Imagine you’ve just found the home of your dreams and it meets all your expectations – lots of natural light, spacious kitchen, high ceilings, and it’s situated in an amazing neighborhood. However, you look down and it hits you that the floor is uneven. Bummer! What should you do now?
While old house uneven floors should be a cause of concern, they don’t have to be a deal-breaker. In this article, we will explore the causes of uneven floors and factors to consider before buying a house with uneven floors.
What Causes Uneven Floors?
Before buying a house with uneven floors, you should first understand the likely causes behind the problem. The term ‘uneven floors’ describes any floor surface that slopes, buckles, bounces, or sags. Is it normal for old houses to have uneven floors? Yes, it is common to find uneven floors in an old home that is over 15 years old. Usually, the uneven floors in an old house are a sign of a bigger, unseen problem with the home. If a home you are thinking of buying has buckling or bouncing floors, be sure to consult a home inspector right away to check the root of the problem.
Here are the main causes of uneven floors in a house:
- Soil movement: Soil usually shrinks when it gets dry and expands when it is wet. These changes often lead to soil movement over time, which causes the foundation to shift thus affecting the floors. If the builders don’t compact the soil beneath when laying the foundation of a home, there will be a higher risk of soil movement
- Exposure to excess moisture: One of the most common causes of uneven and sagging floors is water damage or excess moisture. The water could seep in from a wide range of sources, including groundwater and leaky pipes. Excess moisture can damage your flooring by causing the sub-flooring and wooden beams to warp. Moisture can also wreak havoc on the foundation of a house with poor drainage. This is a problem especially in climates where water freezes and expands during winter, thus forcing the floors to crack or move
- Poor structural design: Besides age, foundation damage can also result from poor craftsmanship or design. When a home is not designed properly, the foundation will not be able to hold the weight of the walls, roof framing, beams, and floor framing. A weak foundation results in uneven floors, cracking, warping, and numerous other problems. It is therefore not uncommon to find uneven floors in a new house
- Tree roots: Tree roots growing beneath the foundation of a home can cause sagging or uneven floors. Roots will not only cause your floors to expand and crack but will also suck the moisture and leave the foundation dry. In addition, tree roots could lead to soil settling and parching unevenly. If you decide to plant trees around a home, be sure to plant them as far away from the foundation as possible
- Natural sinkhole formation: The major cause of sinkholes is water that drains underground. If there isn’t sufficient drainage around a home, there is a higher risk of encountering this problem. Anytime water drains underground, it could cause soil erosion that results in underground caverns. Sinkhole formation signs include areas of floors that are spongy or soft, difficulty in closing windows and doors, or even higher than usual water bills that could be a sign of underground water leaks
Related: Foundation Inspection: What Investors Should Know
How Much Does Foundation Repair Cost?
It is clear by now that the root cause of uneven floors is foundation problems. Therefore, before buying a house with uneven floors, you need to consider the cost of repairing a foundation. According to HomeAdvisor, the cost ranges from $2,142 to $7,422.
Here are the specific costs for fixing foundation problems:
- Foundation crack repair: $250 – $800
- Foundation leak repair: $2,000 – $7,000
- House settling and sinking foundation repair: $1,000 – $3,000 per unit
- Bowing wall repair: $350 – $1,000 per strip (steel reinforcement or carbon fiber strips)
- Piering or basement underpinning: $1,000 – $3,000
- House leveling or foundation jacking: $500 – $1,300
- Foundation stabilization: $4,000 – $12,000
- Foundation sealing: $2,000 – $7,000
Related: What You Need to Know about Foundation Repair
What to Consider Before Buying a House With Crooked Floors
As mentioned earlier, uneven floors should not be a deal-breaker when looking for an investment property. Here are some factors to contemplate before buying a house with uneven floors:
Insert an Inspection Contingency in Your Offer
Before making an offer on a property that you suspect has structural issues, be sure to include an inspection contingency. This contingency will allow you to nullify the home purchase contract within a specific duration if the inspection uncovers issues the seller did not disclose upfront.
Hire an Expert Inspector
Before buying a house with uneven floors, be sure to hire an expert to check out the foundation. However, a normal home inspection might not be enough to reveal structural damage. Home inspectors are experts who are trained to spot general problems in the home but are not experts in any of them. Therefore, they can ‘inspect’ and ‘describe’ the floors, but will not be able to diagnose the underlying issue or recommend repairs. This is why you need a structural engineer to conduct a thorough inspection of the property’s structural integrity.
Typically, structural engineers charge a fee of between $100 to $150 per hour. The full cost for an inspection will depend on the type of foundation and the size of the home.
After the structural inspection, send the engineer’s written report to several qualified contractors and ask for repair estimates.
Related: House Inspection Cost in 2021: How Much Will You Pay?
Negotiate for Concessions
If the inspection reveals hidden problems in the home, you could ask the seller to make one of the following concessions:
- Make repairs before closing: The first option is to ask the seller to make the necessary repairs before closing. After the repairs are complete, hire a structural engineer once again to review the work and confirm whether it was done according to the inspection report’s recommendations. This will safeguard you from shoddy workmanship
- Reduce the home price: If the seller is unwilling to make repairs before closing, ask them to lower the house price. It would be advisable to have an experienced real estate agent who can negotiate on your behalf. Agents are experts in the local market and can present a strong argument. Being preapproved for a mortgage will also give you leverage when negotiating price with the seller
- Offer a repair credit at closing: In this case, the seller ‘pays’ for the repairs, but you are allowed to choose the contractor
The bottom line is that there is no one-size-fits-all plan for renegotiating a purchase agreement. It boils down to what you agree with the seller.
Consult an Experienced Agent
If you are thinking of purchasing a historical or older home, a seasoned real estate agent can come in very handy. The agent will share their experience with similar homes in the area and offer helpful insight for buying a house with uneven floors. They might even recommend a contractor or structural engineer who is conversant with similar issues of older houses in the neighborhood.
Conclusion
Before buying a house with uneven floors on a second story or the ground floor, take time to get familiar with the causes of this problem. Protect yourself by including an inspection clause in the purchase agreement. After getting the home inspected, negotiate concessions with the seller. And don’t forget to work with an experienced local real estate agent when buying a house with uneven floors.
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