Gap under the skirting, tiles cracking in a line, a door that now scrapes? Here is how to read it and fix it properly.
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A ground-floor slab that drops away from the walls is usually settling on fill underneath it that was poorly compacted or is being washed away by water; it is a different problem from the house itself moving. Find and stop any water first, record the movement, and get a structural engineer if the gaps keep growing or the walls are cracking too. Cosmetic cases are re-levelled and re-tiled; real settlement needs the slab recast on proper fill or an engineer-designed fix such as piles under it. On ClickBina's guides, an engineer's site visit and report is RM1,500 – RM3,000.
Floor settlement in a terrace house, semi-D or bungalow usually shows up slowly. Owners notice one or more of these, often in the kitchen, the back of the house or an old extension:
Some of these have simpler causes. Tiles that pop up and sound hollow over a small area are often a bedding problem, explained in ClickBina's guide to popped and hollow floor tiles. The signs that point to settlement are the gap at the skirting and the floor dropping as a whole.
In many landed houses the walls and columns stand on footings or piles, while the ground-floor slab rests on the earth and fill beneath it. If that fill was not compacted properly when the house was built, or something later takes it away, the slab can drop while the walls stay where they are. That is why the first gap often opens at the skirting.
| Cause | What happens | Clue |
|---|---|---|
| Poorly compacted fill | The fill under the slab keeps consolidating for years | Settlement across a whole area, slow and even |
| Leaking water or sewer pipe under the slab | Water washes fine soil away and leaves voids | A sudden or local drop, damp patches, smells |
| Poor drainage around the house | Rainwater soaks under the slab at one side | Worse after heavy rain, near downpipes or a blocked drain |
| Tree roots | Roots draw water out of clay soil, or crack pipes | A large tree close to the affected corner |
| Extension on shallower foundations | The new part settles differently from the old house | A crack or step along the junction |
ClickBina's guide to a sinking car porch or apron explains what sits under a slab, fill, mesh and concrete, and why the outdoor slabs of a new house are often the first to move. The same logic applies inside, only more slowly.
A floor that is being undermined by water will keep sinking however well it is re-tiled. Before any repair, check what could be feeding water under the slab:
| What you see | Likely meaning | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| A thin, stable gap at the skirting; no wall cracks | Old, slow settlement that has stopped | Monitor; re-level and re-tile if it bothers you |
| Gap or tile cracks still growing month by month | Settlement is active | Find the water; engineer if it continues |
| Diagonal cracks in walls, doors and windows jamming | The walls or foundations may be moving too | Structural engineer before any repair |
| A step at an extension junction that keeps widening | The extension is settling on its own | Structural engineer; see below |
ClickBina's guide to cracks in a house explains how to read cracks by shape and position. An engineer's assessment of cracks starts from about RM500 on our guides, and a full site visit and report is RM1,500–RM3,000. It is money well spent before any structural repair.
Settlement is judged by whether it is still moving, so start a simple record before any repair:
| Repair | What it involves | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Re-level and re-tile | Lift the tiles, level with screed or levelling compound, re-tile, re-fit skirting | Old settlement that has stopped |
| Break out and recast the slab | Hack the slab, remove and replace soft fill, compact in layers, new slab and finishes | Large areas where the fill itself is the problem |
| Fill voids under the slab | Engineer-specified grout or fill under the existing slab | Voids left by washed-out soil, once the leak is fixed |
| Piles or underpinning | Engineer-designed micropiles or underpinning to carry the slab or extension | Soft ground, or an extension that keeps sinking |
Only the first two are ordinary renovation work. Filling voids, micropiles and underpinning are structural repairs: the engineer decides the method, the depth and the details, and the contractor builds to that design. ClickBina's piling and foundations guide explains why the engineer, not the builder, makes that call.
The most common landed-house case is an old rear kitchen or room extension that drops away from the main house, leaving a crack along the junction in the floor, walls and roof. Often the extension was built on shallow footings on filled ground near the back drain, while the original house sits on deeper foundations.
Patching the junction crack does not stop the movement. The usual sequence is: stop any water at the back (drains, downpipes, the sewer line), monitor to see if it is still moving, and if it is, ask an engineer whether micropiles or underpinning are needed under the extension. Only then are the floor, the junction and the roof flashing repaired. Our rear extension guide explains why foundations near a deep back drain have to go deeper.
ClickBina publishes the parts of this work on its floor, crack and foundation guides. A structural fix is priced from the engineer's design, so it is not in this table:
| Item | Indicative price (Klang Valley, 2026) | Source guide |
|---|---|---|
| Structural engineer assessment of cracks | From RM500 | Cracks and car porch settlement guides |
| Structural engineer site visit and report | RM1,500 – RM3,000 | Piling and foundations guide |
| Levelling compound where the floor is uneven | RM2 – RM6 per sq ft | Floor screed guide |
| Floor tile replacement, supply and lay | RM12 – RM30 per sq ft | Floor tile replacement guide |
| Epoxy injection for structural cracks, per point | RM150 – RM400 | Cracks in a house guide |
| Deeper footings or piling on soft ground (car porch reference) | RM3,000 – RM8,000 extra | Piling and foundations guide |
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour. A repair inspection is RM180, deducted from the repair bill if you go ahead. We serve KL, Selangor & Putrajaya.
To quote faster, tell us your area, property type and the size or quantity.
💬 WhatsApp for a quoteIf the house is new and still inside its defect liability period, report the sinking floor to the developer in writing with your dated record before paying anyone to repair it. ClickBina's car porch settlement guide explains how to record the movement for a DLP claim, and why the developer should fix the cause, not only the tiles.
ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor for floor, tiling and whole-house repair work. We can inspect the floor, help trace the water, re-level and re-tile once the cause is dealt with, and build structural repairs to an engineer's design. WhatsApp us your job details for a quote: the area, the property type and which room or area is moving. We reply within the hour, and the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges.
How we estimated prices: every figure is quoted unchanged from the ClickBina guide named beside it; they are indicative Klang Valley ranges, not a quotation. Structural repairs are priced from an engineer's design. This page is general information, not structural advice.
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour. A repair inspection is RM180, deducted from the repair bill if you go ahead. We serve KL, Selangor & Putrajaya.
💬 WhatsApp for a quoteTell us what you need — we reply within the hour.