Peak Basement Systems
723 S. Sierra Madre St Colorado Springs, CO, 80903
What Causes Sagging Floors in Pueblo
2011-07-19 10:27:38
Sagging floors are not only a nuisance, but they can also decrease the resell value of your home. After all, it makes the buyers wonder how much longer the floor will support the weight of everything on it. This leads us to two questions:
Why is it so prevelant in Pueblo and what created this problem?
1. Existing block or brick columns are spaced too far apart.
When a crawlspace is built, block or brick, sometimes even wood, columns are located throughout the crawlspace to support the weight of the structure above. If those columns are spaced too far apart, the beam or girder can become overloaded and sag between two columns. When the girder sags, so does the floor above it.
This occurs most often in older homes, ones built prior to the 1970s, before building codes drilled down on spacing. Most of the crawlspaces in Pueblo were constructed in the 1940s and 1950s, which means that they are prone to the spacing and sagging problems.
2. Weakened floor joists and girders due to moisture and wood rot.
Because crawlspaces are often unsealed from the earth, excess moisture and humidity is a problem. Naturally, wood begins to rot, get moldy, and become weak. The weakened girders and floor joists are unable to continue supporting the weight above, and the floor above the crawlspace becomes bouncy, soft, and saggy.
This occurs more often in Pueblo because the overall outdoor temperatures are 10 to 15 degrees hotter than say, Colorado Springs, for example. Additionally, Pueblo's geography causes a basin of moist air to settle in this area as the cool air comes off the Rockies and hits the warm air in Pueblo county. The combination of moist air and a cool crawlspace equals condensation and increased mold, rot, and other issues.
3. Existing columns settle due to weak soil.
Weak soil can cause existing columns in the crawlspace to sink or settle, often creating a gap between the top of the column and the bottom of the girder it was supporting. Once the solumn settles, then the girder sags and the floors above sag. It's a chain reaction.
This occurs throughout the Front Range and isn't really specific to Pueblo County, although the amount of hydrocompactable soil is higher in the southern half of the state. Hydrocompactable soil settles and sinks with moisture introduction, so columns in high humidity crawlspaces often settle.
