At some point, they built the wall between the bathroom and the loo. As there is no wall underneath there, it was built directly on the floorboards ...
... out of brick. Laid on edge, so the wall is 2.5" thick or whatever the height of a brick was in the 1930s. The suggestion is to remove and rebuild in studwork.
This was common at the time, brick-on-edge it's known as and they're a bastard to chip out for backboxes etc as they knock through to the opposite wall too easily
Yeah we had a couple of walls like that in our old 1930's semi. Built straight on the floorboards - this was as built, not an addition. Though ours was built of some kind of dark grey/black cinder block.
Frankly if its been there all this time and causing a problem I'd probably leave well alone.
Tim Streater explained on 18/07/2012 :
My parent's house (that we inherited and now let out) was built in 1874 and is a mid-terrace property. The dividing wall between our bathroom and next-door's bathroom is brick, and is built directly on the floorboards. Both bathrooms are above both kitchens and the joists that make up the bathroom floor/kitchen ceiling run from our bathroom outer wall to their bathroom outer wall - the voids transmit cooking smells very effectively between houses :/
Quite common - although often cheap blocks rather than bricks. I would not bother rebuilding it just for the sake of it.
Not much of a fire barrier in those day then. :-(
Chris
Not the norm, but quite common in older properties. Usually round here (NW Eng) it's a stud frame with brick infill.
Suggestion from someone who will get paid to rebuild it by any chance?
NT
Ah, that would explain the complete absence of sound insulation too. (nice cavity under the floorboards).
Is any of this stuff load bearing? The place I'm thinking of might just be exterior walls and chimney stack, with everything else made of this soft black cinder block (1949, postwar bodge).
Presumably any remedy in blockwork would first involve stuffing the place with RSJs to take the load?
Theo
The wall looked a bit ropey - cracked - so in fact we've had it taken down. Bottom layer of bricks, no mortar at all, just resting on a floorboard. Those bricks held in place by skirting board. No need for RSJ in our case.
Acksherly it'll be handy having had the wall taken out; we can move it about 10cm which will facilitate the new kit for the loo.
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