Newbie question - suspended floor

[StuBeeDoo]

Our 1903-built mid-terrace cottage was built on slope, lower in the front than the rear. The living room at the front has a suspended floor about 600mm above ground level, while the rear has a solid one at ground level. There is a single airbrick at the front. The front is exposed to any slight wind from the south-east round to north-west.

I'm in the process of chasing and sealing draughts at the front of the room, but a cursory check at the rear of the room hasn't yet revealed any air outlet. I've read that suspended floors need air in and out.

In the event that I don't find an outlet at the rear, do I need to make one? If so, how I go about it when the floor at the rear of the house is solid?

TIA
Stuart

 

[KenGMac]

StuBeeDoo, good evening.

There are a few posts on the board about this sort of issue. check out the "Search" function top right on this page.

Short of blasting a couple of channels through the concrete floor and installing ducts to the rear external wall so a pair of ducts can be installed, this is probably not an option??

Can I suggest you consider installing more air bricks to the front wall, spread out over what ever length of wall you have.

Have you any idea what conditions you have under the floor boards? any indication of wood rot? are there any areas of the floor that indicates wood rot in the joists?

Ken.

 

[StuBeeDoo]

Ken, thank you for your reply.

I don't know, yet, what conditions are like under the boards. I'll get a slightly better idea in a few months when I have the house to myself and am able to clear the room and lift some of the boards to allow me to run pipes underneath for a new radiator. Being a cottage, all the other rooms are accessed from the living room and any work within the living room causes severe disruption to daily life.

Extra airbricks in the front wall would be a far easier option.

 

[KenGMac]

if you are lifting the boards? or some of them, that would be a good time [if you can afford it??] to install underfloor insulation???

 

[StuBeeDoo]

It had crossed my mind to have all the boards up, replace any that look iffy, and insulate under. The thing is, I'll only have 4 days to do the whole job - hang new radiator, lift carpet, cut and lift boards to run new pipework, drain CH and remove old radiator, connect existing pipework to new, make-good wall after removal of radiator, test CH for the inevitable leakage(s) and rectify, refit displaced boards, seal the floor-skirting gaps and any between boards, refit carpet. ........And I'm not the world's fastest worker.

 

[KenGMac]

Time to call in some mates to assist?? barrel of beer when completed?

or some very, very long days?