Uneven floors

vegasvisitor

A house we have viewed and quite like has a rather uneven floor in the hall. I'm not talking lumps and bumps, more of a gradual slope, but you can feel it when you walk from the front of the house to the back. The owner said it has always been like that (they've been there 30 years +). It's an old Victorian semi.

Any thoughts on what would be the likely cause, and if it is likely to be a problem. I'm supposing a surveyor would know, if it gets to that stage, but just wondering what people's thoughts are.

silvercar

Previous subsidence.

Lets be honest, no-one deliberately builds a home with sloping floors, so something has caused it. Either subsidence or heave (the opposite). The important thing to find out is if it is recent or historic. If it is historic then you need to find out what remedial action was taken, if any. Then you would want to know why whoever sorted it left the floor uneven!

vegasvisitor

Thanks for your reply.

I am supposing it could be historical, since there's no obvious cracking etc. The house is c1900 so there has been plenty of time for this to happen. We know the area well, and live in the same area. It's a hilly town. We live immediately at the bottom of the hill, so our back garden is sloped but the slping ends there - ie across the road is flat etc. The house is basically in front of our street. There is also a railway runs between the two streets, although there is a large garden between the house and the railway, and the garden is flat. The street the house is on slopes slightly, but not significantly. Otherwise construction seems absolutely fine. I don't remember any of the room floors sloping, more just the hall. We have also viewed the house next door and it slopes even more! Another just up the street doesn't seem to slope at all. None of the houses appear cracked or anything.

porscheking

Agree with above. Or if the property has had some repairs - for example due to damp proofing in the past. Sometimes the work isn't always spot on. Alternatively, dampness may now be affecting the joists and causing some sloping. A surveyor should be able to confirm the situation.

PasturesNew

I've seen a number on Homes Under the Hammer where the people just laid new, level, floors. They lifted up boards and had them relaid, for concrete floors they had them relevelled.

There was one nutter who hadn't re-hung the radiator though... it was about 4" higher up one end than the other!

If the house is OK, then there's just a cost implication to relevel all the floors.

vegasvisitor

Thanks for the replies so far.

If there's nothing really wrong, I don't have an issue with the floor. My issue is if there is an unresolved reason for it. I am worried there could be dry rot or something that is causing it. That leads me to wonder why it's only happening at one end of hall (middle of house as there's a room to the back of the hall). If there was an open cellar then that is something we could have asked to see, but there's no actual cellar.

porscheking

When I was buying my flat (a maindoor flat) there was dampness noted. It was circa 1890's. I was worried about the joists/timbers too. The seller agreed to me getting a professional to lift a board in a couple of rooms and have letting the said (damp proof etc..) professional have a look.

It led to me discussing a (slight) further price decrease for the purchase. From what you write, it doesn't sound like there's a major problem. I'd be inclined to be cautious but keep an opinion mind.

vegasvisitor

Can I ask if you spent your price decrease on a repair at all? Did there turn out to be any major problems? I'm curious what sort of price this type of work costs if it needs done.

porscheking

I don't think this is in anyway similar to your situation but our bill for damp-proofing (more than 50% of all walls in the flat) and replacing some joists/boards in a couple of small rooms = £10k. You don't know what the problem is but I'd simply suggest you be cautious and get professional advice- there may not even be a significant problem at all.

Best wishes.

vegasvisitor

Thanks for the info. Of course if we proceed we will seek professional advice. We have to get a decent offer on our house first - only had a cheeky offer so far!

harryhound

beware of old mining areas.