Stairs not level, sloping away from wall.

6 years ago

We recently bought an old farmhouse built circa 1810. We jacked up some floor joists and resupported most of the first floor to try and level out the floors.... but this staircase is still haunting me in the back of my mind every time I use it. My husband is a (very good) DIYer and has worked in construction his whole life and he says it’s nothing to worry about right now, but I’m a worrier so there’s no stopping me. Haha. The photos show the staircase leading to our third story (as well as a photo of the main staircase for reference). The second story stairs slope away from the inside stringer about 1-2 inches (so they are clearly not level). They do not significantly creak when using them and generally feel sturdy. It’s just the crookedness of them that worries me. Are they just crooked from the weight of the wall to the left settling for 200 years? Or could the whole staircase actually be pulling away from the main support wall. My husband just had the whole thing dry walled and spakled so unfortunately I he doesn’t want to expose the underside of the staircase for obvious reasons. Does anyone have any insight? Should I truly be worried about this or am I overreacting? And if we should resupport it somehow, is there a way to do it from above without ripping out the plaster underneath? It’s just a staircase to the attic so appearance isn’t terribly important. Thanks!!

Featured Answer

GN Builders

6 years ago

It's nothing wrong with it, most likely they been leaning like this an after few years this house was built from a settlement.

I do a lot of structural repairs in older homes and this is a common issue in some of older homes.

In some cases, it can be leveled, and some cases more evasive work involved at greater costs and people just leave it as-is.

To fix that it would involve something like this.

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Comments (7)

PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
Relax please. It's an old home. Don't overreach.
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remodeling1840
6 years ago
It’s part of the charm! Sills under part of our old house were replaced 1930, so some things were leveled but it threw out other parts, like door frames, windows, some floors. If it makes you feel better, one of my clients had a newly built house and wanted a shower door. The opening was 1 1/2” out of square, wider at the top of the 60” opening than on the bottom.
DavidR
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
Ditto. Fellow old house fan here. Nothing is ever square or level. Marbles and ball bearings won't hold still. For an old house, that's just life. Unless the sag is because some numbskull has removed a load bearing wall, trying to force it back to level and square will cause more headache than leaving it alone.

Modern houses are designed to be built cheaply and quickly, with the least amount of the cheapest materials possible. Your old house is vastly overbuilt by comparison. It may lean and dip, but barring calamity, it's likely to be standing another 200 years. By then, the new house up the street will probably have fallen down.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
"Modern houses are designed to be built cheaply and quickly, with the least amount of the cheapest materials possible. Your old house is vastly overbuilt by comparison."

This is myth. Modern homes are engineering miracles compared to the hillbilly pre-code cobbling that preceded. I have extensive experience in historic preservation; I've seen it with my own eyes.
DavidR
6 years ago
I've owned old and newish houses, lived in both, and know the difference. You're welcome to your judgment. It doesn't reflect my experience, but I'm not going to argue.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago

Sure, back in the old days they had 2x4s that actually measured 2"x4" and they were long enough to facilitate balloon framing. So they ballooned framed without modern fire stopping, creating mini-chimneys in each stud bay. That's one reason why older homes burn up so quickly.

"They don't build 'em like they used to" creates wistful romance; lack of modern code costs people's lives.