Sagging floors in 140 year old home

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Permalink Reply by Will Stanton on October 27, 2009 at 9:44pm

Yes, hire an experienced contractor or engineer to evaluate not only the foundation but also all the structural elements of the house. "Sagging" floors on the second fl. could be caused by problems with the foundation and/or the girders, joists in the basement. This will be money well spent.

Will

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Permalink Reply by KenK on October 27, 2009 at 9:46pm

Home Inspectors with a particular expertise in older homes may be of some value when examining the home for "buyability?"

I have used some lolly poles to joist up some sagging 1st floor beams in my old house via the crawl space. That being said I will be getting a old home specialist, or structural engineer (in the very near future) to make concrete recommendations regarding a permanent fix.

Ken

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Permalink Reply by Italianate in Ionia on October 27, 2009 at 11:09pm

Eastern Michigan University (located at Ypsilanti) offers a graduate course (Master of Science degree) in Historic Preservation. The Historic Preservation program is chaired by Dr. Ted Ligibel. You can go to ( ) and search for "historic preservation" for more information.

When I was negotiating to purchase my historic house, I was baffled about where to turn for a useful inspection of the house's "Michigan basement," cracks in the plaster-parged brick walls, staircase pulling away from wall, etc. I knew I needed advice, but didn't know if I needed an architect or builder or whatever.

I e-mailed a request to Dr. Ligibel ( tligibel@emich.edu ) about my predicament, and he responded with the names of three people in my neck of the woods who had completed his Historic Preservation course. I eventually hired a contractor-builder (thirty years of experience) to inspect the house, he charged about $250 for a lackluster written report (English lit apparently was not his forte) but his comments during our walk-through were very informative.

The Michigan Historic Preservation Network ( ) offers a free state-wide resource directory, downloadable by hotlink at the bottom of its webpage.

Hope this helps a little.

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Permalink Reply by Italianate in Ionia on October 28, 2009 at 7:44pm

Apparently the hotlinks I intended did not make it to the posting.

Eastern Michigan University
http://www.emich.edu

Michigan Historic Preservation Network
http://www.mhpn.org

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer D. on November 2, 2009 at 5:24pm

wow, what a great help you gave me! I have emailed the professor and am waiting for a response. thank you so much
Jen

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Permalink Reply by jane on October 28, 2009 at 9:30am

I agree about finding an expert to look at the house for you.
The sag on the second floor could also be caused by the removal of a wall on the first floor. Often 'do-it-myself' people (past and present) want to reconfigure the rooms as living patterns change, but they don't understand the framing. Also very common is butchering the floor joists to add bathroom pipes in a house that had no inside plumbing when it was built. Electrical wiring and new heating systems can sometimes cause the same problem - one trade cutting out structural members of the floor system without regard for the structural integrity of the house.
Most of this can be repaired. However I once owned a house that had been moved and leveled with a 4" slope to the middle. We raised it up 2", 50 years later - decided the slope was good for small children with matchbox cars. All the plaster would have cracked, door frames would have racked, etc. It wasn't worth it. The kitchen stove was level, I used 2x's in my office under my drafting board.

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Permalink Reply by evan j andriopoulos on October 30, 2009 at 10:31am

Make sure the engineering company is experienced and focuses on homes of that age otherwise they will apply "new age" construction knowledge to the old house. We had a expert come in and instruct us on how to properly build lolly columns to support our 18th century floors. No additional cost...(the work) as our thoughts on how 2 were right. Simple new cement filled lolly columns where needed.

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