Hello!
We have bought a renovation project from 1929.
It's an old shop and in the old shop area, we are going to build a kitchen and living room.
The problem is that there are tiles throughout the entire area (80m2), of which 30m2 of the floor is very uneven. Where there is a big bump, we chipped it up a little and found a long crack, the same crack is in the ceiling in the basement. The crack is right by a steel beam.
Has anyone encountered similar problems in their house?
And if so, how did you solve it?
We have bought a renovation project from 1929.
It's an old shop and in the old shop area, we are going to build a kitchen and living room.
The problem is that there are tiles throughout the entire area (80m2), of which 30m2 of the floor is very uneven. Where there is a big bump, we chipped it up a little and found a long crack, the same crack is in the ceiling in the basement. The crack is right by a steel beam.
Has anyone encountered similar problems in their house?
And if so, how did you solve it?
It is likely that the joist is not reinforced in the usual way, but instead there are steel beams with relatively small spacing. Cracks near the steel beams should not cause concern unless they are very large. Photos from both the ground floor and the basement facilitate the assessment.
I am a bit surprised that the steel beam is positioned so high in relation to the concrete. Usually, it's the other way around, i.e., the steel beam can be seen from underneath. I don't think you need to worry about the crack as it appears from above. However, I believe the conditions should be checked on-site by someone who is knowledgeable in construction and also has experience with older building techniques. It might be difficult to find such a person, so you’ll have to ask around. A construction company normally does not have sufficient expertise for this task. How you decide to fix the floor in the former store depends partly on the level differences and partly on the type of flooring material you have in mind.
Yes, it seems to be difficult to find someone with sufficient knowledge. Our first thought was to apply self-leveling compound over the existing floor and then lay wooden flooring over it, but I'm afraid it will be too heavy to apply the compound over it.J justusandersson said:
Leveling compound is also expensive. What technique/material you should use to even out the height differences depends on how large they are. If it's about 5 cm, a joist construction might be needed.
The difficulty in finding someone with expertise is because there aren't many in this case. It also depends on where you live.
The difficulty in finding someone with expertise is because there aren't many in this case. It also depends on where you live.
The biggest height difference is probably around 5 cm. Any other tips besides self-leveling compound to remove unevenness? We had hoped to avoid chiseling away tiles, but maybe it's unavoidable? We live in a small town a bit from Jönköping. I guess it's time to make some calls now after the holiday season.J justusandersson said:
Nässjö? In Jönköping, there's likely a chance to find someone. Contact a large construction consultant.
There is no need to chisel away the tiles if you're going to create a raised floor construction, provided that the ceiling height is sufficient. Previously, sand was used for floating floors and as a leveling material.
There is no need to chisel away the tiles if you're going to create a raised floor construction, provided that the ceiling height is sufficient. Previously, sand was used for floating floors and as a leveling material.
Please let us know how it goes.Evelina-H said:
I myself have determined that there is no movement in the crack and have talked to a structural engineer who said that concrete cracks and the reinforcement holds. My plan now is to fill in with cement express in a tube to get it as deep into the crack as possible.