Do the Floors Above Your Indiana or Kentucky Crawl Space Seem Uneven?

Do the floors above your basement or crawl space seem bouncy or unlevel? They might be sagging. If you want to check and are interested in solutions, read along.

Signs:

There are many signs of sagging floors, and most of them have to do with your upstairs living area. For starters, sloping floors can sometimes create a gap between the floor and interior walls. Look at your baseboards, and if there is a gap, your floors are uneven. Cracks in interior walls and gaps around door frames are another sign caused by a wall sinking along with the floors. Doors and that stick when you try to open or close them are also a sign to watch for.

Causes:

One cause of sagging floors could be that existing columns are spaced too far apart. When a crawl space is built, columns made from block, brick, or wood are located throughout to support the weight of the structure above. If these columns are spaced too far apart, the beam or girder can become overloaded and sag between the columns, causing the floor above to do the same.

Weakened floor joists and girders are another cause of sagging floors. Because crawl spaces are often unsealed from the earth, excess moisture and humidity become a big problem. When wood is exposed to moisture and humidity, it begins to rot, become moldy, and become weak.

Existing columns settling is the last cause of sagging floors. Weak soil can cause the existing columns in the crawl space to sink and settle, which creates a gap between the top of the column and the bottom of the girder it was supporting. It’s a chain reaction that occurs.

Solutions:

What NOT to do:

• Concrete columns. This solution is not adjustable. As the concrete column later settles into the soil, additional concrete will need to be added to help lift the girders.
• Light-duty Jack post. These stabilizing posts can hold very little weight, are difficult to adjust, and don’t address the weak foundation soils below.

There are a variety of options for fixing your foundation. You need a solution from a trustworthy contractor who will solve your problem permanently.

What to do:

• SmartJack Stabilizer- This solution is a steel support system used to stabilize and level the girders and floor joists in crawl spaces. It is a strong system that is adjustable and is the ONLY solution that addresses problem soils. Additionally, the system can be installed using a zinc-plated structural steel girder to ensure the system will never be susceptible to mold, moisture, and wood rot.

We service areas around Evansville, IN including Breckenridge, Hancock, Daviess, Beaver Dam, Perry, Crawford, Harrison, and Floyd.