Types of ground floors

Suspended Ground floor-1890’s

Joists supported on sleeper & external wall Minimal ventilation Rising Damp No insulation

Ventilation for a suspended floor

Terra cotta air brick through wall

Improvements in design

Joists sitting on sleeper wall with attached wall plate.

Incorporation of dpc to prevent rising damp Sleeper walls built in ‘honeycomb’ style to

allow extra ventilation Extra air bricks

Modern Timber Floors

Timbers are longer Extra ventilation Insulation incorporated

Suspended concrete floors

Typical block and beam floor Quick and cheap to install Inverted ‘ T’ shaped beams Concrete blocks placed in between them

Ground Supported floors

Solid ground of hardcore supports concrete floor

Thick damp proof membrane placed under concrete with a layer of insulation

Typical slab – 150mm with reinforcement

Upper floors

To provide extra stability for external walls Joists built into wall Chipboard typically placed on top of joists

Upper floors

Galvanised joist hangers are built into wall Forms a ‘shoe’ or ‘seat’ for joist to sit in. Modern prefabricated joists with metal

banding are now commonly used

Upper Floor

Chipboard upper floor with water proof covering and taped joints