how to avoid raising floor level too much when adding ply?

[riffraff]

Hi All,

We bought a new house around 6 months ago (brick exterior with internal timber frame).
The house is great and the builder has been quick to address any snags but there are a couple of annoyances that have just arisen.
We have experienced cracked tiles in the bathroom. This isn't a surprise because all the floors upstairs creak like heck (you can feel the boards move below your feet in some places).
I've asked the builder to come back and repair this but i want to make sure he does it right when he comes.

I've read the sticky post in the tiles forum were it states you need to add a sheet of ply on top of the floorboards. But if this is done the floor level in the bathroom will be raised above the floor level in the landing...how to get around this?

And also, just a general bit of advice required. Do you think it is reasonable to insist on them fixing down the floorboards upstairs to stop the creaking? It creaks more than any older house i've ever been in.
I'm concerned they will just come and put in more nails...should they screw the boards down.

Any advice would be great as i want to be able to see if they are doing things right and maybe even advise them as to what they need to do!

Thanks in advance.

riffraff

 

[ColJack]

you take up the floorboards in the bathroom, block in between the joists to stiffen it all, then put the ply down on the joists..
a continuous floor will flex less than strips of wood..

 

[riffraff]

Ahh, so you dont put the plyboard on top of the floor boards...you replace them with the ply....understood, thanks.

Do you think i should ask to get all the creaky floors fixed similarly? I guess i'm wondering why builders use boards in the first place instead of sheets of ply if they are more stable?

Cheers?

 

[mointainwalker]

May seem silly to ask but do you know you do have floor-boards ?

I put the question because chipboard is by far and away the most common flooring used and this has a terrible reputation for squeaking.

 

[riffraff]

Actually no...i'm not sure...i assumed i have because on the carpeted floors i can almost feel a plank move under my foot were the creaks are very bad.
I suppose i could remove the side of the bath and have a look to confirm ot lift the carpet in the hotpress.
It only got this way recently...probably because we started using the central heating quite a bit in the winter.
To be honest i'm preparing myself to attempt to fix all the creaky floors sometime in the new year....i'll ask the builder if he'll do it but he might say no or he may do it but do a quick job that wont last.

From what i read there seems to be a common approach....basically put graphite lubricant in between the boards and screw them down. This sounds farily straightforward even it will take a while. I dont fancy replacing the flooring...or adding ply etc...

 

[ColJack]

take great care when fixing boards down.. you have no idea if there is a cable or pipe running under it..

 

[riffraff]

Thanks for all your help...

I take it i can buy a device that can detect pipes and cables before drilling/sawing?