Hello,

My wife and I are considering placing a bid to buy a home built in 1935. An addition to the home was added later (at least prior to the mid-'70s), and no sill plate was used. Now an exterior wall floor is sagging slightly in one room.

Is this a major foundational issue, or are we okay, since it's been standing so long anyhow? Please advise, thanks,

Brig

Probably not a major foundation problem, but a case of poor construction details. Apparently, it was not built according to any code. so you should take a hard look at everything else.

The repairs involved in raising the walls and putting a proper sill in place are something the seller should be willing to pay for. Just make sure there are no other similar things.

If the owner refuses to repair, he will be obligated to advise future purchasers of the problem if this was discovered during a home inspection by a certified home inspector.

If the walls are raised to install a sill plate, the floor will be at least 1 1/2 inch higher and the addition may no longer match the floor elevation of the original house, if in fact it does so now. I would simply jack up the area of the floor which is sagging, and shim it to remove the sag. The absence of the sill plate is not the cause of the sag.