to be crooked or not to be?

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/4f3d2501a85a7-.jpg

Having grown up in a house from 1790\.  I am not really worried about things being crooked , as long it is structurally sound. We have crooked floors, uneven floor. So how do we  make it look straight but live with it crooked?  Any ideas of how and Who can marry the different heights and do a good job on the floor would be appreciated. We did a lazor test on the floors, the slope is sever.  Higher in the front of the house by 3.5 inches . From side to side the house sags in the middle. We also have a kitchen that is 2inches higher than the rest of the house.  Which if we were to starighten the whole floor it would mean taking off everything down to the beams  and removing the original base boards from the plaster walls..  I dont want to lose the original moldings by taking them out and having them crack. Enclosed are the pictures. Thanks for everyones inpput.

meme2

in Flooring 13 years and 3 months ago

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restorationcontractor | 13 years and 3 months ago

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Are you sure the floors are structurally sound? We are just finishing replacing a structural staircase header in a Brooklyn Heights brownstone that was cracked both vertically AND horizontally. There was little evidence of what was happening other that some sagging in the hallway floor above and some cracked plaster below until we opened up the ceiling to inspect (during unrelated work from a water leak). This was serious and could have come down, or at the very least shed portions of the plaster ceiling. Additionally attached to the header  we found two beams supporting a 200+ lb chandelier had been cut 3′ away from the wall and replaced with 1 1/2″ angle iron. It might be worth it for safety’s sake to have a qualified professional check this out.

callalily | 13 years and 3 months ago

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If your moldings are hard wood and have not been painted, maybe it will be easier to remove them without breakage. We just removed some of ours in the kitchen and broke half of them. Yes, you can get a router bit to make new ones, it’s really not that expensive, but the wood will not match in color or grain because it’s new. Plus I can’t imagine the cost of hardwood (ours is pine). See the first entry in “Restoring a House in the City” where Robert Duffy purposefully keeps his slanted floors. It looks like the Mystery Spot in there. Cute though.

pigthree | 13 years and 3 months ago

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Have a friend that sucessfully removed original moldings, lifted and leveled all floors on his three story townhouse by jacking up from the bottom.  He then replaced the original moldings.

SewardWasRight | 13 years and 3 months ago

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My contractor removed the case moldings around the doors, straightening them, thereby giving us the illusion of non-crookedness (but then the door capitals were out of sync with the ceiling moldings, which were sloped because the ceiling sloped along with the floor!). So, unless you are sliding down the floor every time you walk on it, I’d say go for the illusion.

jcmartinrenovation | 13 years and 3 months ago

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Hi Meme2 in Carrol Gardens!  Let me know if you would like me to come out and take a look at your floors so I can give you a more precise recommendation.  In regard so the original moldings it’s usually hit or miss in saving them.  The molding that have less nails can be removed and saved, but some – usually the corner pieces have too many nails to pull off without damaging them.  In that case we usually find a decent replica (or something that comes really close to original) at Dykes Lumber and replace them.  In some instances our clients have requested that we match exactly the cut of the molding which requires a custom knife to reproduce the mold – obviously a more expensive option.  Again, it would be my pleasure to estimate the project at your convenience. Carlos Salazar carlos@jcmartinrenovation.com Office: 347-746-8439 Website: www.jcmartinrenovation.com

daveinbedstuy | 13 years and 3 months ago

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This would upset the ghosts.  Best to leave it be.