Does this brownstone have structural issues?
Does anyone know what cellar heights in brownstones typically range from. We are looking at a property that my husband suspects has some structural or/and beam issues (the basement and parlour floors sag down from the walls – you can see that the doorway lines tilt slightly down towards the center of the room; its…
Does anyone know what cellar heights in brownstones typically range from. We are looking at a property that my husband suspects has some structural or/and beam issues (the basement and parlour floors sag down from the walls – you can see that the doorway lines tilt slightly down towards the center of the room; its more pronounced on the parlour floor).
The main beam/spine in the cellar does not obviously look compromised and the floors do not bounce around much with my 250lb husband jumping up and down. The cellar ceiling is low, my husband is 6’3″ and can’t stand up straight. This is lower than others we’ve seen and not sure if this is common or may also be indicative of foundational issues i.e. sinking).
We plan to get a structural engineer to look at it but wanted to bounce the symptoms off people here as well.
Cellar height often has to do with the site conditions when the house was originally built. For example, houses built on steeply sloping streets might have cellars with taller ceilings than usual. As to sloping floors, I agree with the comments above. Our floors slope ever so slightly towards the staircase. However we did look at one house which our GC advised us not to buy because he felt the slope was too great and would involve some expensive structural work to fix. Incidentally, it’s useful to take a GC into a house you’re serious about buying to get their opinion. If they want to work with you, they will probably be OK with looking at 1 or 2 houses and not charging for their time. Then, when you’ve made your purchase decision, you can bring in the structural engineer for the inspection.
Thanks for your confidence Ñ , but I’m not an engineer. FWIW my cellar ceiling is very high–about 9′. I haven’t looked at a lot of brownstone cellars since house-hunting years ago, but my impression is that older buildings tend to have lower cellar ceiling heights. My house is fairly late–1899, although it was part of the first wave of building in my neighborhood. Also FWIW,my last apartment, before buying, was on the park block of 14th Street. The floors slanted A LOT. When I pass that house 32 years later, I see it’s still standing, so, in my VERY unprofessional opinion, I wouldn’t worry too much–BUT have an engineer check the building anyway.
You can fix it if you want, but every old house I’ve ever lived in (2 Victorians in college, a 1920’s house in my 20s and early 30’s that I owned, and now a 100 year old limestone) has had sagging floors. Much of Brooklyn is on clay soil, and that makes houses settle even more. Clay expands and shrinks between wet and dry seasons or conditions. My house in CA was also on clay too, and in that stucco house the effect of the clay made the plaster inside crack all the time, and the floors were slopey. Not dramatically, but sure, if you looked closely you’d see it. The limestone we are in now has sagging on the ceiling over the parlor level, caused by the bathrooms changed or added on the 2nd floor in the 20’s. We’ve learned every house in the neighborhood has the sagging. Nobody has had an engineer say they should fix it. Thing is, there is literally an endless amount of money you can put in these places! Seriously, you could go on and on. Find out what is truly necessary, and staying within your budget.
The symptoms you describe do not necessarily mean anything is structurally wrong with the building. All 100 year old houses settle, and most sag toward the staircase, causing floors and doorways to lean in that direction. Cellars range in height, but usuallly were between 5′ and 6′ unless someone dug them out at some point. If the collumns in the basement look sturdy, and all the joists are solid and free of rot or termites, then the sagging is only an issue if it drives you crazy. If you do a gut renovation, you can change it. But if you don’t, there isn’t that much you can do about it. Either way, a structural engineer will give you a more detailed account of what’s going on.
If you noticed the floor it’s off level, that means something.I’m not saying it’s terrible but you might have some damage to the beam.
I’m 5’10 and always hit my head in the beams, your husband is a big guy no question about it.
Call the attention of Richie or Bob marvin they always have a good answer.
my cellar ceiling is probably 6′ or less.