We just bought this house (our first!) and after a couple of weeks I’m starting to notice some flaws. It was built in 1968, it’s over a crawl space, and we live in the Midwest.
In the kitchen (which is covered in some kind of vinyl or laminate) there’s a soft spot right where you turn the corner to go past the refrigerator. Not something we noticed during the home inspection, but in bare feet (and now that we’ve got furniture & appliances in there directing us to it), it’s easy to notice.
Actually the whole kitchen floor feels soft-ish to me, but that’s no doubt b/c we lived in apartments built over slabs for so many years. We did live in one townhouse with a basement for a while, and I remember noticing the difference in my knees. As in, the wooden flooring had a lot more “give” and was easier on my joints.
However, it seems to me this is probably a high-traffic spot that has gotten a lot of wear over the years.
So I’m wondering, is this particularly soft spot just a matter of wear?
Or should I haul my ass into the crawl space pronto to take a look?
If it’s near the fridge, one thought that occured is maybe a leak from the fridge at some point and the subfloor rotted some. That would not be a difficult fix, assuming you still have, or can get, some laminate flooring to match.
At any rate it does not sound like something that requires immediate attention. I hear you about the cold…it’s one degree :eek: here in Michigan right now.
Congratulations on your house. I’m on my third house and it was built it 1937. There’s always some little things needing fixed…welcome to home ownership!
This was my first thought too. VERY common occurance in the type and age of construction you’re talking about.
You had a home inspection? They shopuld’ve caught that. Your contract may allow you some recourse with the inspection guarantee.
It’s a bit cold now, so don’t go crawling under the house just yet. As soon as convenient though, check it out. The repair for this problem can be as easy as scabbing on a new 2x6, or as difficult as replacing several joists and some hydrolic jacking. You won’t know until you (or a contractor or an inspector) see it.
Until then, try to avoid walking overmuch on that spot. If totaly rotted, it can give at any time. If just partly rotted, it still weakens it. A 2 x 4 foot sheet of plywood laid over the spot will spread the stress over a couple of joists. No, don’t nail it down, just lay it down, throw a floor mat over it for comfort and looks. And when the weather warms a bit, check it out.
We have a “soft spot” around our toilet in our very ancient house. We’re kinda waiting until we drop into the basement to get it fixed. I’m sure this isn’t the best approach.
Did you use your own home inspector or one that the reality broker recommended (who has an interest in making sure the sale goes through with not that many problems found so he will continue to be recommended)?
I did wind up using one of the inspectors the realtor recommended, “Bob”, but not for lack of trying - I spent hours online looking for someone better. Called people who’d done environmental testing of homes to ask which inspectors they worked with. Called other realtors. Checked out the various certifications – there are tons of them. Every time I found some kind of list that looked legitimate, “Bob” was right up there on it.
Thing is, the inspectors (husband and wife team) DID find a number of problems that the realtor thought were picayune; I didn’t get the impression they’d “gone easy” on the house. My Hubby and I participated, spent a whole afternoon with these people. I even went into the crawl space myself. Should’ve looked UP a little more.
We did get this place for $20k less than the owners originally wanted. Oh well.