Sinking floor

N

neK

One of the floors in my house appears to be sinking in one of the corners, either that the middle section of the floor is higher than its meant to be.

The floor itself appears to be solid - ie when i walk on it it doesnt appear to sink down, so im guessing one of the stumps may need restumping so the floor can be level again.

What do I do to rectify it? Who do I call?

I've only recently bought this place and havent moved in yet. The previous owner had a table with a computer on it, which is why i never noticed it until they moved out. Its only noticeable now because its empty.

Thanks.
 
Bought a house in NZ, as one end of the floor sank further, the previous "owner" (I call him something else as he used furniture to disguise the sinking floor as well) just saw off part of the bottom of the doors so they would close (didn't see that until I got possession of the house).
 
Have you had a look at the stumps? It maybe that the stump/s where it appears to be sinking is rotten and needs replacing, does water sit at the base of the stump, have you termites enjoying a snack on the stump, bearer or joist.

Does the outside of the house look like it has sunk in that area? There could be a number of causes as to why it has sunk.

People you could call - Builder - Stumper - Carpenter.

Depending on how handy you are, you could fix yourself, if its just replacing the stump, you just need to find out the cause first.

Brian
 
Looks can be deceiving. Before you hire people get a 1200mm spirit level and run it into the room from the corner. Get the level flat, if one end is off the floor measure by how much. 5mm will not be a problem, but measure again every so often to see it's not progressing. 10mm you should start inspecting stumps for signs of rot, dampness etc. 15mm or more, time to get someone in, but compare prices.
 
Thanks for the reply guys. I've had a look at it, and it may not be a sinking floor at all. In fact quite the opposite.

It appears the previous owner may have actually pushed up the middle section more than it should be, which gives the impression that the sides are sinking, when in actual fact its the middle thats higher than it should be.

I'll get a spirit level and some marbles and check it out.
 
slightly off topic.....

i had someone out to inspect our under floor space as there was movement in the floor and doors/windows becoming difficult to close. end result, it is still not done as both gave me arbitary prices and i never heard from them again when i asked for a basic breakdown of the costs, despite many calls/emails/txts

does anyone know a reputable tradie in western sydney for this kind of work?
 
assuming its on stumps a restumper. In victoria they usually do the whole thing including lodging forms with council and the building insurance.

Be prepaired that often as the house is being raised or settling again after being raised plaster may crack/doors may no longer and even potentially plumbing may need to be addressed.
 
Creaking floors could be completely different from the stump issues. A carpenter might be able to help you fix the creaking, but you will need a re-stumper to make any changes to the stumps. They will also need to get a permit for this type of work and always ask to get a copy of the final inspection certificate after the work is completed, before making payment.

Even with stumps, it can be any number of things causing the issue. As some of the others mentioned, it could be pests, or rot, or a case with one of our clients was that it wasn't actually anything to do with the stumps. They had a crak in the drain water pipe that was running underground, that was leaking water, causing movement and issues to that section of the house. In that case the insurance company covered most of the cost to fix it all up.

Kind Regards, Ana Stankovic
 
Are the stumps redgum or concrete? If it is a dropped stump, you can easily lift it wth a hydraulic jack and some 6mm cement sheet packers, 1 at a time.
If they are concrete, you might need to cut the center pin, which will be bent over the bearer. Most will be the hung type stump.

If you live in an area of highly reactive clay, the ground is always moving, and this could be your problem. A carpenter can fix this.

Can you take a picture of the sub floor?

Scott.
 
Cant even get underneath the house. The entry point (underneath the house) is blocked by an air con duct (it was the only way to get the ducted a/c to the extension... by going down into the ground and back up again).

The guy said he would need to rip up all the floor seeing he couldnt access the sub floor... i decided against. Its not going to fall on me any time. I'll fix it in the future when i decide to renovate the whole house.
 
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