My home is 100 years old and the upstairs floors are not level- help!

Kelly-n-Tony
by Kelly-n-Tony
For example a ball will roll across the floor. A tall clock doesn't lean against the wall and requires a shim to hold it back. If the grandkids jump around upstairs it obviously bounces the floor (the rule is no jumping now). There are obvious repairs to the ceiling below and a few cracks in the plaster.
Can I safely ignore this or do I have to do something?

  5 answers
  • Shore grandmom Shore grandmom on Jun 11, 2018

    I would be concerned. Has there been renovations where walls were removed? Bouncy floors that have caused ceiling damage would be a red flag to me. A 100 year old house will have settlement that could cause unlevel floors. A structural engineer could help make sure that your home is safe.

  • Jcraw Jcraw on Jun 11, 2018

    Personally I would hire a Structural Engineer to look the house over and give me the straight information. I would ask for a full list; his educated list of priorities and fixes. Forget contractors. Go to the source. We paid $400, a few years ago.

    Worth every penny to sleep at night.

    When remodeling the kitchen, our friendly electrician noticed “quirks”. Hence, the call to the engineer.

    Had five supports put in basement. Turns out the previous owners cut into beams enough that it was a miracle our fridge didn’t drop into basement.

    The center of our kitchen was 2-1/2 inches higher than either end. Plus the shoring of the outside wall meant our floor is level-ish.

    There are some things you can do gradually and some just bite the bullet. But, trust me, they are not going to get better by themselves, only worse.

  • If it were my (my mom's house was built in 1926), I would certainly look into it, but just know it is opening a Pandora's box. Be prepared for anything. Could be rotted out floor joists from an unknown leak, not yet discovered termite damage, anything. If there is a no bouncing rule, that alone would have me concerned. If there are any bathrooms on that floor I would want to make sure that the second floor is sound.

  • Laura Cooper Laura Cooper on Jun 11, 2018

    Wow.... Well in an old house there is always settling, but there are also occasions when a floor joist is split or has shifted off the foundation. I think you should have a professional assess it for your peace of mind.

  • Kelly-n-Tony Kelly-n-Tony on Jun 12, 2018

    thank you all for the advice!