We Treat Your Home Like Our Own
Unlike homes with basements or crawl spaces, a slab floor is solid concrete with no structural wood flooring system. For homes with this type of floor, soft soil or bad compaction is almost always the culprit. Once the soil is compromised, the slab will shift, and this creates the sagging or sinking effect. Pressure from that shift will sometimes crack the slab itself, causing high and low places in the flooring. To fix this type of damage, you need concrete slab repairs.
Water is one of the most common contributors to sagging floors, as moisture naturally migrates through the soil surrounding your foundation. In Alexandria, older drainage systems, proximity to the Potomac River, and periodic heavy rainfall can allow moisture to reach the sill plate, wood beams, and floor joists. These wooden components rest directly on the foundation and form the framework that supports your floor. When moisture repeatedly contacts this framing, the wood begins to deteriorate, leading to loss of strength and the need for sagging floor repair in Alexandria, Virginia.
Standing water is not required for structural damage to occur. Elevated humidity levels, common in Northern Virginia, can gradually affect the beams and joists beneath your home. Wood is highly porous and absorbs moisture from damp air over time. As the material softens, it loses rigidity and compresses under the weight of the home, allowing floors to sink and feel uneven.
Wood damaging insects are another frequent cause of floor system failure. Termites are well known throughout this region, but powderpost beetles are also a concern and often go unnoticed. These insects lay eggs inside wooden framing, and once the larvae hatch, they feed on the wood from within. Over time, this hidden damage can significantly weaken the structural integrity of your floor system.
Human error can also contribute to sagging floors, particularly in Alexandria homes that have been renovated multiple times over the decades. Plumbing, electrical, or HVAC upgrades sometimes require alterations to framing. When joists or even the main support beam are cut or notched to make room for new systems, weak points are introduced that can eventually crack, split, or sag.
Building standards have evolved significantly, and many older Alexandria homes were constructed before modern codes were established. In these homes, support beams may be undersized or support posts spaced too far apart. This places added stress on the beam and increases the likelihood of sagging over time.
Homes more than 50 years old may also contain materials that were never intended to last this long. Builders often relied on wood shims to level framing during construction. As these shims age, they compress or decay. At Acculevel, we replace failing wood shims with steel shims to prevent compression and improve load distribution.
Technology and lifestyle changes can also affect floor performance. Before pressure treated lumber became widely available, untreated wood was commonly used and is far more vulnerable to moisture and insect damage. Modern renovations that add heavy materials such as stone tile, solid surface countertops, pool tables, or hot tubs increase the load on the structure. These additions place extra stress on already weakened framing, accelerating the need for sagging floor repair in Alexandria, Virginia.
Contact Acculevel! We provide free estimates on sagging floor repairs.
There are no job check-ins to display
