slanted/warped floor boards


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Old 03-12-11, 05:22 PM
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slanted/warped floor boards

I'm not sure if I should post here or in Real Estate, but I am purchasing a townhouse with 3 levels. The third level bedroom floor boards seem uneven/warped and there is a definite dip when you walk from the hallway into the bedroom. The floors also creak. There is also a dip near the windows. Then, in the middle of the room, when I shuffle my feet, sideways, you can definitely feel that most of the length of 2 floor boards are uneven. I hope I'm explaining so you can understand. The problem is, the inspector only noted a "slight slant" going into the bedroom and that "this is normal for a 2nd story room". Well, 1st, it's the 3rd floor and the complex was built in 1999. I've lived in some very old homes w/2nd & 3rd floors and slanting is not the norm. They put brand new carpeting over it...not sure why they didn't at least nail down the floors to stop the squeak. Sorry, to go on like this...but, do I have right to be concerned with this? And, how easy a fix is this?
 
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Old 03-12-11, 06:00 PM
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There is no way to know unless you take the carpet up. Is there a floor under the carpet, or just a sub floor? It sounds like the sub floor might not be nailed down correctly. I would walk around the development and ask other people about there houses-People love to talk about that kind of stuff. Maybe there is poor construction in the whole development, or maybe some guy just forgot to nail down your sub floor.

If the subfloor is not nailed down, it should be easy to fix, the question is why didn't they fix it when they installed the new carpet? Like I said, you won't know much until you lift the carpet.
 
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Old 03-12-11, 06:45 PM
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The slant is indicator of soemthign structural going on. The house isn't that old and of modern construction. I would be leary about this one.
 
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Old 03-13-11, 05:46 AM
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Whose inspector was it? Did you hire them or did the real estate company suggest their use? Big issue. Slanting, dipping, whatever you want to call it is not normal at anytime in any house, anywhere. That is why we have levels. Drooplug is right, there is something structural going on here, and it could be two floors down. Be careful.
 
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Old 03-13-11, 08:58 PM
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Some ding-dong could have put small pieces of plywood subfloor down, and oriented them in the wrong direction. That might make some areas "dip" when you step on them.

Only way to know for sure is to pull the carpeting back and have a look.
 
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Old 03-16-11, 09:47 AM
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I agree

I am working out a problem with a flip that has the same issues as your floors. It is a split level built in 1973. The two bedrooms directly over the garage had "humps" in the floors. We discovered that the two rooms extended 2 feet ouside of the garage footprint. These extensions were made with 2*6's 6' long that butt to the floor joyce. Over time, the weight of the wall pushed down on the overhangs which caused the joyce to bow;thus making the humps in the floors. Not an easy fix.
Don
 
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Old 03-17-11, 05:43 AM
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If you really want to fix this your going to have to pull the carpet and cut out the subflooring and underlayment to see what's really going on.
When we lay a subfloor we use constrution adhesive and ceramic coated decking screws that way there's never a call back for a squeck.
 
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Old 03-02-12, 06:44 PM
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inxs44, did you buy the house with the warped floors?

Hi inxs44.

Did you buy it? How is it? Are you going to redo your floors to make it flat? If so, how much is your estimates? I am thinking of doing the same:

In June 2011, I bought a 1996 home with the same problem. My inspector said our house did have a water accident with an overflowing bathtub, but the issue was fixed. He ripped out a carpet and showed me the fix of new flooring installed in the bathroom. I've realized a few humps here and there when we replaced the carpets in various parts of the house upstairs with a thinner berber. boy oh boy the humps are more noticeable as I walk. I can probably count 8 humps upstairs.

These little pitcher mounds are funky at first, but I got use to them. I just don't know if this is cosmetic or dangerous.

What worries me is not just the humps, but the strength. I put an elliptical in one of the bedrooms (which I believe is free of humps unlike the rest of the 2nd floor). And that elliptical exercise machine is heavy.. maybe 300 lbs. If warping = weakening of the entire floor, then that scares me with a hunk of 300lbs crashing down to the family room downstairs! To make matters worse, the delivery guy dropped the 300lb monster in that room and the entire house shook.

My question to others in this thread, does warping = weakening?

Maybe I should have went for a 1 story house. ugh.
 
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Old 03-02-12, 07:48 PM
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don't assume - look

As some have already said - lift and look! Especially when you said there was a dip at the window ( as in, its been leaking and damaging the floor that no one sees...)
You could be seeing poor laying practice. Damaged subflooring when built. Light weight floor construction. Poor window installation. Anything.....but what you have is NOT normal.
 
 

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