Lowering basement floor

[miles]

Hi,

I live in a late georgian/early victorian townhouse. The basement is currently 218 cm from concrete floor to exposed ceiling joist. We are moving our kitchen into the basement, and planning to fit some underfloor heating and insulating boards. I'm quite tall and want to keep the ceiling height as high as possible.

The builder has dug a trench for a drain, and we've found that the concrete floor is approx 10cm deep, then turns into brick below that, Other than the work itself, would there be any problem in removing the concrete layer completely, then re-laying the boards and tiles onto a much thinner layer of concrete or screed? I'm assuming that if the brick was the original floor layer, then this is unlikely to cause structural problems. If we did do this, should we do anything to make sure we don't get damp coming up?

Thanks,

Miles

[EricP]

You should consult an expert on this. Georgian houses are not noted for actually having foundations, just bricks laid on soil. :))

[Dave Plowman (News)]

It's not damp I'd be worried about but undermining the fountations. Which are likely minimal.

It's a popular conversion in this Victorian area, changing a cellar into a habitable basement, and this involves effectively underpinning to gain the height needed.

Before doing *anything* I'd consult a structural engineer.

[Dave]

In view of the fact that this control freak government are intent on spying on our phone calls and Internet activity, is there any way your tag system can cope with random bombings, murders etc.?

Dave

[meow2222]

I've no idea whether you could replace 4" concrete with half an inch of sand filled resin on a compacted base, but would at least inquire.

NT

[Emil Tiades]

You need this:

[Hugo Nebula]

It's probable that the brick below the slab is a form of hardcore. You would have to lower this before you put back a 100mm minimum thick slab. Anything less would just crack up. To comply with Building Regs, would would also be required to install insulation under the slab (not just the thin stuff that goes under underfloor heating), unless it was a deep basement and you were to put insulation on the walls to offset the heat loss. Whether you would choose to let B/Control know is up to you. While you were doing this, you'd be best installing a proper tanking membrane below the floor & the walls.

As has been said, this is all contingent on your foundations being deeper than the bottom of your hardcore. A house I went to last week didn't, and now the owner has a cellar full of concrete, a bill for putting up his and his neighbour's tenants for several days, and a notice requiring him to underpin the party wall.

[Andrew Gabriel]

That's presumably rather difficult once the cellar is filled with concrete?

[Hugo Nebula]

No, just to the top of where he'd snapped off the spreader course. Which is ~600mm higher than he wanted it. Never mind, the easiest solution is to raise the ground floor joists. After all, anyone over 4'9" can easily stoop through a door.

That's something his engineer and a magistrate will have to come up with. Luckily (ha!) for him, the concrete must have followed the diggers all the way from Poland, because it still hadn't set properly after five days!

[meow2222]

there's one other option, to lower the floor except right at the edges, where you leave a sloping section (at 38 degrees IIRC). Its a compromise but can be made to work, and saves the cost & trouble of underpinning etc

NT

[Appin]

The message

from [e-mail] contains these words:

No need to slope. Stop about 600mm from the walls and cut down the plinths of your kitchen units.

[meow2222]

yes, step or slope is fine. 2' is pretty big though.

NT

[Martin Bonner]

I don't think the OP needs a 2' step. It was Hugo's acquaintance that had 600mm more than he wanted.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I've just had some tests done at the local hospital. Arranged by my GP, and appointments were very fast indeed. So much so that the appointments happened before the post arrived telling me where to go exactly in the large hospital. Luckily, did find out there.

If they can send me texts etc reminding me of those appointments, why not a text or email with the details of it?

Trouble here is the post arrives about midday. Not much use if on the same day as your appointment, as happen both times here.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd say the letter was produced on a computer. Just the transmission method which was wrong (to me). And email is free - I'd guess even the NHS pay something for paper and stamp.

[Brian Gaff]

The accessible information standard became law in 2016, it is now mid 2018 and still most nhs sites cannot cope with email letters and large print or audio letters to patients. Rocket science it is not, However lack of expertise and the general inertia of large organisations plus the medic knows best ethos has still meant we are not getting service we have had from commercial organisations since the bloody turn of the century. Brian

[Stephen Cole]

You also need to allow for the fact that something like a million 2016 Leave voters have since died and that something like 2 million+ Remain-leaning youngsters have acquired the vote since. A second referendum has always felt dicey but the odds on a Remain win get better every day, which is why I?ll be especially happy to see Parliament kick the can down the road for another few months this evening.

Perhaps people thought you

I think people are repelled by Jim?s obsession with scat and cross-dressing, tbh.

[Keema's Nan]

On 4 Sep 2019, Stephen Cole wrote (in article ):

And so, with the second referendum are you going to accept that if Remain wins by a slender majority, the HoC will vote to leave immediately and thus ignore the result?

If you are then - welcome to the world that Leave voters have endured for the last 3 years.

[Phi]

Clearly, the Brexit party would win a general election.

[Stephen Cole]

Are you going to ask your wife for a Blumpkin for Christmas again, Jim?