Q. This week: My house is about 70 years old and the floors on the first story shake when someone walks on them. The problem, I think, is that the floor joists are too narrow. They're only 7.5 inches ...

Building codes governing framed floors include an allowance for sagging, which sounds bad. But the allowable limit is 1/360 of the span, which isn’t much. Spread over a 45-foot-long joist — if you ...

When you take your kids to the local amusement park, a bouncy floor can be loads of fun. A bouncy floor in your own home … not so much. In the dwelling that you (well, you and the bank) actually own, ...

Editor’s note: Welcome to the second installment of This Ugly House, a reader renovation diary. We’re excited to publish this tale of a hands-on renovation of a wood-frame house in Bed Stuy. See the ...

Q: Just last week I found a leak under my bathroom toilet and I guess it has gone unnoticed for a long time. Part of the flooring is black and rotted and a floor joist is also rotted and black. I ...

A squeaking floor is annoying. It’s one of those building defects that just gets to you. While we typically associate creaking and squeaking floors with old houses, the problem occurs in newer homes, ...