Sign: sagging framed floors
Crawl space repair and pier and beam foundations
Some of Orlando's older wood-frame houses, built before concrete slabs became the norm, stand on rows of short piers with the floor framed in timber above a crawl space. Their problems look different from a slab's, and so do the repairs.
Signs upstairs
A floor that springs when you walk across it. A dip you can feel between two rooms. China rattling in a cabinet. Gaps between baseboard and floor. Doors that lean toward the middle of the house instead of toward an outside wall.
What goes wrong under a framed floor
Piers that sink or lean
Brick or block piers often rest on small pads at the surface of the sand. One that settles leaves the beam above it hanging, and the floor dips there.
Shims that crushed or fell out
Wood wedges between pier and beam compress over decades. A gap opens and the floor bounces.
Damp and rot
Humid air, a plumbing drip or soil piled against the sill softens wood where it rests on masonry.
Termite damage
Timber eaten by termites loses its strength. A pest control firm treats the house, then the damaged wood is replaced.
Too few supports
Old houses were often framed with long spans. Added weight, such as a tiled bathroom, makes a marginal floor sag.
What an inspection covers
Someone has to go under the house. They check each pier for lean and for gaps, probe sills, beams and joists for soft wood, read the moisture in the timber and look at the ground for standing water. Ask for photos from underneath, since you will probably not go in yourself.
Repairs a company may propose
| Repair | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Re-shimming | Taking up gaps between piers and beams with steel or hardwood shims |
| New or rebuilt piers | Replacing piers that have sunk, leaned or crumbled, on wider footings |
| Adjustable steel posts | Adding support in the middle of a span where the floor bounces |
| Sistering joists | Bolting new timber alongside cracked or undersized joists |
| Sill and beam replacement | Cutting out rotted or termite-damaged wood and fitting treated timber |
| Moisture control | Ground cover, venting or drainage so the new wood stays dry |
Crawl space questions
Is this the same thing as pier and beam foundation repair?
Yes. Pier and beam, post and beam and crawl space foundation are names for the same kind of construction: a framed wood floor held off the ground on piers. Companies use the terms loosely, so describe what is under your house when you call.
My crawl space is damp but the floors feel solid. Who do I call?
Start with the trade that fits the source: a plumber for a leaking pipe, a drainage firm for rain getting in. Foundation repair comes in when the framing has sagged, softened or lost its support.
Ready to have the house looked at?
Only someone standing at the house can tell you what is going on under it. Call, explain what you have noticed, and ask for an inspection.
Describe the problem, book an inspection
Say where the cracks or dips are and when you first saw them. The independent local foundation repair company you reach can set a time to look at the house.
Call (407) 598-8829The call may be recorded. See how referrals are paid for and what happens to your details.