Installing a floor on dirt

[Penguin]

I have got a house that I am working on, built it from the ground up. It has got dirt floors at the moment, and as it turns out, I am lacking the money to put in cement. I have heard of free floating floors and that is the path that I am really considering now. Before I took over the house my parents had a book that referenced using a plastic layer on the dirt, then laying gravel on top of that, then building something similar to the framing of a house on which the floor would be placed. Since the idea has come up the book has since vanished and I am at an utter loss as to what I should do. I am set on the idea of the flooring, but lacking the reference to follow through as I fear that I will mess up and have a large mess on my hands that will be a great deal of work to fix. If anyone has any Ideas on what I can do, or any books, sites or anything that could help me, that would be great. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Lawrence]

What type of construction was used to build this house. Stick frame? Pole barn? Masonry? Please provide detailed construction methods including photos.

[DK]

There is something very quaint and romantic about dirt floors. Please reconsider and forget messing up that dirt with flooring.

My grandparents had dir floors and they would sweep the dirt just like it was a floor.

[Penguin]

For the foundation railroad ties were used, then up from there we mounted on a frame, if I remember correctly the frame was 2' on center, but am not entirely sure about that, there are the thick sheets of plywood on the inside and outside of the walls, then covering the plywood on the outside is siding. The roof was done basicly the same as the roof but in truss form. Then there are supports that we did for the roof just as something extra so that it could withstand anything, that was done with 4x4 and then on one end it was done in telephone poles... Basiclly that is all that is done to it at the moment, the major part for the time being is going to be finishing the floor...then the rest of it should fall in, I hope...Thanks for the help

[Goedjn]

Unless you have a free source of whatever other material you use, you will end up spending as much on anything else as you would on the concrete.

[Tom J]

What part of this planet is this house located on? From your description, I hope it's not in termite regions. If it's not where termites are a problem, put down more cross ties & 3/4 waffer board on top of them. Later, paint or tile can be added.

Tom J

[Goedjn]

Is it safe to assume, then, that you don't have to worry about meeting code, or making inspectors happy?

[yourname]

but if you put a floor in, where will you run your kerosene powered computer?

[Colbyt]

On the off chance that this is legit,

Bagged cement poured 1-2" thick over plastic would be as cheap as anything you could build.

PT lumber is very expensive now.

[Goedjn]

[HeyBub]

Think carpet. That's what the Bedouin have been doing for millenia.

[tmurf.1]

Just paint the dirt

[hallerb]

need plastic as a vapor barrier, concrete will be a cheapest floor material and ultimately durable

pressure treated wood costs a fortune today

[marson]

I agree that you should avoid treated wood. The basement in my own house has about 2" of concrete poured basically onto clay and it is fine (done 90 years ago). If you have time and no money (and a strong back and a weak mind) look into adobe floors (google it).