Should I be concerned about sloping floors?

Older homes in the Niagara region may have floors that aren’t exactly level. Over the years, the house will settle, and this won’t always happen the same amount in every area of the house. When the house settles unevenly, it can create cracks, or the floors will commonly slope slightly. If this happens, is it something to be concerned about as a homeowner? Here’s what you need to know. 

Why do floors slope?

When houses are built, they are constructed parallel to the ground. Over time, though, the ground can shift and move under the house, which can cause parts of the house to sink into the ground. When the house is no longer parallel to the ground, the floors will start to slope. 

Sometimes, sloping floors can result from foundation issues with your home rather than just house settling. A house weighs a lot, and the weight of the house can cause the foundation to buckle over time. This will have the same effect as a house settling, and the floors will slope. 

Are sloping floors cause for concern?

If you have sloping floors in your home, you will want to review the symptoms before determining if there is a major cause of concern. 

If you look around the outside of your home at the foundation, you may notice signs of a crumbling foundation. When this happens, the sloping floors are a sign of bigger problems with your home, which is a cause for concern. If this is happening with your home, then you will need to address the foundation issues to prevent further damage to your Niagara home. 

If you, or a professional, can’t see any issues with the foundation or the floor joists in your home, then the sloping could be a result of the house settling over time, and this in itself may not be cause for concern. 

How much sloping is acceptable?

If the floors in your Niagara home are slightly sloping, then you may not have to take drastic measures. However, if it’s very noticeable, you will want to have it fixed so the floors don’t get any worse and avoid further significant damage to your home. 

If it’s an issue with the foundation, the issue will continue to escalate until it’s fixed. 

Contact Foundation Fix today! 

The good news is that your house doesn’t have to slope, and there are things that can be done to fix it. The important part is figuring out the cause – such as foundation issues – so that you know where to start and where to focus your efforts. Once the cause has been addressed, the floors can be levelled out from underneath with new subflooring or even self-levelling concrete. 

You don’t have to live with sloping floors in your Niagara home. Call in a foundation expert from Foundation Fix today to look at your home and prescribe the right solution to address the problem.