Floor support

[scottygio]

I already posted on the fact that my circa 1930's house has bouncy floors. on lifting up the floorboards it was found that the inner wall(cavity construction), well the part on which the ground floor joists rest was missing. Not all the wall was missing, about a metre and a half below the window. So these joists are resting on a wooden wall plate with no support below it, thats why the floor is bouncy. The wall has not fallen down (otherwise they would be lying on the sollom,part of the wall has been taken away).
Someone mentioned that the wall has been partly taken away to allow air circulation below the floorboards to prevent dry rot.
I now need to stop the floors from bouncing so i wish to rebuild this wall.
Do you think if i use air bricks built up using the appropiate mortar this will give the support but also prevent dry rot,

regards

scott

 

[masona]

Here

Can you do a photo?

 

[Reevezy]

The wall that is missing is called a honey comb sleeper wall. this is built using standard bricks but leaving large gaps at the ends of the bricks ofabout 50mm thus allowing air flow if you look at any other walls under the floor you may see what I mean. then bed the timber plate on top of this. if the remaining gap is not big enough you can hammer in some roofing slate to tighten the gap making sure not to raise the floor

 

[Reevezy]

Me again forgot to mention place some damp course on top of the brick work before you bed the wallplate on the top. Good luck

 

[scottygio]

I thought the honeycomb sleeperwall was a wall that was put in the middle of the room to half the span in rooms which have a long floor area.
My wall is on the outside wall so its not a honeycomb sleeper wall.
What do you think of building up the wall using airbricks, this would provide the support and also allow the circulation of air,

thanks for your input,

regards

scott

 

[masona]

Can you do a photo so we can understand it better?

 

[Reevezy]

I am a little confused that the inner skin of bricks are missing on this wall below floor level. What is holding the wall up above the missing bricks, is there a lintel?
Are there air bricks showing through on the outer wall that can been seen through the hole under the floor.
How long is the missing section of bricks?
Yes the wall in the centre of the room is a honey comb wall but you still get them at the end of the floor joists. they are build slightly away from the outside walls 4 to 6 inches away to allow are flow that comes through air bricks to circulate. sleeper walls are usually built every 1200mm under the floors across the room.
If you wish to build a support wall using air bricks it will cost a fortune, when a sleeper wall will be much stronger as air bricks are usually only half the thickness of standard bricks , and you really need 100mm to support the wall plate

 

[Static]

You could just place a concrete lintel below the floor plate, and brick in the missing section of wall below (yes- allow for some air flow, ie throw in 1 air brick). I really doubt the section was removed to allow air flow, more than likely there was an opening there which has subsequently been replaced with a window (badly).