Browse Forums Renovation + Home Improvement 1 Feb 05, 2017 8:22 pm It sounds very dumb but I know nothing about building so here it is. My brother is looking to buy a family home anf it is on a slope. He likes the house and etc. but he says according to Section 32 the current owner had applied for a building permit 3 months after they moved in and had put in 2 subfloor supports. There was a final building inspection done and signed off as well but we were just wondering what exactly they are and if there might have been any serious issues with flooring of the house. Current owner is selling after 1 year 3 months of living or owning it. The house itself was originally built in 1994. I guess they were put in to support unstable flooring? Thanks in advance for your advice. Re: Subfloor supports: what are they used for? 2Feb 05, 2017 9:35 pm If the floor joists span a considerable distance they may be strong enough to carry the load but may deflect noticeably as you walk across the floor. Rather than redo the floor a normal cure is to install subfloor supports which has the effect of reducing the effective span of the joists. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Subfloor supports: what are they used for? 3Feb 06, 2017 6:39 am It is impossible to tell without sub floor inspection and a closer look and building permit review whether the sub floor supports were installed to rectify a floor frame defect or because of desirable alteration to make sub floor space usable as storage (install supports and remove some stumps). If your brother is buying a home he should be getting a competent pre purchase inspection and a report, that will disclose if there are any significant issues and should at least identify which of the above scenarios apply. If he is not getting the inspection then he is underwriting his own risk in buying a property without checking.There could be other significant issues, posssibly serious That could turn out to be nasty. In any case, a competent report could be used to negotiate a lower price (if there are significant issues). Foremost Building Expert in Australia,assisting with building problems/disputes, building stage inspections,pre-contract review advice for peace of mind 200 blogs http://www.buildingexpert.net.au/blog Re: Subfloor supports: what are they used for? 4Feb 06, 2017 11:21 am Thank you both for your advice. My brother was given a time to put in an offer and he was just speculating I guess, from his very recent experience where the work done on retaining walls and was not mentioned in Section 32 - only later got told that his offer is successful but some information was not disclosed etc. The agent just told him verbally that the work was properly done with a building permit etc and asked my brother to just initial some clauses on the contract. Anyway, he is just being cautious with his choice and was wondering if it's worth putting in an offer with subject to building inspections. So he just wanted to get some general insights first. He did mention though that there is a separate storage under the house in the garage with a door. He said it was very small and there was dirt/soil piled up and covered with what looks like concrete on the slope. He was surprised because with the door he thought it'd be proper storage area. Anyway, so I guess it could be either and he would have to get a professional to get it properly checked out if he really likes it. Thanks very much for the advice. Jimbo73 I would use heaps of adhesive on each sheet and screw rather than nail. use as many as you like cheers Simeon 1 4143 XCEM Alpha flooring seems to relatively new and I could not found any reviews. Have you or someone you know have used it and would recommend over other subfloor options?… 2 7712 Would also like an opinion from anyone that has used xcem over hebel for floors. Thanks 1 14488 |