Dip in floor

[NJinspector]

Hi all,

I have a condo inspection coming up that I am doing for a friend of the family.

This is a second floor unit. The only concern they have, is that there is a dip in the floor, leaving one of the bedrooms.

I of course can not see any of the subflooring or floor joists. What can I possibly tell them? When you replace the carpet in the future, remove padding and inspect flooring to determine cause?

Thanks

[hausdok]

Assuming you don't see anything obvious that points to it and the cause is concealed in interstitial space, there's not a lot you can tell them. Could be a structural issue that needs fixing, might only be where the framer cut some studs on the wrong side of his layout line, in which case it's not a huge deal. Could be where I-joists are installed incorrectly and the flanges are collapsing. Could be any number of things. Unless you've developed x-ray vision you'll be stymied.

Make sure they understand that before you even start, 'cuz if the whole thing hinges on your being a swammi, they're going to probably end up dissatisfied and you're friend and you will have altered your relationship. If they don't feel comfortable with that, don't do it.

If you do it and your stuck, you could tell them that, absent anything conclusive to show that it's a structural issue, you haven't got enough information to make an intelligent recommendation. Then you could recommend they get the seller to open it up and have it inspected by a structural guy to identify the cause and fix it as necessary, or, if the seller won't pay for it, get permission to have it done at their own expense on the condition that they restore the house to it's previous condition.

Just understand that, without proof that it's actually something worth dealing with, no seller in his or her right mind will allow either option. Hell, even if the seller did, their realtor would probably step in and block that big time. You'll have done all you can for them, though.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike