Hello,
Firstly, apologies for the long post, but a bit of background will help!
Our (old) house has five rooms on the ground floor, each with a different floor construction. The whole lot needs bringing to one level and the damp spots sorting out. We are seeking a sensible middle road, whereby we dont have to remove everything. Current arangement is:
Front room 1: quarry tiles on ash. Uneven.
Front room 2: chipboard laid on slate rubble. Uneven.
Backroom 1: screed laid on thin plastic above slate rubble. More or less level.
Backroom 2: screed laid on rubble. More or less level, same height as backroom 1.
Backroom 3 (1970s extension): dpm, slab and screed. Level, but higher than all the rest.
Our plan was to dig out the front two rooms and install new floors, then somehow damproof the back two rooms and run a screed over everything to get it all level. Floor finish will be slate tiles and/or wood.
BUT
We have removed the quarry tiles and ash from the front room and hit upon a layer of stones, most larger than a half brick, about 8" below original floor height. I assume the floor in the other front room will have a similar layer of rocks.
We really really dont want to have to shift the rocks unless absolutely necessary. I know new floors need a good 12" of base, slab, insulation, screed etc. Can we skimp on the "standard" floor set up? If so, where/how? We can afford to lose some room height, but not loads as we want to fit a wooden floor on top.
Any comments or advice much appreciated!
Firstly, apologies for the long post, but a bit of background will help!
Our (old) house has five rooms on the ground floor, each with a different floor construction. The whole lot needs bringing to one level and the damp spots sorting out. We are seeking a sensible middle road, whereby we dont have to remove everything. Current arangement is:
Front room 1: quarry tiles on ash. Uneven.
Front room 2: chipboard laid on slate rubble. Uneven.
Backroom 1: screed laid on thin plastic above slate rubble. More or less level.
Backroom 2: screed laid on rubble. More or less level, same height as backroom 1.
Backroom 3 (1970s extension): dpm, slab and screed. Level, but higher than all the rest.
Our plan was to dig out the front two rooms and install new floors, then somehow damproof the back two rooms and run a screed over everything to get it all level. Floor finish will be slate tiles and/or wood.
BUT
We have removed the quarry tiles and ash from the front room and hit upon a layer of stones, most larger than a half brick, about 8" below original floor height. I assume the floor in the other front room will have a similar layer of rocks.
We really really dont want to have to shift the rocks unless absolutely necessary. I know new floors need a good 12" of base, slab, insulation, screed etc. Can we skimp on the "standard" floor set up? If so, where/how? We can afford to lose some room height, but not loads as we want to fit a wooden floor on top.
Any comments or advice much appreciated!