material under ground floor subfloor

[yorkney]

Honda,

The house was built in 1907, this is the pic under the bay window and the level is lower by a foot and a half.

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The pic below is the corner of the room adjacent to garden and pavement

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This is the bay from outside

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[drpepe]

I have a similar infestation - How do you plan to solve the slug problem?

 

[yorkney]

Not exactly an infestation, i'll attach some mesh to the vents.

ree, you still there? Any more ideas? I appreciate your thoughts and advice.

 

[ree]

I've gone back over your historic posts and pics, and much more is now intelligible - but why didn't you keep all your "sub area" posts on the same thread, it would have made it so much easier to advise you?

Perhaps you could pic at ground level the outside of the house, and indicate or annotate where the filled in cellar is?

Where did the rubble etc in the cellar come from? Most people, in modern times are only too glad to have a basement - they dont fill them in.

In pic 1. from yesterday: What is that strange stone and brick "structure" - a sleeper wall? What purpose does it serve?

Ignore compacted soil, you would only find it on a true oversite surface.

As i now understand your situation (i think), you have a "full cellar" except for the one room filled with rubble? Ventilation shouldnt be a problem. Ground levels in relation to your DPC, and decayed joist tails would be the only probable issues.

 

[yorkney]

ree,

Wow! You've gone to such effort, I appreciate this, the advice and the patience you have shown this amateur.

Apologies for not keeping the sub area posts together.

I'll take some pics today of ground level outside the property.

That strange structure seems to be supporting the two little joists under the bay window, I'll replace these with 70mm by 125mm C24 timber then no need for any support.

I'll take some pics of the cellar area.

the joist tails will be cut and a sister joist added to each, or I may just replace the whole joist, which would be easier.

once again, thankyou for you pertinent advice and going that extra mile.

 

[yorkney]

ree,

here are some pics

Front left reception room, half the subfloor is a cellar

front left reception room

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front right reception room, this is the room that I am currently working on, this room has the whole sub floor filled in.

front right reception room

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Full front picture of house

front of house

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Rear wall of right reception room

rear of right reception room

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Cellar stairs to left, the wall dead ahead separates the front right reception room from the cellar

cellar

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The wall with sunlight separates the right reception from the celkar, above the cellar is the...

air vent in old coal chute

air vent in cellar

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Bricked up coal chute

cellar

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cellar from bottom of stairs, above is the front left reception room

cellar from bottom of stairs

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Joists under fireplace in right reception room, efflorescence aplenty, funnily enough, only the middle of the three joists under the place has a rotten joist end

fireplaceI

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Efflorescence aplenty under fireplace

Joists under fireplace

fireplace

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Joists under fireplace

fireplace

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Joists under fireplace

fireplace

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I believe water must be travelling down chimney for there to be efflorescence on the bricks under the fireplace?

Hope the pics help you to help me, thanks.

 

[ree]

All the new joists should have their ends capped with wraps of DPC material or similar.

The joists around the hearth butt into a hearth trimmer which is probably decayed.


Cut back where necessary, wrap and cap any new work from contact with the masonry. Remove all timber packings, & decayed timbers. Wedge the joists with slate, and test all new joists for level, & movement, before covering with flooring.

The cream S&C plinth is doing you no favours. Cut the left hand side for 50mm above ground contact.
Install anothe 9" x 6" vent in the RH reception wall.



A pic of the hearth and chimney breast would help. But anyway, have all the flues swept, and the chimney stack examined for possible water ingress. Air vent or gas vent inserts can be used in chimney pots.

Efflorescence can be caused by rising ground water.

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

I have seen this effect in three Victorian houses. Two were quite grand affairs with proper cellars under 3/4s of the house. However the other 1/4 had a properly engineered access hatch about 4' of a cellar floor, when you poked your head through you could see a mountain of rubble going right up to the joists. The third (my old house) there was just very dry earth and rubble under the floorboards, but at a very deep level - about 5' below the floorboards.
Frank

 

[yorkney]

A few pictures of the hearth and chimney breast

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ree, what is a hearth trimmer?

There is no s & c cream plinth, apologies, that was a radiator that was resting in front of the fire in a previous pic. Can I put the vent in the back or does it have to go in the front of the reception room? When you say "wedge the joists with slate", is this the same as packing to get a joist level. I have decided to replace all the joists obviously wrapped in DPC but maybe treat the ends?

I've removed the abomination from under the bay window and have tried to clear up the brick work, there are large gaps in the brick work so I think I will use mortar? What about the bigger gaps? slightly drier mortar and pack it in? The bay window sits on 3 concrete (i think they're concrete) and there are gaps between the three and also the brick, what would you recommend to plug these gaps?

Here are some pics

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ree, your advice has been invaluable, thanks again.

Thanks for you input theprinceofdarkness.