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Peoria Foundation

Serving Peoria and nearby areas

Sloping Floors in Peoria, IL

Sloping or sagging floors in a Peoria home can be old framing or a foundation that has moved, and a free inspection measures the floor and finds the cause before any work.

Call now: (309) 245-0953 or book your free inspection online

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Tell us what you are seeing. A local specialist calls you back the same business day.

Local to Peoria

We connect property owners in Peoria and nearby areas, including West Bluff, North Side, North Valley, South Side, Grandview Drive and East Peoria, with one independent local foundation repair specialist.

  • Old framing

    About 1 in 5 Peoria homes was built in 1939 or earlier, and about 7 in 10 before 1980. Beams and joists that old have carried the house for many decades.

  • Wet soil under posts and footings

    USDA says Ipava soil, common in Peoria County, can have a water table 1 to 2 feet below the surface from January to May. Soft, wet soil lets posts and footings sink.

  • Frost under shallow parts

    The City of Peoria requires footings at least 36 inches deep. Older porches, additions and crawl spaces were not always built that deep, and they can move with frost.

What it costs

Typical published ranges for Peoria. The contractor's written estimate is the price, and the inspection is free.

WorkTypical range
Inspection and floor level readings Free
Sagging floor repair, typical project $1,000 to $8,500
Sistering a floor joist $150 to $325per joist
Main support beam replacement $2,000 to $10,000
Piers under a settled wall or corner $1,000 to $3,000each

See typical foundation repair prices in Peoria

What a sloping floor feels like

Sloping floors creep up slowly, so people often get used to them. These are the things that make Peoria homeowners finally take a closer look.

A marble rolls away

Set a marble or ball down and it rolls to one side of the room.

A dip down the middle

The floor sags in a line through the center of the house.

One side lower

The whole floor tilts toward one outside wall.

A bouncy or soft spot

The floor flexes when you walk, often near a bathroom or kitchen.

Furniture that rocks

Tables and dressers need shims to sit flat.

Gaps at the baseboard

A space opens between the floor and the trim.

Doors that swing on their own

A door drifts open or shut, or no longer latches.

Cracks in tile

Floor tile or grout cracks in a line.

What causes it

A floor is only as level as what holds it up. Under most Peoria homes that is a set of joists, a main beam down the middle, posts under the beam, and the foundation walls around the edge. A sloping floor means one of those has dropped.

Sagging joists

Wood joists bend over decades, mostly if they are long, thin or notched for pipes.

A sagging main beam

The beam down the middle bends between posts that are too far apart.

Sunken posts

Posts sit on small pads of concrete or right on the dirt. Wet soil lets them sink.

Rot or insects

Water from a leak or a damp crawl space softens the wood. The bouncy spot near the bathroom is a common example.

Cut framing

Joists or beams cut during an old remodel to fit pipes, ducts or stairs.

A settling foundation

A corner or wall of the foundation has sunk. The whole floor tilts toward it.

The first five are framing problems. The last one is a foundation problem. A dip in the middle usually points to the beam or posts. A tilt in one direction across the whole house points more to the foundation.

Why it is common in Peoria

Age. About 1 in 5 Peoria homes was built in 1939 or earlier. Floor framing that old was often sized smaller than it is today and has had a long time to sag.

Wet soil. USDA says Ipava soil, common in Peoria County, can have a water table 1 to 2 feet below the surface from January to May. Posts on small footings sink in soft, wet soil, and crawl spaces stay damp.

Additions and porches. Many older Peoria homes have a back room, porch or addition built later, often over a crawl space. These parts were not always built to today's 36-inch footing depth, so they can settle or heave with frost. The floor slopes where the addition meets the old house.

When to worry

Some slope is part of an old house. A floor that has sloped the same amount for 30 years and shows no other signs may need nothing. These signs mean it is worth a look soon.

The slope is getting worse

Doors that used to close now stick.

New cracks

Drywall or plaster cracks open above doors or windows.

A soft spot

The floor flexes or feels spongy, which can mean rot.

Signs outside

Stair-step cracks in brick on the low side of the house.

Water below

A wet crawl space or basement under the low area.

How it usually gets fixed

New posts and footings

Steel adjustable posts on proper footings replace sunken ones. The crew raises the beam slowly.

Sistering joists

A new joist is fastened alongside a weak one to stiffen it.

A new or added beam

A sagging beam gets extra support or is replaced.

Rot repair

Soft wood is cut out and replaced, and the moisture source is fixed.

Piers

If the foundation itself has settled, piers are set under it to hold it and lift it back.

Crawl space drying

A vapor barrier and drainage keep the wood from getting damp again.

Fixr puts most sagging floor repairs at about $1,000 to $8,500. Sistering runs about $150 to $325 per joist, and replacing a main beam about $2,000 to $10,000. If piers are needed, they run about $1,000 to $3,000 each. These are typical ranges, not a quote. Structural work often needs a permit, so ask who pulls it.

What to do before the inspection

Measure

Use a level or a marble in each room and note which way it runs.

Mark the doors

Note any door that sticks, swings or will not latch.

Look below

If you can reach the basement or crawl space safely, take photos of posts, the beam and any damp spots.

Hold off on new flooring

Until you know what moved.

Frequently asked questions

Is a sloping floor normal in an old house?

Some slope is common in old homes. Wood framing shrinks and sags a little over a century. What matters more is whether the slope is still changing and whether other signs show up with it, like sticking doors or new cracks.

How do I check how much my floor slopes?

Lay a 4-foot level on the floor in a few spots, or use a long string pulled tight between two points. A marble or a ball shows which way it runs. Write down what you find and the date so you can compare later.

My floor dips in the middle of the house. What causes that?

A dip down the middle usually means the main beam or the posts under it have sagged or sunk. Posts sitting on thin concrete or bare soil are a common cause in older basements and crawl spaces.

Can the floor be raised back to level?

Often part of the way. Crews raise floors slowly, a little at a time, so plaster and doors can adjust. Fully level is not always safe on an old house. Your estimate should say how much lift to expect.

Should I put in new flooring to fix the slope?

Not first. Leveling compound or new flooring can hide a problem that is still moving. Find out what moved, fix that, then level the surface.

Get the floor measured for free

Call (309) 245-0953 or send the short form. A local crew will take level readings, look under the floor, and give you a written price for the fix, whether it is framing or foundation.

Other services

Common foundation repair problems in Peoria

Areas we serve around Peoria

(309) 245-0953 Free inspection