying during our recent storms. It's not major but it's a concern. My equilibrium just feels it. It's hard to explain. I think I will ask the neighbors if they feel similar and then contact the relevant dept for buildings.
We live in Michigan in a very old house (1836,1850, 1868). We never have the swaying that you describe. In fact, one advantage to older framing methods (balloon framing and brace framing) is that they hold up mush better to high wind conditions than modern platform framing. There are some books on structural engineering that discuss this and have pictures of areas hit by hurricanes - the only buildings still standing are concrete and older homes. Sorry I cannot help you with the names of the books - my brother showed them to me once because I did not believe him when he told me about this.
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