Old home ??

[peppy]

How important is a level floor in an old home?

My wife and I are having some work done in an older home and the floor in the bathroom is off about 1.5" in a 5' span. This is were the tub was and a new one is going back. The person doing the work said that it will not work. I say it was working.

Is this probably not the right person for the job?

[stomachmonkey]

1.5 in 5 has to be pretty noticeable.

In an old home I guess you could call it character or patina but I think I'd try to level it. But then again that could turn into one of those "once your in there's".

Bump for the contractors.

[Zeke]

Depends on which way the slope is relative to the drain in the tub. I'd take some measures to re-level the area and more importantly find out why it's out of whack. Any time a bathroom is that bad, you can suspect water damage.

Bets are off it's a 2 story house. I tried to level one of those and it took more equipment than I had. Well, I did get it up a 1/4 inch to place in a new concrete foundation and let it back down, but I had only 3 20 ton hydraulic jacks, some steel plates and some timber. This was for about 20 feet of interior bearing wall.

If I were going for 1 1/2 inches on a 2 story, I'd be calling someone else. Single story wood and I probably could get some of it with an auto floor jack. The 2 story was stucco with a tile roof.

It all makes a difference on how you proceed.

[Dantilla]

If it's simple settling due to time, no worries- All houses move with the seasons.

If there is damage/erosion due to water, then that needs to be taken car of, as it will only get worse, in an exponential time frame.

[trekkor]

Very few homes are built level.

The new tub can set level regardless of the floor's condition.
Run a ledger board from the high end that the new tub can hang on.
Set the tub in mortar- Done!

Post a picture so I can see what type of tub and enclosure you are working with.
The bathroom floor can be leveled after the tub install.

I deal with this all the time.


KT

[peppy]

Ok guys I had a chance to look today.

The house is a 2 story frame home build in 1935 (maybe older) with a tin roof. I went under there today and all looks good 2X10 joists on 16" centers but the span is 16'.

I think the problem is the old tub was recessed 3/4" below the hardwood floor, the carpenter put down 3/4" plywood and was trying to put the tub on top. He did not have anywhere to hide the gap.

The room does have a bit of a slope, but it was more like 3/4" not an 1.5"

We talked and I think he just has to work with it, the floor is not going to be level. I don't think the floor was ever level.

Nothing in the house is square or level.That is just how old homes are.

[Zeke]

I wonder if the carpenters of the pre WWII era didn't build some pretty fine homes, square, level and plumb. One old codger that taught me always made a story stick. He would go around from corner to corner checking heights. If the top plate is not level and square, you can be the roof framing will be a challenge. And so on and so on.

But, as mentioned, the old gals do tend to settle a bit.

[peppy]

Milt I don't think they even had a saw just hatchets. It is pretty cool to look inside the walls and under the house to see how they did it.

I will try to get some pictures up tomorrow.

My trip to Hershey has been canceled.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by peppy

Milt I don't think they even had a saw just hatchets. It is pretty cool to look inside the walls and under the house to see how they did it.

I will try to get some pictures up tomorrow.

My trip to Hershey has been canceled.

Those weren't "hatchets" unless you are looking at an original lather's hammer. Hand saws and rough sawn lumber were standard.

[notfarnow]

My house is a bit wonkitudinal
- the livingroom floors are 3" lower in the center of the house than at the side
- the ceiling drops 4" from the kitchen to the sunporch
- at the peak of the roof, the center is a full 6" lower than the sides
- the back of my house is 7" wider than the front.

But it's a solid house, the settling has taken about 140yrs, and the additions were done to "fit", not to measure. It's not concerning at all.

On the other hand, I showed a 2yr old house yesterday where the foundation wall cracked andwas open 1" at the top, filled with spray foam insulation. Yeah, THAT is concerning.

I showed a 120yr old oceanfront home at lunch today. It had been a sea captain's home. It had a distinct starboard list, but it's actually straight as an arrow inside.. every door, window and hallways is perfectly straight and true. The whole d#@% house just leans to one side. I can just imagine the captain coming home and trying to get his land legs back in THAT house. It's a hoot. The guy I showed it to LOVED it, and got a real kick out of how wonky it was.

My take on it is that there's a difference between being crooked and being unsound. There are plenty of solid but crooked old homes... but if there are signs that it's still moving and shifting, then you should be concerned.

[look 171]

3/4" isn't bad at all. pull the tube and button it back up with plywood sub floor and level the tub. Float the floor(if tile) and be done with it. On some higher dollar jobs, We have can cut angle shims out of 2x material and put them on top of the floor joist and level the floor that way and install the tub and finish up. does it have any sag in the foundation? windows and door operate well and are sq? If so, level the floor and finish up.

[GWN7]

Originally Posted by look 171

3/4" isn't bad at all. pull the tube and button it back up with plywood sub floor and level the tub. Float the floor(if tile) and be done with it. On some higher dollar jobs, We have can cut angle shims out of 2x material and put them on top of the floor joist and level the floor that way and install the tub and finish up. does it have any sag in the foundation? windows and door operate well and are sq? If so, level the floor and finish up.

+1 that's how I'd do it

"We have can cut angle shims out of 2x material and put them on top of the floor joist and level the floor that way and install the tub and finish up. "

[peppy]

Before



After



Hatchet work?

[Rot 911]

Hell that floor probably bounced up 1/2 inch just by getting rid of that cast iron tub. As you discovered, it is relatively easy to level a fiberglass tub.

[Steve Viegas]

How do you use the commode?

[teenerted1]

my cammode sits 3/4" above the rest of the floor on a wood spacer to take up the gap to the flange on the drain. and there is at least a 1" gap on the bottom of the bathroom door. seems before the last remodel there was pretty thick tile in the room.

vinyl flooring there now and the tub and sink/cabinet seem to be sitting on the floor now

[UconnTim97]

Originally Posted by Steve Viegas

How do you use the commode?

Clearly, at the same time as he is showering....

[peppy]

Originally Posted by UconnTim97

Clearly, at the same time as he is showering....

doesn't everyone!

[look 171]

That's one of those Amercast tub? pour some motar under that tub so when you go and turn the water on, it doesn't sound so hollow. It makes the tub sit better. If its cast iron, them forget what I have said.

[peppy]

A bit of progress.