Basement floor Issue

[Regk]

Hi,

my wife and I went to look at a home recently and noticed a strange issue in this basement. the basement was finished all drywall, and It appeared that from the center of the basment the floor sloped downward toward the walls. for instance you would go into the bathroom which is against the wall and it would feel as if you are drunk! I would estimate that from the center of the basement you are looking at a 1.5 to 2 inch drop to the walls. my biggest question is what the heck is going on? There are some cracks on the floor where there is no carpet but i dont notice any other damage or issues in the drywall in the rest of the home.

Is this something that is fixable? or forget it?

 

[Ksyder]

that sounds like a problem... did the home owner or realtor have any answers for that? If it was the case that the foundation wasn't tamped properly, the weight of the house on the basement walls would cause them to sink where as the basement floor would be higher in the center because it is not load bearing except in a few places where there are supports. Whether or not this is the case, I guess it is hard to say.

 

[Bryophyte]

How old is the house?

 

[Regk]

Our realtor is going to check with theirs to see what's what. The place was built in 83

 

[olds]

Dirt floors are the best. It's easier to get the blood out by taking a few shovel fulls..
.

 

[Blackjack200]

does the floor have a crown shape or is it sloped from one side to the other? I'd be real nervous about buying a place like that unless the seller paid for an engineer to come in and say what the problem is and you can get a sense for what it would cost to either fix or, more likely, stop from getting worse.

 

[WHAMPOM]

Hi,

my wife and I went to look at a home recently and noticed a strange issue in this basement. the basement was finished all drywall, and It appeared that from the center of the basment the floor sloped downward toward the walls. for instance you would go into the bathroom which is against the wall and it would feel as if you are drunk! I would estimate that from the center of the basement you are looking at a 1.5 to 2 inch drop to the walls. my biggest question is what the heck is going on? There are some cracks on the floor where there is no carpet but i dont notice any other damage or issues in the drywall in the rest of the home.

Is this something that is fixable? or forget it?

Drainage leading to a sump pump.

 

[bruceb]

I agree, get a structural engineer to look at it. It could affect the stability that the walls are on. Or it could just be as noted, for the sump pump, if it has one. It it does, I would very carefully have it checked to be sure there is not a past or present moisture issue or damage.

 

[bctbct]

I have seen this several times and each time it is water related. On 2 occasions it was because the drain tile were daylighted but not draining properly and the other times it was the drain tile had failed.

In any event they are likely getting water under the slab which is a major problem.

How old is the house, does it have a sump?

 

[iGas]

Stay away because it could be hydraulic heave.

 

[Regk]

explain hydraulic heave please. the place has a pool in the back yard and is about 300 feet away from a man made lake. it is also hooked up to city sewer, no sump pump.

 

[pyonir]

Dirt floors are the best. It's easier to get the blood out by taking a few shovel fulls..
.

 

[iGas]

explain hydraulic heave please. the place has a pool in the back yard and is about 300 feet away from a man made lake. it is also hooked up to city sewer, no sump pump.

Liquidfide soil under the basement is forced upward by the pressure (weight) of the surrounding soil. It is quite a common occurent with empty swimming pools.

The pool and man made lake could be the cause if there is seepage/leakage.

The effect could also because the house is built on top of a swamp or natural spring/s with inadequate drainage.

 

[Kreon]

<---- Civil Engineering Student

I would wonder what the floor is made of. Is it the slab itself with carpet over it? Or is it a raised floor?

If it's the slab, I would worry. Unless is slants towards a drain or a sump-pump (which there are apparently none). If it's below the water table, it could be hydraulic lift. It may also have been a screw-up when laying the foundation (though less lkely)

If it's a raised floor (like there is a wood frame underneath the floor keeping it off the concrete, it could be a number of things. It might be the slab, in which case see above. It could also be shoddy craftsmanship building the raised floor. It could also be rot in the floor itself.

Either way, if you're considering the house, get an engineer to look at it.

 

[iGas]

<---- Civil Engineering Student

I would wonder what the floor is made of. Is it the slab itself with carpet over it? Or is it a raised floor?

If it's the slab, I would worry. Unless is slants towards a drain or a sump-pump (which there are apparently none). If it's below the water table, it could be hydraulic lift. It may also have been a screw-up when laying the foundation (though less lkely)

If it's a raised floor (like there is a wood frame underneath the floor keeping it off the concrete, it could be a number of things. It might be the slab, in which case see above. It could also be shoddy craftsmanship building the raised floor. It could also be rot in the floor itself.

Either way, if you're considering the house, get builder/concrete form builder/swimming pool builder to look at it.

Comprehension,

Basement != crawlspace

Edit for clarity

 

[Analog]

Floors generally slope toward a drain or sump. I would be very suspicious. How are the walls? Straight with no cracking? Check the foundation - a professional inspector may be in order.