Leveling a New Floor

Homeownergirl asks,

We just had a new addition put on our slab, ranch-style house. It is about a 10'x40' addition in the center of our home. The problem is the slabs do not match. The old slab is about 1 inch higher in most spots. This room also has the front door in it, which doesn't give us much room to build up the floor. We also have cork tile flooring on the old slab that we can remove – it's only about a 1/4″ high. What's the best way to make the floor level, since the contractor thinks he didn't do anything wrong?

Our Answer

First, there's a chance your contractor has not done anything wrong. Here’s why: When you put an addition onto an older house, that addition has to be level. Your original house may have settled and moved – which is not the contractor's fault; he still had to put the addition in level and straight.
The solution: You’re going to have to use a floor leveling compound to even out the height of those two floors. It will probably be applied across both floors. Once they're level, you can remove the front door and raise it – a small task relative to putting on an addition! Then, both sections of the house will be flat, straight and right.