vertigo from sloping floors
We are negotiating to buy a 100 year old detached wood frame in which the floors sag toward the center of the house. While the slope doesn’t bother me aesthetically, when I’m in the house for about 15 minutes I start to feel a very mild vertigo akin to being seasick. I have never lived…
We are negotiating to buy a 100 year old detached wood frame in which the floors sag toward the center of the house. While the slope doesn’t bother me aesthetically, when I’m in the house for about 15 minutes I start to feel a very mild vertigo akin to being seasick. I have never lived with sloping floors before and am wondering if this is something that I will get used to after living in the home. Let’s assume that there are no structural issues and the slope can’t be fixed — has anyone had a similar feeling that they got over after moving into a house with sloping floors? Obviously I don’t want to buy a house that makes me woozy but also don’t want to give up our dream house due to something that I’ll get used to in a week. Thanks in advance and apologies for asking what may seem like a silly question!
Try taking decongestant. If you’ve built up some mucus in your sinuses it messes with your inner ear. Inner ear issues are very common. They can suddenly come on later in life, too. And grow worse. So it’s worth checking out to keep it in check.
We have some sloping in our house in one spot. It’s not a problem from an engineering standpoint so it’s something we might fix but we’d do it years from now, b/c we’re spreading out renovations gradually. I am vertigo prone and our sloping doesn’t bother me at all. The only time I ever got vertigo from sloping floors was when in college in the South, we went to a faculty member’s new “house”, which was a double-wide trailer that hadn’t been put up on its foundation properly. That thing was like a funhouse it was so crooked. So unless the sloping is extreme like that trailer was, I’d see the doctor.
To the OP
You might have to see an ENT specialist. (ears, nose and throat)physician.
If that is the problem (inner ear disorder).
the ENT specialist might prescribe Antivert or Mecllzine.
The other possibility is from the stress of moving. (stress-related)
Remember, I am not a doctor,. and everyones situation is unique
.Vertigo does not come from a sloped floor.
It comes from an inner ear disorder first and the sloped floor dizziness is afterwards.
Lived in sloped apartments, but it never caused me vertigo. If it did, I don’t think I’d buy one that made me feel that way.
Yes, they are all sloped to varying degrees, but there’s a lot a variation to the degree. A slight slope, or only on some floors, or in some rooms you use less often, might work for you, but I don’t think a large slope would.
Since you aren’t planning spend to fix such structural problems, and like the old floors, I’d look for one less sloped. I’ve seen (and walked away from) houses with a big slope – knew I didn’t want to spend to fix it. There’s a reason those stay on the market longer – it is an added hassle and cost to fix if its a big slope.
Hi, I’m the OP — many thanks for your responses so far.
My wife notices the slope as well, but she doesn’t get the woozy feeling (which I’ve also experienced in a couple of slopey apartments we’ve looked at it). The feeling is real but not overwhelming, which leads me to believe that maybe it would dissipate over time, but it’s hard for me to predict. I’m going to call my doctor today and see if he has any perspective on it.
We haven’t gotten to the inspection stage yet so I’m not sure what’s causing the sag and whether it can be fixed, but we’re very cash-strapped so even if it can be fixed I’m not sure if it will be feasible for us. Also, one of our favorite things about the house is the original parquet so I don’t think we would want to undertake a procedure that involved ripping it up.
We could pass on this house to be safe, but then I worry whether we’ll be able to find anything because the only places we like are old and they all seem to have varying degrees of slope and sag. Anyone else out there overcome mild vertigo after getting used to their new apartment/house?
Living with sloped floors means always knowing where to look for the cat toys.
Seems to me, if the house makes you woozy, it can’t be your dream home. If it is your dream home because you just love the house, sloped floors can be fixed. It is not cheap and will cost more if you try to do it without sacrificing the existing floors. Even if you can’t level the supporting beams or joists, you can remove the floor and subfloor, and build little plywood boxes around the joists to level the platform for the subfloor. We did this on one floor, but we had to demo the old floor anyway. Much costlier if you try to preserve the floor. Where we wanted to preserve the old pine floors, we left the slopes intact and chalked it up to charm.
If you renovate without leveling the floors, bear in mind you have to account for the slope if you replace any interior or closet doors — check all possible doorswings. You may have to plane substantially.
I used to live in a house with sloping floors. I got used to it very fast. Lived there for years and totally stopped noticing after a while.
Interesting question…… Is the floor problem unique only to you? If it is, I would talk to a Doctor. If this is the house you really want and after a few weeks, you still have a mild seasick feeling because of the floors. I would have them fixed.
It could be a symptom of something you need to have checked out, and the house just aggravates it. The house might not have any more sagging than any other house. Every old house I’ve lived in has sagged to some degree. Go to the doctor! Good luck.
Its is not a silly question.
You might have an inner ear disorder.
Is there a way to even out the floor?