leedg Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Hi Bit of an unusual question for a chicken related forum, but I reasoned that theres probably a couple of people on here that live in old houses, and hoped someone might be able to help me. I own a very old farm cottage, and have recently discovered that a large portion of the upstairs floor is made of concrete (as apposed to the more traditional floorboards). The problem is that someone in the past has messed about with the floor, and im concerned that the structural integrity of the floor/walls might of been affected, and would like more information/advice before i call in a structural engineer. Ive searched all over the internet, but it seems this setup is extremely rare. Just wondered if anyone else has any experience of concrete floors upstairs in an old house? Sorry if this is posted in the wrong part of the forum Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loumabel Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Hi,What age is your house? I live in a 15th century house and I am positive it would never have had concrete in it. I would imagine that your concrete floor is a later addition to your house and depending on when it was constructed it should have building regualtions. Is it causing any problems that you can see, cracks on walls etc. If you are worried I would get a surveyor out to have a look. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Could it be the light weight concrete with polystyrene balls ( sometime wood chip etc) mixed in or Aircrete? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 A lot of houses in the Med have concrete upper floors. Hubby (who is a builder), has always said that he thinks it is a really good idea,as you have no noise from footfall on the lower floors. not sure about an old house though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Was it done for some sort of fireproofing reason by one of the previous owners, I wonder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Never heard of it myself I'd be tempted to get in either a building surveyor, or a reliable builder (if you know one) to have a look and advise you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leedg Posted February 15, 2012 Author Share Posted February 15, 2012 thanks everyone for your replies/advice. I have since been informed that although it appears to be concrete, chances are the floor is made from a material called lime ash. In the past it was a fairly common and cheap way of putting a floor in upstairs, but now a days it is extremely rare to come across. Apparently it is likely to be an original feature of the house (we think the house was built in the 1850s ish). so quite cool I suppose. We've had problems with cracks appearing in plaster in the walls, and are in the process of repairing a fairly bad damp problem in one corner of the house (broken guttering+breached damp proof course), and I was/am concerned that the damp might have attacked the timber in the floor, and a previous owner had chopped sections out of the floor, further affecting the structure. I know of a structural engineer that specialises in old rural houses, so I will defintely be in touch with him, pity there not cheap! Thanks everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newcountrygirl Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I currently live in a Grade II listed cottage. I use Period Property UK forum - lots of people on here with fantastic advice and info and a lot of experience of dealing in old property Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
