Consumption and Real Estate
Just bought a renovated home – the floor seems unstable??
Question : Just bought a renovated home – the floor seems unstable??
I just bought and moved into an older (67 years old) home that was completely renovated (roof, siding, electric, heating, plumbing, a/c, interior, doors, windows, etc) in 2007. My question is: the floor is saggy in some places, and makes a lot of “popping” noises when you walk across it. I’ve also noticed that the stuff (not sure what the proper name is) between the tiles in the kitchen and bathroom is coming out in little crumbly pieces. Is this normal for a newly tiled floor? Also, is the saggy floor normal for an older home? The house is beautifully done, so I’m hoping these are just normal quirks for an older, renovated house. The house IS under a one-year warranty, so any serious issues are covered. Tell me your thoughts!!
one year home warranty
Best answer:
Answer by Vernon A
sucky floor plan…
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#2 written by rickster 1 year ago
you should check to see if the floor joists are stable, check for rot and proper spacing. check also to see if the joists are sized properly for the load.
the grout separating from the tile is a common problem with newly tiled floors/walls-it has not been sealed. you can purchase sealer at home depot/lowe’s. the easiest way to verify the lack of sealer is to wipe the tile and grout with your hand- is there a chalk like film present? clean the area with vinegar before sealing, this will save alot of work.
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#3 written by Amy R 1 year ago
Sagging is common in older homes and if there were some humidity issues under the crawlspace, the floor joists may need to have another girder and pier set installed at their mid-point to shore them up (I am hoping the sag is not in the upper floor!) The crumbling of the grout (stuff between the tiles) is due to the floor movement and the installer may not have added the additional layer to the subfloor in order to stabilize it for tiling. The Ceramic Tile Association has standards and I think the total for the layers or subfloor or subfloor and Durock come to 1-1/2″ minimum for a tile installation. But if your joists are bouncey, reinforcing the subfloor will still not be enough. They may have removed a supporting wall during the renovations. They are also likley to have “trespassed” the joists when they made the plumbing changes. Some plumbers are terrible about butchering the floor joists in ways that destroy their structural capacity – making them sag and even fail. If you can look at the joists (and you may need to take the ceiling down on the first floor if the problem is the second floor) you should be able to see if the renovation damaged the joists, or there are termites in there due to problems with old or new plumbing, or the wall was moved and the new header is too small or the new span too large for the depth of the joists. Try to get a framer over there to look at the problem. Also try going into the crawlspace if the problem is on the first floor – water damage or termite damage or plumber damage will be visible from the crawlspace (for problems on the first floor). Bad decisions during renovations can cause unnecessary expense and work for future owners.
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#4 written by pea_nut_26 1 year ago
You say the home was renovated.. Who did the remodel, the owner or a contractor? Is there a guarantee on all work done? I take it that it is on a raised foundation… there was new tile installed? was the sub-flooring replaced/inspected prior to the new floor being laid?
You may need to tear up the floor and start over, it should not sag or be noisy if it was done right, and I’m pretty sure your home warranty (if thru a home warranty company, and not individual contractors) does not cover any remodel work done that was done poorly. There should not be any crumbly anything coming out of the tiles. Floor creaking is common in an older home, loose floorboards, but to make an old house like new, the sub-flooring should be re-done and made solid again.Good Luck.
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#6 written by sadbrowneyes13 1 year ago
It sounds to me that the floor might be rotting out. I would get it inspected before something bad happens. The tile in the bathroom and the kitchen sound like it wasn’t done right and you should maybe have someone else come and take a look at that to let you know. I lived in a house that was built in the 50′s and it was remodled with tile and there was never a problem like that. The floor would pop and you could feel soft spots. It was because the floor was rotting. I would just get it all inspected just in case before the year warranty is up. Good luck.
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#8 written by Denali 1 year ago
I would have it checked if under warrantly. My house is from 58 and my floors and not saggy.. They creak a little on the hardwood though.. The grout is coming out of the seams of your tile means either it is not put on a stable floor or it wasn’t given enought time to cure.. It will probably have to be redone. they might have put down a subfloor or plywood under neath and it is not screwed down enought. What type of flooring is saggy?? sometime laminate.. is saggy because it is a floating floor.. you should have it checked out though while still under warranty .. good luck
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#9 written by rookem123 1 year ago
Nope…I don’t think that it is ever normal for a floor to sag. I live in a house built in 1924 and there are no issues like that (the floor creaks, but nothing like you described.) Maybe there is an issue with the foundation (lets hope not) or with the way the floor was built. Either way I would definitely have a professional check it out before your warranty is up. Good luck!
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#10 written by Phoenix: Velvet Vixen 1 year ago
The grout between the tiles should NOT be coming out. That needs to be redone. The popping is not a big deal – older floors do that, but I’d be concerned about the sagging. They may need to jack up the floor in some areas or check out the floor joists. It’s not particularly abnormal, though, but if you have a warranty, get it taken care of.
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#11 written by Tracy M 1 year ago
It seems you didn’t have a home inspection done before you purchased it. There could be any number of reasons for these things that are happening and you should get an inspection done to make sure it isn’t a major structural problem with the floors. Unfortunately because you have already purchased it, if there is major work to be done then you will have to pay for it. In the future ALWAYS put the money out for an inspection (only about $ 300) and it could potentially save you thousands of dollars.
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I agree with many others here – have your home inspected immediately, especially the flooring issue. Unstable subfloors or joists will make any money you spend on new flooring a complete waste.
Best of luck.