Ground floor "missing"/how to level the floor? Wha

[BigProject1]

Not sure of the terms for things, but I really need some help/input on this problem! Here goes:

at the back of a victorian mid terrace house we have a large step down from the dining room into the kitchen/bathroom. The dividing wall is to be knocked through and it is to be converted to a single kitchen. Floor in kitchen (left) half is concrete/solid, but under wooden floor boards in the bathroom (on the right, on a raised wooden platform slightly lower than the dining room)is quite a large subfloor and some airbricks to the back. How am I going to level the floor in the kitchen/bathroom Do we need to remove the existing bathroom floor or do we somehow (how?) put new floor (boards?) over it?

Any suggestions/ideas welcome!!

Many thanks!

 

[dann09]

1. Are you saying that you have two floor levels to deal with:
- the main house FFL.
- The kitchen and bathroom FFL?

2. The kit is a solid concrete floor, and the bathroom is a suspended wood boarded floor? I assume that it's one single outrigger.

3. The kit and bath room are to become one room, knocked thro to the main house, with a common FFL?

4. You could lift the joists and boards and raise the bathroom floor to common FFL.

5. You could also lay a membrane on the kit conc floor and frame joisting and boarding off the membrane to common FFL.

6. Alternatively, you could fill the whole cleared space with hardcore, membrane and insulation, and concrete up to common FFL. This option will require consideration of how to vent the main house sub area.

7. By achieving what you propose you will have altered all present dimensions for window sills, door heads and external steps etc.

8. This kind of relativly simple job should be done to simple drawings - plans and sections including finished kit cab layout and all services. Dont work blind.

FWIW: review a total view of all finishes, and ceiling and roof and exterior fabric that might require work in the future

 

[JohnD]

how high are the ceilings?

 

[BigProject1]

hi, many thanks for your input.

Dann09, Essentially yes - 2 main levels in house. But we are potentially talking about more than 2 different levels: starting with the highest part A. living/dining room/entrance/main 2/3rds of house, then in the last third B. bathroom on right part of kitchen, C. kitchen on left on slight slope(!) to backdoor where you have to step over quite a high stone/concrete threshold which is probably slightly lower than the level of the dining room/rest of house, D. about three steps down to garden (on a slope)!

Now you probably wish you'd never asked!

2. yes.

3. yes, except not knocking though wall between kit/bath and rest of house. Planning to install a glass paneled door in doorway between dining room/kitchen to shut out noise from appliances when on. Dividing wall between kit/bath to come out.

4 and 5 sounds good. How difficult is this? This is sounding a bit beyond me! If too big a job for me, do you think any builder could do it or is a carpenter or other specialist required? any questions to ask?

6. sounds a bit final as it'll have been concreted over. maybe 2nd choice as we have water/gas pipes under floor in bathroom...

7. Given threshold on back door and sufficient height in the door frame between dining/kit it seems workable. Window panel above exterior door could give some leeway if we end up a lot higher than the threshold, unless a slight step down to threshold is OK?



John D: ceiling height in kitchen/is around 2.8m-3m.

 

[dann09]

1. The partition between the bath room and the kitchen should come down without any drama.
To knock-thro a supporting wall is far more involved.

2. Lifting joists and, presumably, T&G boards is straightforward. Easy does it.
You would then have to level the other half of the kit floor to match.

3. Any competent builder could do the whole job.
If you tackle it you must have all the tools on hand, and have lots and lots of spare time - preferably in one block.

4. No "slight step down's" are allowed. All steps must conform to Blg. Regs.
As john noted, your head height will pass.

5. Research on here, and discuss on site with a sparky and plumber and a builder - but dont rip their time and knowledge.

6. Are your e. meter, gas meter or mains shut-off located in the above area? What about your boiler?

 

[BigProject1]

many thanks again Dann09! really helpful. yes, I need to check out the building regs.

6. new boiler in the end of the bathroom, to be hidden behind kitchen cabinets/tiled boxes. Meters are under stairs next to dining room, so I think no probs there!