Why Floors Begin To Sag or Slope - And How To Fix It

Some people are so used to their sloping or sagging floors, they're surprised to learn that it can be fixed.

Other people start replacing floorboards before calling a crawl space expert.

Why? At the end of the day, not many people know why floors begin sagging.

In this article, we'll break down why floors begin sagging, and a trustworthy, long-term solution to fix it. 

Reason #1: Existing Columns Are Spaced Too Far Apart

If you go into your crawl space, you'll either find block, brick, or even wood columns throughout to support the weight of your home. Sometimes, those columns are built too far apart, and the beam above becomes overloaded, sagging between columns. The girder sags with it, and so does the floor above.

Reason #2: Floor Joists And Girders Have Weakened

What happens when wood has been exposed to moisture? It begins to rot. If you have a weak, flimsy plastic liner in your crawl space (or no liner at all!), humidity and water vapor from the earth can be exposed to the wood beams, weakening them and causing the floors to become 'bouncy'. 

Reason #3:  Existing Columns Have Settled 

Problem soils can cause your existing columns to settle, just like it does for your foundation. Over time, weak or unstable soils will create a gap between the top of the column and the bottom of the girder it was supporting. As part of the chain reaction, the girder sags, then the floors above sag. 

How Do I Fix My Sagging Floors?

For sagging floors, we recommend our heavy duty SmartJack system. It's a steel support system used to stabilize and level the girders and floor joists in a crawl space, and can support loads many times grater than what's actually required to stabilize a sagging floor. SmartJacks do not replace the existing columns, but, rather, add strength and stability to what is there. They also are built on engineered fill, which address the root cause of settlement by providing reliable, stable strata to distribute the weight of the home evenly. Best of all, this is a long-term solution with a 25-year warranty, transferrable if you decide to sell your home. If you're curious, ask us about our free estimates!