I was checking a detached house some years ago; the client ( home owner ) was worried there had been ongoing, serious settlement in the centre of the home. It’s time to Ask the Inspector , once again :

After taking one look inside the crawl space under this area in question, it was clear that the main support ( framing top plates ) was left completely unsupported at the far end.  It appeared to be acting like a diving board, but with most of the weight of the upper floors bearing on it.

In the sample image below, if enough of the upright supports were either not installed ( or had been removed for some reason ), the horizontal double top plate supporting the floor joists would obviously sag under that weight…

I have to admit, I backed out of there rather quickly once I realized the situation…

The client was so grateful to know what the problem was and could then confidently proceed with remedying the situation.

Worry turned, once again, into a SMILE and that made my day!

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