Inquiry Regarding Subfloor Inspection in Home Inspection Reports

[quincy]

I grew up in a house without subfloors. When coming home after curfew I knew exactly where to step to prevent squeaks.

Squeaking floors are great for parents, not so great for kids trying to sneak out of their rooms at night.

Okay. Not unusual but not the norm even BITD. …
In the OP’s case, the subfloor or lack-of, is a concealed condition and not discernible to most home inspectors.

A lack of subfloors is “the norm” in houses built in the 1800s, early-to-mid 1900s, so the old age of a house could be a good indicator that the house has no subfloor.

Another indicator is the length and positioning of the floorboards. Random floorboard lengths can be a good indication that there is a subfloor while long floorboards can be a good indication that there isn’t.

You can also often see light coming from rooms downstairs between the floorboards upstairs, and vice versa.

And squeaking. Squeaking can be a good indicator that there is no subfloor.

The main thing is that a lack of a subfloor in a house is not (necessarily) a house defect and there would be no need for a seller to disclose it.

 

[Foamback]

Certainly nothing that I’ve ran into in the Puget Sound area more than once or twice in a career that started in the seventies

 

[quincy]

Certainly nothing that I’ve ran into in the Puget Sound area more than once or twice in a career that started in the seventies

Washington is not Michigan.

 

[Foamback]

It’s our goal

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/why-seattle-becoming-the-next-detroit-might-not-be-the-worst-thing/

 

[quincy]

It’s our goal

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/why-seattle-becoming-the-next-detroit-might-not-be-the-worst-thing/

It’s a good goal.

 

[cbg]

Have I accidently stumbled into an episode of the Property Brothers?

 

[quincy]

Have I accidently stumbled into an episode of the Property Brothers?

Yes. Yes you have.

 

[Foamback]

It’s a good goal.

You got Iggy, we had grunge

 

[cbg]

Yes. Yes you have.

I'm looking for 3 bedrooms, one and a half baths, one-floor living, woodstove or woodburning fireplace (will substitute generator but must have alternate source of heat), gas range (will accept a ceramic top electric), covered parking, must be within an hour's drive of Portland Maine and needs to be close to the water. Our budget is $375,000 or thereabouts. Can you boys get working on that for me?

 

[quincy]

You got Iggy, we had grunge

We have Eminem and Bob Seger and Jeff Daniels and Mark Harmon and … sports teams with the greatest fans anywhere.

Plus a lot of houses lacking subfloors. Haha.

 

[quincy]

I'm looking for 3 bedrooms, one and a half baths, one-floor living, woodstove or woodburning fireplace (will substitute generator but must have alternate source of heat), gas range (will accept a ceramic top electric), covered parking, must be within an hour's drive of Portland Maine and needs to be close to the water. Our budget is $375,000 or thereabouts. Can you boys get working on that for me?

On it.

As a note, though: I know nothing about Maine. That shouldn’t be a problem, though, right?