soil and rubble under a redundant hearth

just bought house hearth has been removed - lots of soil and rubble that is very damp

can i just put floor boads down and have carpet fitted or does soil etc need to be reoved and some sort of insulation laid to stop damp coming through

any help appreciated

t

i had this when i removed an internal wall downstairs, soil and damp and even live newts living there.

I dug out the loose stuff then filled with sharp sand & cement about 4:1

and troweled it level, then painted on a couple of coats of bitumin to stop the damp, has been fin for the last 6 months.

If you have a suspended ground floor make sure it is well ventilated to avoid dry rot and other nasties./

Can you post pics?

Is there a small brick surround, around the old hearth area? Is it supporting anything?

Do the floor joists sit tight and secure? Presumably, they are trimmed around the hearth?

What do you intend to use the fireplace opening for, if anything?