ventilation to suspended wooden garage floor

Joined
28 Apr 2010
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
Northamptonshire
Country
United Kingdom
I have a pitched roof garage at the bottom of my garden, (asbestos roof). I have use of half of the garage, next door has the other half. We have both had the doors blocked up, due to security, and put a single door in one garden wall. The garage foundation is only three bricks deep to ground level. I am getting wet patches on the inside of the garage, just above the bricks, and in one corner at ground level. This dries out when the door and windows are open. I have boarded the walls, and spent some time draught proofing the garage, to make it usable as a games room. I may have overdone it, and prevented the walls from being able to breathe. To install a wooden floor, I need some ventilation under the floor. I cannot afford to raise the floor above the 3 brick foundation level, due to head space, so air bricks are a bit tricky. Can I put air bricks in the bottom row of bricks, ie at ground level? Can I simply try to drill holes through the bricks, from the inside, or is this just a ridiculous idea? Can I also drill holes through the wall blocks, at a higher level, to ventilate the roof area? Please help. Thank you.
 
Sponsored Links
The damp patches sound like condensation. You can either improve ventilation and keep the space mostly unheated or install insulation with vapour proof layer. Instead of a suspended floor, you could avoid air bricks and lay a damp proof layer, rigid insulation and board over the top. Have a look at Celotex garage conversions, the PDF download looks useful.
 
Thanks very much for that. Food for thought, and certainly will save me some hard graft. Do you think any kind of self levelling screed would be a good idea, to level the floor, or would this be counter-productive? I would probably need to put a thick screed down, which would defeat the object and raise the floor too much (?) If no screed, any good idea about how to best level the floor? All the best.
Steve
 
It is normal to put just sand under insulation when you are insulating a solid floor. I don't know if you'd get away with it under a timber floor. Maybe a weak mortar under the damp proof layer. I guess it depends on how much slope you have.
 
Sponsored Links
Great idea, thanks very much. Sand or weak mortar to level the lowest points, then damp proof membrane, insulation and board! Thanks again.
Steve
 
I think you need to use T&G chipboard on top of insulation. I'd go as thick as pos (22mm) and glue the joints. Don't forget to stagger the joints by at least 600mm. This protects the insulation from concentrated loads. Your choice of flooring on top of that. It's not going to be the greatest floor but there are plenty just like it. :)
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Back
Top