FLOOR JUNCTION DRAUGHT PROBLEM

[Mae West]

I had concrete and insulation put under my ground floor due to water rising from below early this year. The entire ground floor two rooms under floor was completely dug up and removed.

The contractor put in some kind of red crushed material, followed by thick plastic sheeting, concrete and then two types of insulation, thick blocks of something and a foam type underlay for the laminate. Following this, a new and expensive wood-type laminate floor was put over the top.

Unfortunately, the contractor failed to have the concrete reach far enough across at one end of the room. I repeatedly pointed this out but he insisted all would be well when the new skirting was put in. This was absolutely untrue. Now there are huge gaps at the junction of floor and wall, which you can put your hand in. There is also a big gap under the skirting. The draught is horrendous.

I've tried repeatedly to contact the contractor over more than six months but he ignores me. He also did not provide the 25 - year certificate he promised.

Now it looks as though I need to fix this myself. I'd appreciate any ideas or suggestions. The previous job was £11,000 so I don't have more money to throw at this. At the same time, my new fuel bills are to be more than double those of the previous year. This means that I have to do the repair myself. Five foot female, no longer young. What a joke.

I'm thinking to remove the skirting and put something in the gaps, but what? I'd rather not mess with foam, which someone suggested, and hoping for some other solution. I can mix concrete or something of that kind. Is that the best thing to do? Obviously, I can't remove the new laminate so this has to happen without damaging it. When I replace the skirting, what should I use to plug the gaps underneath?

Thanks for reading, I appreciate your time.

 

[foxhole]

Pics would help , but simplest would be a trim over the gaps.

 

[Mae West]

Thanks for the reply, foxhole. I will get some photos. I have plenty from under the floor but they're on my phone and need to be transferred. I guess what is needed now is pictures of the current situation. I will get back on that.

 

[JohnD]

You can stuff gaps with mineral wool insulation, as used in lofts, to block draughts. Use the brown grade treated with "Ecose" which does not shed irritant dust and fibres.

Meanwhile, try to contact CAB or similar organisation as I should think you have a legal claim against the crook.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

I think that "messing with foam" may well be your best option and any other quick solution may well be inadequate.

I find that mineral wool doesn't completely stop draughts (after all there are air spaces in it) and it often won't pack into small gaps effectively, which is why we don't use it for either draught proofing or blocking narrow gaps when fire stopping (which is why on gaps less than 10mm many authorities bar its' use)

When using foam the thing is to protect anything you don't want the foam to come in contact with by using a good quality, low tack tape such as "Frog Tape" green masking tape. Low tack masking tapes minimise any damage to recent paintwork and delicate surfaces. The sort of foam to look for is the low expansion stuff we use to install internal, non-fire rated door casings and linings. It is often a gun grade foam, necessitating the purchase of a foam gun, but there are hand held foams out there such as Everbuild Exact Gap Foam (available from Toolstation, etc), which only expands 5 to 10% from the extruded bead size unlike traditional expanding foams you may have used in the past.

The trick is to clean the area of application of grease, wax or dust (vacuum), use the can upside down (as shown above), always apply sparingly and don't try to fill big gaps in one go - build up the fillng in multiple passes maybe 20 to 30 minutes or so apart to allow each layer to set.

It really is the best quick fix - just avoid the cheap, high expansion foams

 

[JohnD]

Now there are huge gaps at the junction of floor and wall, which you can put your hand in.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

If you had ever needed to do an air test on a building, John, you'd realise that stuffing mineral wool into gaps reduces draughts and air flow - it doesn't seal completely, however. For that you need something like foam or a so-called caulk saver like Fossa Caulk Saver, which is compressible closed cell foam piping available on various sizes. For smaller gaps up to about 30mm Compraband (expanding closed cell tape) which is designed to acoustically and fire seal edges of laminate flooring also performs better than mineral wool, but is relatively expensive

 

[JohnD]

Yes.

You can stuff gaps with mineral wool insulation, as used in lofts, to block draughts.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

So you're now quoting yourself?

 

[blup]

Thanks for the reply, foxhole. I will get some photos. I have plenty from under the floor but they're on my phone and need to be transferred. I guess what is needed now is pictures of the current situation. I will get back on that.

Before and after photos will help, what was the cause of the "rising water"?

Blup

 

[Mae West]

Thank you all very much indeed for your ideas. This is all very helpful.
I don't want to 'mess with foam' as I can't do it myself. There's no way I manage to squeeze those things as well as guiding them as my hands are pretty small.
However, I do have a neighbour who does good 'handyman' work and will often work with me on DIY jobs to handle the bits I can't do.
The water seemed to have come from the water table and soaked up into the two defunct fire flues. Bricks and mortar were crumbling and damp in several areas and one of my joists was totally rotten. I had inspections from just about everyone, including the fire brigade, water authority and council drainage.
Unfortunately, it was all down to me to pay to fix it. All of this was not noticed at all by the expensive surveyor who surveyed the property before I bought it in 2019. But that's another story. I did take legal advice but basically they would have tied me up in court indefinitely and meanwhile water is rising through the laminate. In fact, that could have gone on for years because of the lockdown.
My choice was to get the job done immediately or to let it get worse and worse and probably still get nowhere.

Anyway, all the suggestions are much appreciated and I feel I have some idea how to proceed now.

 

[blup]

Many legal firms do no win no fee against surveyors professional negligence, if it is as clear a case as you suggest, their insurers should pay out.

Blup

 

[Mae West]

The problem about going the legal route is that you're supposed to do it all before the work begins. This means you could take months, possibly years for a conclusion.
I did talk to the solicitor who dealt with my sale/buy and his advice was that it seemed I was in the right, as the underfloor damp was not mentioned at all by the surveyor. However, how would I prove that the water rising was present at the moment the property was surveyed, before I bought it? Even if it were accepted by a no win no pay legal firm, I'm still back to the time element. Water was literally coming up and running along the laminate floor every time there was rain, which is often here in Gloucester. I had a fitted carpet there originally but took it up when I realised the constant water stain could not have been Lola - a very good dog who never has accidents indoors. I had even taken her to the vets for tests, thinking she'd become incontinent! This was when I noted the water rising in mornings only - to do with tidal surges apparently.
In the end, I just decided I'd have to deal with the problem. Those surveyors can just wait you out, and find constant reasons for going back and forth to court. Endless stress and, at the end of the day, I still need my entire floor and foundations dug out. It was a horrific job.
I'm going to pull the skirting off and get my neighbour handyman to help me decide on the best solution but, at the moment, I'm thinking I need to go with the high quality gap foam but, as these are big gaps, perhaps put the Ecose first.
Thanks again to everyone for helping.