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Triangle Structural Engineering
Triangle NC - Wake, Durham & Orange counties

Sagging, Sloping, or Bouncy Floors? Get a PE Diagnosis

A floor that bounces when you walk across it - or a marble that rolls toward one wall - is your home telling you something is wrong underneath. A licensed Professional Engineer is the only person who can tell you whether it is a quick crawl-space fix or a foundation issue.

Licensed PE - NC Firm P-3406Reports in 1-25.0 on Google (23)
Get My Sagging-Floor Evaluation(984) 370-3255

Real diagnosis, not a sales pitch

We do not sell repairs. The PE who walks your home tells you the cause and the right scope - nothing more, nothing less.

From crawl space to slab

Joist deflection, failed piers, undersized girders, rotted sill plates, slab settlement - we evaluate every cause of floor movement.

Stamped repair plan in 1-2 days

If your floor needs structural work, you get a PE-stamped plan a contractor can build from. No second visit required.

Lender and insurance ready

Reports are accepted by lenders, insurers, and Wake / Durham / Orange County permitting offices.

When to Call Us

In the Triangle, sagging and bouncy floors usually trace back to one of five causes: undersized original joists (common in 1920s-1940s bungalows), failed or missing crawl-space piers, rotted sill plates or band boards from chronic moisture, notched joists from old plumbing or HVAC work, or differential foundation settlement on Wake County clay. Each cause has a different fix, and getting it wrong is expensive. A PE evaluation costs a fraction of one wrong repair.

Common signs and scenarios

  • Floors that bounce or vibrate when you walk across them
  • A noticeable slope toward one wall, a chimney, or the center of the home
  • Gaps between baseboards and floors, or trim pulling away from walls
  • Doors that have started to swing open or stick shut on their own
  • Tile or hardwood cracking along the same line for no obvious reason
  • A musty crawl space, standing water, or visible rot on joists

Frequently Asked

Most often it is one of five things: undersized original joists, failed or missing crawl-space piers, sill-plate or band-board rot from moisture, notched joists from old plumbing or HVAC, or differential foundation settlement. A licensed PE pinpoints which one - guessing leads to expensive wrong repairs.

Sometimes. A small amount of deflection is normal in any wood-framed home. Bouncing that has gotten worse over time, or that shakes dishes in a cabinet, is worth a PE evaluation - it usually means a joist, girder, or pier is not doing its job.

Repair cost depends entirely on the cause. Replacing a single failed crawl-space pier might be a few hundred dollars; sistering joists and adding a new beam can run a few thousand; foundation underpinning is materially more. The PE evaluation is what tells you which conversation to have.

Sometimes we can give you a rough opinion from photos to help you decide whether a site visit is warranted. A stamped report and a real diagnosis always require an on-site PE evaluation.

Most Triangle appointments are scheduled within a few business days. Call (984) 370-3255 - if you are mid-renovation or under a real-estate clock, we prioritize the visit.

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Get My Sagging-Floor Evaluation(984) 370-3255