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Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,309 posts, read 38,764,983 times
Reputation: 7185
Quote:
Originally Posted by serabear
We are considering relocating and looked at a house that we would like to buy. Problem is, there are two areas in the hall/living area that have a dip/bow in them. Wondering how difficult/costly this is to fix? House is built on a raised foundation. Realtor says that footing poured all around the house and every so many feet and that the floor isn't actually a problem. Don't care if it is considered a problem to someone else or not, I would want it fixed if I bought it. Just wondering if someone else might know what would be involved in this situation.
Thanks!
Leveling a pier and beam house is usually a pretty simple undertaking. As a previous poster mentioned, this will probably involve jacking the floor joists from under the house and shoring them up with more lumber, maybe leaving a vertical support. That said, I have no idea what the specific issue could be and going into the crawlspace of an old home has a funny way of making things worse than they appear.
I'm pretty sure that the realtor would not qualify as an expert. Take anything he or she says with a large grain of salt. If you really love the house then you should get an inspection or an opinion from a structural engineer to specifically address the issue. That way you have something more "acceptable" to the seller than the opinion of a carpenter (not that the carpenter wouldn't come up with the best solution, but if you ask someone for money they want to see something like "C.P.E." in the signature line of the opinion). In the long run it will be one of the smallest expenses attributable to the house.
As joists themselves are more apt to break in the middle than towards an end, my guess is that the end plate where the joist hangers are installed is the culprit. It might be one that could be fixed with a splice, or if it's too damaged, the entire piece replaced which is very labor intensive. Either way, it's a structural issue ... and someone will have to shell out $$$ to get it fixed. It's not a task which a few hundred bucks to a handyman will fix.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
8,309 posts, read 38,764,983 times
Reputation: 7185
Quote:
Originally Posted by Narfcake
As joists themselves are more apt to break in the middle than towards an end, my guess is that the end plate where the joist hangers are installed is the culprit. It might be one that could be fixed with a splice, or if it's too damaged, the entire piece replaced which is very labor intensive. Either way, it's a structural issue ... and someone will have to shell out $$$ to get it fixed. It's not a task which a few hundred bucks to a handyman will fix.
In an older home you may not see joist hangers at all. The joists may simply be blocked into position on top of a beam or resting directly on the foundation.
I agree that this has potential to get very spendy, but it could also be a pretty easy fix if this is just a matter of sag over time.
Why didn't you have an inspection done on the property, or if there is still time, i would have one done. never ever buy a home without getting an inspection. I would call a professional in for his expertise.Being that it is the floor that could be a number of issues causing this problem. That is why someone with experience should look into this matter for you. GOOD LUCK
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