BladeRunner
Member
- Messages
- 11
Hi all,
I have a Victorian terraced house in the usual 'L' shape, with a rear annexe with a kitchen downstairs and a bathroom and bedroom upstairs. The bedroom above the kitchen has a fairly significant slope in it from one side to the other (as opposed to sloping towards the back of the house) and this slope is about 1¾ inches (one and three-quarters, in case anyone has trouble reading those tiny numbers in the fraction!) over about 9.5 feet. The slope can also be seen in the ceiling above the kitchen.
I didn't notice this when viewing the house, and my survey only mentioned 'some of the floors are not level but this is common in houses of this age', which I somehow missed as I was focusing on the other stuff that the surveyor flagged as being 'major issues' (mainly relating to damp issues).
When we moved in we almost had a heart attack when we noticed it, and I must admit I panicked somewhat. I have since read quite a bit online and it seems that this is indeed fairly common in older houses from the Victorian period or earlier, so I've managed to talk myself down from my panic. There are no significant cracks other than a few hairline cracks here and there, and the plaster, window reveals, and window sills etc. are level and look like they haven't been replaced in years, so I'm pretty sure it's been like this for years. I've had a drain survey done and there are no leaks or anything on that front. The ceiling above the bedroom also has the slope in it, so I assume it's just 'settlement' in that wall that has occurred at some point during the history of the house.
We are getting a new kitchen fitted and a full rewire, and I was thinking of asking the fitter to level the floor in the upstairs bedroom before we lay laminate flooring (sadly we don't have the budget for nice wooden floors in this room at this stage!). I would like to go into this with my eyes open though, so I know what the best way of levelling it might be when I come to discuss it with him. Looking online, it seems that the floor can be levelled using the following methods:
1. 'Shims' or 'firrings' on top of the joists - this seems like a good option but I don't know if it might be difficult to cut gradually narrowing wedges that are 9.5ft long!
2. 'Sistering' the joists with a piece of wood running alongside each joist to take out the slope. My concern with this is - would it not add a load of weight to the floor, and possibly risk causing further settlement? This is the absolute last thing I want - I'd rather live with the slope than risk that!
I suppose the third option would be to leave it and just live with it, and if it's a very expensive and risky job then maybe I should go for that option!
I would be grateful for any advice or observations.
Many thanks
I have a Victorian terraced house in the usual 'L' shape, with a rear annexe with a kitchen downstairs and a bathroom and bedroom upstairs. The bedroom above the kitchen has a fairly significant slope in it from one side to the other (as opposed to sloping towards the back of the house) and this slope is about 1¾ inches (one and three-quarters, in case anyone has trouble reading those tiny numbers in the fraction!) over about 9.5 feet. The slope can also be seen in the ceiling above the kitchen.
I didn't notice this when viewing the house, and my survey only mentioned 'some of the floors are not level but this is common in houses of this age', which I somehow missed as I was focusing on the other stuff that the surveyor flagged as being 'major issues' (mainly relating to damp issues).
When we moved in we almost had a heart attack when we noticed it, and I must admit I panicked somewhat. I have since read quite a bit online and it seems that this is indeed fairly common in older houses from the Victorian period or earlier, so I've managed to talk myself down from my panic. There are no significant cracks other than a few hairline cracks here and there, and the plaster, window reveals, and window sills etc. are level and look like they haven't been replaced in years, so I'm pretty sure it's been like this for years. I've had a drain survey done and there are no leaks or anything on that front. The ceiling above the bedroom also has the slope in it, so I assume it's just 'settlement' in that wall that has occurred at some point during the history of the house.
We are getting a new kitchen fitted and a full rewire, and I was thinking of asking the fitter to level the floor in the upstairs bedroom before we lay laminate flooring (sadly we don't have the budget for nice wooden floors in this room at this stage!). I would like to go into this with my eyes open though, so I know what the best way of levelling it might be when I come to discuss it with him. Looking online, it seems that the floor can be levelled using the following methods:
1. 'Shims' or 'firrings' on top of the joists - this seems like a good option but I don't know if it might be difficult to cut gradually narrowing wedges that are 9.5ft long!
2. 'Sistering' the joists with a piece of wood running alongside each joist to take out the slope. My concern with this is - would it not add a load of weight to the floor, and possibly risk causing further settlement? This is the absolute last thing I want - I'd rather live with the slope than risk that!
I suppose the third option would be to leave it and just live with it, and if it's a very expensive and risky job then maybe I should go for that option!
I would be grateful for any advice or observations.
Many thanks