Floorboards sagging, suspended floor repair/insulation Qs FAQ

Jan 02, 2023 Last reply: 3 years ago 45 Replies

I thought most US houses had basements where the washing machine was installed ?.

Termites are a serious problem in parts of the USA so a concrete basement/semi-basement might help to keep them out though my nieighbours daughter lived in Florida for a few years and they had to pay someone to spray/inject ?anti-termite pesticide every year.

Not much of that in suffolk though. All the modern houses that I see being built with concrete beam+block flooring have those plastic periscope arrangements around the perimeter for ventilation.

Yes, but not here on Suffolk Clay...

Nope. lots do, but nothing even remotely like most of them do.

Lot more than just the washing machine in fact.

Ensures that they never get in in fact if the ground is sprayed with the right treatment before the concrete is poured and you have brick walls and ensure termites can't bridge the barrier.

I should give an update in case anyone is interested...

I managed to get someone it to take a look at the floor, when the house was mostly unoccupied. After rolling back the carpet it was clear the the chipboard flooring was badly supported in places, and also not of flooring quality. We managed to ascertain that there were also insufficient concrete piers put in to support the floor.

In the end, two more piers were put in, and extra noggins put in at the joist ends. The floor was relaid with flooring quality OSB.

I would have liked to have thought more about insulating underneath, but I was a bit busy. I know enough about the construction to lift the OSB and do this at a later date, if need be.

There was no issue at all with damp or wood rot etc.

I was pretty pleased with the result in the end. It was a lot less intrusive than it could have been, and in general the news was good.

Regards, J^n

Yup certainly less of a problem than could have been the case just hearing the symptoms. Glad you got it fixed.

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