Leveling a floor

[kathie659]

I know this is a foundation question, but flooring was as close a match as I could find.

House is about 5 - 6 " lower on one side then other - I have participated (minimally) in a house raising/leveloign project in the past. Not something I would try w/o lots of help -

When measuring from basement floor to ceiling the measurement stays true from side to side (8' right across). However when I put a level on first floor - it is (as mentioned) about 5 inches lower on one side.

There are no cracks in drywall so it doesn't appear that this is settling, rather that it must have been out of level when sheetrocked (10 years ago?)

Rather then jack the house - would ripping 2x6's and installing plywood over them work? house would still be out but floor would be level.

[mrcaptainbob]

YEah, that would work. But, try using one of the laser levels first. I set mine on what I felt was the high side of the barn floor, as I knew the far wall was sagging just from looking at it. But I needed to get a 'real' measurement so as to raise it up the needed amount. Set yours in one corner of the room. Measure directly in front of the unit. Then measure the other three corners and subtract the first dimension from them. That will tell you how the floor actually sets. May also be a good idea to measure a few 'mid' points, too. Sketch out the room and put down the dimensions and you can see it developing. I'd check the ceiling at the same time. Are the windows straight up and down?

[kathie659]

Laser level is a great idea - windows are operational no sticking, not difficult to open or close - the door is another story - it rereally swings to to low side. The big problem as I see it is that the "low" portion of floor is where the doorways between rooms are located.

[mrcaptainbob]

How old is this house? Is there a basement? How long have you had it?

[kathie659]

House is 70 yrs + I've owned it about 18 years. Its a rental property and 8 years ago I had it completely remodeled. The contractor I hired to do the job told me he knew it was way off but waited unitl new walls & ceilings were in place to tell me. I opted not to do anything at the time as jacking it would mean losing the new walls & ceilings. I think it's lower now then it was then the tenants say it's the same. It doesn't bother them at all. Full basement if I measure the floor to ceiling on both sides of the basement - there is about an inch to inch & half difference.

[mrcaptainbob]

Geezz!!!!! If it's noticeably sagging in 8 years, it sounds like there's a real problem with the foundation! That's a shame that the drywall guy didn't say something before he started. I'd check that underside with the laser first. Set it in one corner of the basement, level the laser, then measure to both, thefloor and the ceiling. Again, sketch a map of the area and place your dimensions at the measure points. That will give you a real good idea of what's going on with the underside of that house. If it's as bad as you say it is, (and getting worse) maybe a conversation with a buildr that's familiar with your area could give you some insight as to how this might be happeneing. I knew a family that bough a new home that started sinking three years after they moved in. By the time they moved out, maybe four or so years later, the window sills were at ground level. The builder built it over a lime pit!!!! What are the basement walls comprised of? Cinder block or rock? My house is 140 yrs old and the gbasement walls ar 20" thick boulders and rock. Any sagging is due to past carpenter ant infestation on the perimeter plates. That has measured out to about three inches in places.