Longish post but Ive recently bought a 1940's ex-council built semi detatched house which I understand to have a suspended woodern floor rather than a concrete base like my parents house and I am trying to work out what I have currently and what want/need to do to it.
My understanding is that there will be a void under it between the floor/joists and the ground which may vary from very little at all to several feet, under which will typically be bare earth.
The space needs ventilating to prevent damp/rot which is provided by the air bricks which can be seen placed around the foot of the house in the external wall which is then somehow connected, presumably via air bricks in the inner wall, to the underfloor space?
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The reason I ask this is that at present the air bricks all around the house have been blocked up with silicon blobs in each of the holes. There are around 12-15 or so single-brick sized ones at around 4ft spacing around the bottom, and around four double-sized air bricks just below the gutterline.
Clearly this prevents the passage of air into both the wall cavity and the under floor void. Presumably as a mis-guided attempt to reduce draughts.
The house has relativly recently (but before i bought it) been dot&dab drylined internally and there no vents in the first floor rooms coresponding to the external vents (which i have seen in other house of this age).
The ground floor is tiled in the kitchen and various wood-effect sectional laminate flooring throughout the rest of the rooms, most of which is a large living and dinning room which where knocked through by the previous owner. No real plans to change the flooring.
I have also just had the house cavity wall insluatled using blown polysterine balls with adheasive.
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I want to re-introduce ventilation to the underfloor void to prevent potential damp issues and coresponding rot in the floor timbers, but I also want to provide an amount of insulation in the floor, and critcally, maintain an amount of air-tightness.
Further more, as I expect the sell the house in around 5years, although I am happy to invest in improvments to a certain degree, spending must be controlled acordingly. Underfloor heating has been considered but largely discounted due to said 5-year-plan. A form of MVHR (whole-house or otherwise) has also been considered, although due to the 5year plan may be limited to a single-room system in the bathroom only.
Daniel
My understanding is that there will be a void under it between the floor/joists and the ground which may vary from very little at all to several feet, under which will typically be bare earth.
The space needs ventilating to prevent damp/rot which is provided by the air bricks which can be seen placed around the foot of the house in the external wall which is then somehow connected, presumably via air bricks in the inner wall, to the underfloor space?
--
The reason I ask this is that at present the air bricks all around the house have been blocked up with silicon blobs in each of the holes. There are around 12-15 or so single-brick sized ones at around 4ft spacing around the bottom, and around four double-sized air bricks just below the gutterline.
Clearly this prevents the passage of air into both the wall cavity and the under floor void. Presumably as a mis-guided attempt to reduce draughts.
The house has relativly recently (but before i bought it) been dot&dab drylined internally and there no vents in the first floor rooms coresponding to the external vents (which i have seen in other house of this age).
The ground floor is tiled in the kitchen and various wood-effect sectional laminate flooring throughout the rest of the rooms, most of which is a large living and dinning room which where knocked through by the previous owner. No real plans to change the flooring.
I have also just had the house cavity wall insluatled using blown polysterine balls with adheasive.
--
I want to re-introduce ventilation to the underfloor void to prevent potential damp issues and coresponding rot in the floor timbers, but I also want to provide an amount of insulation in the floor, and critcally, maintain an amount of air-tightness.
Further more, as I expect the sell the house in around 5years, although I am happy to invest in improvments to a certain degree, spending must be controlled acordingly. Underfloor heating has been considered but largely discounted due to said 5-year-plan. A form of MVHR (whole-house or otherwise) has also been considered, although due to the 5year plan may be limited to a single-room system in the bathroom only.
Daniel
