Why Doesn’t Acculevel Warranty Wood Repairs?
If your floors are sagging or sloping, it means a portion of the structure below your flooring is failing. That flooring structure is almost certainly made of wood- whether we’re talking about the sill plate, floor joists, or other components. The average cost to repair sagging or sloping floors is approximately $5600. But none of the wooden component repairs come with a guarantee.
This may be startling to hear, since we’re well known for our life-of-structure warranties and superior installation. Acculevel has been repairing foundations and waterproofing homes since Andy Beery founded the company in 1996. We are experts in repairing sagging floors, but we cannot guarantee these flooring repairs will endure long term.
However, there is a way to reduce the chances the new wooden components will deteriorate like the old ones did. In this blog, we’re going to explain why we don’t warranty wooden repairs- and how you can maximize the value of the repairs.
What Caused the Flooring Structure to Decay?
The number one reason your flooring components degrade is moisture. Whether there is actual standing water in your crawl space, or just an excess of humidity, moisture is bad for your home’s foundation.
Many people think termites are the primary cause, but the truth is a bit more complicated than that. Termites prefer damp wood that has developed bacteria, because it’s easier to digest. So you’re less likely to have termites if you have a dry foundation.
Likewise, bacteria and other biological growths can contribute to wood damage (and unhealthy air quality). But bacteria and spores require moisture to grow- so a dry foundation is less likely to develop mildew or mold.
What does all this mean? Keeping your foundation and crawl space dry will deter most of the forces that damaged your wooden flooring components.
This photo was taken by an Acculevel project manager during a free estimate appointment. The main beam has mold and decay; you can see the wood is compressing against the support column.
A Sagging Floor is Both a Problem & a Symptom.
If the real problem in your home is moisture, then sagging floors are a symptom of a greater problem. This isn’t to say that your sagging floor isn’t a problem on its own- just that it demonstrates there’s more wrong with your home.
The solution, as I indicated in the last section, is keeping your foundation dry. The best method for this is to install geochannel drainage and a sump pump. And unlike wooden flooring repairs, this waterproofing system does have a long-term warranty. This water drainage system comes with Acculevel’s life-of-structure warranty.
Waterproofing your crawl space still won’t guarantee the wood in your flooring structure won’t ever decay again. Wood is an organic material that will eventually break down even in the best of circumstances. But we can guarantee our waterproofing system, when installed correctly, will not fail to remove the water that enters the crawl space.
Additional Resources
Have you noticed a musty smell? Is everyone in your home sneezing and coughing? We explain how mold and other biological growths can harm even the healthiest of people.
Curious about why we recommend interior waterproofing instead of the exterior method? We compare the pros and cons of both types in this article.
Want to know what can happen, if you ignore your sagging floors and wet crawl space? This article explores four instances where homeowners postponed repairs, and what it cost them.
Do You Need Sagging Floors Repaired? Want to Know More about Waterproofing?
If you live in our service area, contact us for an in-home inspection and free written estimate. You reach us by phone at 866-669-3349, by email at [email protected], or by filling out our online form.
Don’t live in Indiana or the surrounding areas? Find a local contractor that is reputable, insured, and accredited by the Better Business Bureau. This article has suggestions on how to find a quality contractor, and this one explains how long a lifetime warranty actually is for service providers.
