Most sloping floors in this region start in the crawlspace: a girder that has crushed at a bearing point, a masonry pier that has sunk into soft soil, joists that have lost stiffness to moisture and fungal decay, or a span that was undersized when the house was built. We survey the floor with a laser level and then inspect the framing and supports below it.
What the survey shows decides the repair. Added piers and a new girder, sistered or reinforced joists, adjustable steel columns on new footings, or a re-leveling sequence that raises the floor a little at a time all appear on our drawings, and so does a moisture correction when the wood is wet. If the slope traces back to the perimeter footing, the recommendation shifts to foundation underpinning instead.
Scope of services
- Laser level survey of every room, plotted as a contour of the floor
- Crawlspace inspection of girders, joists, piers, sills and moisture content
- Span and deflection checks of the existing joists, using current code loads as the benchmark
- New girder, pier and footing design where supports are missing or failed
- Joist sistering and reinforcement schedules with fastener patterns
- Adjustable column layouts and a re-leveling sequence with lift limits
- Vapor barrier, drainage and ventilation notes where moisture is the cause
- Vibration and bounce fixes for long-span floors: blocking, strongbacks or added beams
How we approach it
A floor contour tells us whether the low spot is at a girder line, along the perimeter, or in the middle of a span, and each of those points to a different cause. The framing is then checked by calculation and against span tables, and the supports are inspected for crushing, rot and settlement. The drawing is a crawlspace plan showing existing and new supports, a lift sequence, and a note on what to leave alone.