Floor level code in Maryland

[timekeeper1516]

My newly constructed house has a room having unleveled floor. The deviation is about 1.3 inches over 16 feet long. There is a sharp down-slope around middle area (0.5 inch over 1 feet). Here are my questions:

1. Could someone please tell me the related code in Maryland? Builder said 3/16 inch devidation in 32 inches. But internet tells me this is for slab (concrete slab?).

2. I showed the builder the issue using the laser level. But builder told me, as a construction manager, during construction he doesn’t use laser level to check the floor leveling, but just with bare eyeballs and feet with shoes on. This sounds very ridiculous to me. But is it true?

3. The builder's solution is to open the floor and sand down the subfloor. Is this normal procedure in industrial to fix such issue? My concern is this would make subfloor thinner and reduce the load it can carry.

Sorry have asked many question. I really appreciate your help! Many thanks in advance!

 

[e hilton]

Code does not apply to quality of construction, unfortunately. There are industry standards for allowable issues like that, you need to research them and get a third party to verify if the6 are in compliance. The builder sounds like a schmuck, i bet you lose the battle.

 

[Yankee Chronicler]

If the low point is at or near the middle of a 16-foot span, my concern would be excess deflection. Deflection of structural members is something that's addressed by building codes, but I don't know where to look for it in the International Residential Code. I would hire a structural engineer to review the problem.

Sanding the subfloor sounds like a terrible idea, and isn't likely to resolve the issue anyway.

 

[ICE]

2. I showed the builder the issue using the laser level. But builder told me, as a construction manager, during construction he doesn’t use laser level to check the floor leveling, but just with bare eyeballs and feet

What prompted you to use a laser level? The description is a bit difficult to understand. You said that the floor slopes 1/16” in 16’ but then there’s a 1/2” dip in one foot?

 

[bill1952]

Are you saying one point on the floor 1.3 inches higher than another point on the floor?

And is it high or low in the middle, or most extreme from one side of the room to the opposite?

 

[tbz]

Timekeeper welcome,

1st and foremost any lesser than expected construction irregularity in a new home is not an issue you will be able to resolve most likely through questioning code on your own if the home has the certificate of occupancy already issued and you are living in it.

No one on this forum knows all the details of your home and the construction tolerances for walking surfaces range around 1/4-inch to the foot, so if you start digging into the weeds of technicalities the project could be allowed to drop 4-inches of 16-feet, though highly unlikely that would not have been noticed right away and questioned before the closing.

The real question is, why wasn't it spotted sooner and was it there from the beginning or is it an issue in a different manner that is starting to show and grow?

Without a qualified construction engineer, inspector and or quality contractor looking at it in detail, what see as a non-level floor issue, just might be something totally different.