Need Advice-Moisture in Sub-Floor Structure
Hello,
I purchased my Foster City modified Eichler Home about 3 years ago. I believe what use to be the atrium is now my living room. The living room is located in the center of the house. The kitchen and bedrooms are located on both sides and the dining area is located in back of the living room, making one large great room. All the rooms and areas has raidant heat except for the living room area. The dining room floor is concrete and the living room is a wood sub-floor. I installed hardwood floors about 2.5 years ago. The hardwood floor on the concrete area is fine, however, the subfloor area, has been getting alot of soft spots. About 6 months ago, it got really bad that we had to cut a little area of the hardwood floor to see what was happening in there. It seems that underneath the sub-floor there is moisture that is eating up the sub-floor structure. I am not sure how to vent out the sub-floor, since the living room is surrounded by concrete. Has anyone ever experience anything like this? I will have to remove and replace part of my hardwood floor and repair the sub-floor structure. How can I prevent this from re-occurring again? Thanks for all of your comments.
Since your house has a concrete floor, it is always going to have some type of moisture. If the installer had install a vapor barrier then your sub floor would have been protected from the mositure.
I live in a Lucas Valley Eichler, and like your home, the atrium was filled in with concrete and turned into a dining room. Ours is covered with porcelain tile, but it seems to be sagging under the weight of a concrete-top table (probably 1,000 pounds).
I'm wondering whether the concrete can handle this load and also questioning the possibility of moisture under the concrete causing the sag. The are no radiant heat pipes in this section, so I don't suspect a leak from there.
Did you ever find where your moisture was coming from? Could you fix it?
thanks, mike
I had to demo my hardwood floor and the 2 x 4s that were holding the floor and install (2) moisture barriers to cover the dirt and concrete landing; core drill a couple of holes through the garage raised foundaton to ventilate the subfloor. I also used pressure treated wood to build up the floor. When you do this make sure that the floors are all leveled. I had probems 1-2" slope from one end to the other end.
There's a ton of difference between the Eichler's built in Lucas Valley, Foster City, Diamond Heights, Castro Valley, Walnut Creek, San Mateo Highlands, etc., etc, etc.
All the same; but not really.
Different const, different contractors, different problems.
Sometimes there is ground water at work, and yes, I have seen supply and return pipes running through the atrium.
First you have to be sure that the moisture is not coming from the htg system. Simple pressure test. Then you have to look to the domestic water (simple pressure test). Then you have to look to drainage and ground water. One step at a time. Good Luck
