Chapter 01
What Is Floor Framing?
In a home built over a crawl space, the floor you walk on rests on a frame of wood underneath it. That frame is what framing repair is about.
The Parts of Your Floor Framing
- Subfloor. The layer of wood panels or boards under your finished floor.
- Floor joists. The rows of boards under the subfloor.
- Beams and girders. The larger members that carry the floor framing.
- Posts and piers. The supports under the floor beams, usually standing on a footing.
- Sill plates. The wood that sits on top of the foundation and supports the walls and floor.
Our framing repairs cover joists, beams, girders, sill plates and posts, and they are completed to state building code.
Chapter 02
Why Does Floor Framing Get Damaged?
In a vented crawl space that is not encapsulated, humidity can still allow wood rot. Our recommendation is to encapsulate the crawl space and add a dehumidifier. Read more about crawl space encapsulation.
Where Crawl Space Moisture Comes From
Moisture in a crawl space typically comes from one or more of these sources:
- Ground moisture. Water vapor rising from the soil under the home.
- Outdoor humidity. Humid outside air that reaches the crawl space.
- Condensation. Moisture forming on cool surfaces such as pipes and ducts.
- Water getting in. Water that reaches the crawl space and collects there.
How Conditions Differ Across the Carolinas
Around Greenville and Columbia in South Carolina, heat and humidity add to the moisture load. In Wilmington, Leland and Brunswick County, the local conditions include a high water table, saturated and sandy soils, and salt air. Around Asheville, they include hillside foundations, slopes, runoff and heavy mountain rainfall. Around Fayetteville and Pinehurst, sandy soils drain differently from Piedmont clay.
Other Causes of a Sagging Floor
A sagging floor can also come from damaged joists, beams or posts under the home, including posts and piers that are damaged or failing. A framing repair starts by finding that cause.
Chapter 03
The Floor Framing and Crawl Space Checklist
Walk your home with this list. Check off what you see or feel, write down where it is and when you noticed it, and take a photo. Those notes are useful at an inspection, whatever the cause turns out to be.
A Sign Is Not a Diagnosis
A soft spot or a sloping floor can have more than one cause. Use this list as notes for a conversation with an inspector, not as a verdict on your home.
What to Write Down for Each Sign
- Where it is. The room, and where in the room, or where under the house.
- What you see or feel. A dip, a slope, a soft spot, a crack or damp wood.
- When you first noticed it. A rough date is fine.
- Whether it has changed. Lower, softer, or new since you last looked.
- A photo. Take it from the same spot each time, so you can compare them.
Chapter 04
What Can Floor Framing Signs Tell You?
A floor that sags or bounces tells you that something under it may have changed. On its own, it does not tell you which part of the framing is involved, or why.
Is It the Framing or the Foundation?
A floor can move because of the framing under it, the foundation it rests on, or both. An inspection is the way to tell which.
Can a Sagging Floor Collapse?
It can, but in our experience only with well advanced framing problems or extreme neglect. We have seen two or three cracked joists in a row, with two to three inches of sag and slope, that still had not collapsed.
We recommend an inspection for any floor that slopes, sags or bounces, because repairing one joist costs far less than repairing twenty. That is what the free inspection in the next chapter is for.
Chapter 05
What Happens at a Free Framing Inspection?
A free inspection is where your notes turn into answers.
- 1
Schedule Your Free Inspection
Call or fill out our quick online form. We’ll book a convenient time to assess your home at no cost.
- 2
Get a Custom Repair Plan
A trained inspector (not a salesperson) looks at your home, explains every finding in plain language, and gives you a written estimate at no cost.
- 3
Relax While We Handle the Fix
If you decide to go ahead, our team schedules the work and handles the repair.
What the Inspector Looks At
Under the house, the inspector checks for moisture, standing water, damaged wood and sagging floor framing, then explains the findings and the options. Read more about our crawl space inspection.
What You Get Afterward
After the inspection you get written documentation, typically an estimate with photographs. Our documentation includes elevation plans with measurements, and we can provide video of what we found if you ask.
Bring Your Checklist
Your notes, dates and photos show the inspector what you have noticed over time, including things that come and go with the seasons.
Chapter 06
How Do Framing Repairs Work?
The right repair depends on which part of the framing is damaged and why, and a home can need more than one. Here is how the main framing repairs we do work, so a recommendation in an estimate makes sense to you.
Fix the Problem, Not Just the Symptom
When moisture damaged the framing, your inspection also looks at where that moisture comes from, and your estimate can include ways to control it.
Sistering Floor Joists
A new joist is fastened alongside a weak or damaged one to strengthen it, so the two carry the floor together. Read more about sistering floor joists.
Repairing or Replacing Joists
A joist that is cracked, rotted or sagging can be repaired or replaced, depending on what the damage calls for. Floor joist repair plates are another way to strengthen a joist. Read more about floor joist repair.
Joist Hangers
A joist hanger is a metal connector that holds the end of a joist to the beam or board that supports it. Read more about joist hanger installation.
Beams and Girders
Beams and girders are the larger members the joists rest on and carry the floor framing. A beam or girder that is damaged or sagging can be repaired or replaced. Read more about beam and girder replacement.
Crawl Space Jacks
Crawl space jacks are supports installed under sagging beams to support the floor above. Read more about crawl space jack installation.
Post and Pier Replacement
Posts and piers support the floor beams. A post or pier that is damaged or failing can be replaced, so the beam above it has support again. Read more about post and pier replacement.
Sill Plate Replacement
The sill plate is the wood framing that sits on top of the foundation and supports the walls and floor. A sill plate that is rotted or damaged can be replaced. Read more about sill plate replacement.
Wood Rot Repair
Rotted wood framing in the crawl space is repaired, along with moisture control to help prevent new rot. Read more about wood rot repair.
Chapter 07
What Affects the Cost of a Framing Repair?
Every home is different, so your price comes from the written estimate after your free inspection. There is no cost for the inspection or the written estimate.
We offer financing options. Ask your inspector about them at your free inspection, or read about financing.
Chapter 08
How Do You Compare Framing Repair Estimates?
If you are talking with more than one company, the written estimate is where you can compare them side by side. Ask for every estimate in writing.
A Clear Written Estimate Shows
- Which parts of the framing are being repaired or replaced, where, and how many.
- What the repair is meant to do for your home.
- What is included in the price, and what is not.
- The warranty for each repair, with its conditions and exclusions, in writing.
- When each warranty starts.
Five Questions Worth Asking Any Contractor, Including Us
- What damaged the framing, and how will this repair address it?
- Which joists, beams or posts are being repaired or replaced, and how?
- What is being done about any moisture that reached the wood?
- What does the warranty cover, what does it exclude, and when does it start?
- What is not included in the price?
Our framing repair warranty comes with written conditions and exclusions, and no warranty of any kind starts until the final invoice is paid in full. The full terms are on our warranty page.
Chapter 09
Common Questions About Framing Repair
Is there a cost for the inspection or the estimate?
No. There is no cost for the inspection or the written estimate.
What does the framing repair warranty cover?
Our framing repair warranty comes with written conditions and exclusions, and no warranty of any kind starts until the final invoice is paid in full.
Will my framing repair include work on the crawl space?
It depends on what your inspection finds. In a vented crawl space that is not encapsulated, humidity can still allow wood rot. Our recommendation is to encapsulate the crawl space and add a dehumidifier.
Why am I getting emails after asking for this guide?
When you ask for the guide, we email it to you, and we may follow up with a few short emails on the topics in it. Every follow up has an unsubscribe link, and one click stops them.
No Pressure
Schedule a Free Framing Repair Inspection
HydroHelp911 has served homes across North and South Carolina since 2017, with 1,300+ verified Google reviews (4.9 stars), and we are BBB A+ Accredited. Bring your checklist to a free inspection. A trained inspector, not a salesperson, will walk you through what they find.