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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

PLEASE NOTE: A download link for Volume 1 will be sent to you by email and Volume 2 will be sent to you by post as a book.

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    • CommentAuthorUphillPhil
    • CommentTimeAug 14th 2014
     
    We've recently bought an Edwardian brick terraced house in West Oxford (see http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/forum114/comments.php?DiscussionID=12422) and are trying to get a bit of renovation/refurbishment done before moving in. One of the things we'd like to sort out (before putting in a complete new kitchen) is the kitchen floor:

    This is currently in two parts: half floorboards, and half tiled; old tiles where the original kitchen range was, and newer tiles in the breakfast-room extension at the back. Total floor area is about 18 m squared. Not only is it a visual mishmash, but it's not completely even or level (the tiled area slopes very slightly towards the French doors at the back of the breakfast room).

    We presume there's concrete of some sort under the tiling & a void under the floorboards, but a relatively low one - probably only about 15cm.

    Given that realistically our only easy opportunity to sort this floor out is before we put a new (well, new to us) kitchen in, we'd like to get a good idea of the options before we commit ourselves. We'd ideally like something reasonably eco-friendly with decent insulation values that won't result in the floor being freezing, but also will be good quality and lasting (we're hoping to be in the house for a good many years!)

    Should we be looking to dig out the existing flooring and (assumed) layer of concrete underneath entirely and lay concrete right through, before putting our choice of flooring (what?) on top? Or might just taking the existing tiles & timber up and pouring more concrete to level the floor suffice? The quick-n-easy option suggested by some builders has been simply to lay marine ply on top of the existing flooring and floor over that, but is that going to be asking for problems with damp/cracking etc later?

    Would using a limecrete floor be preferable to using a "modern" concrete floor in an Edwardian house?

    As an additional complication, we're trying to decide whether to put in under-floor heating on the ground floor (separate post on that in another thread!) - how would this square with what we do under the kitchen flooring and what we eventually put on top? Is it completely nuts to replace the entire ground floor with a limecrete / concrete one?

    (The house is theoretically in an area of medium flood risk, although the street in question has never flooded even in the Great Flood of 1947 and in this January's Oxford floods, when there was water in the road a few streets away, this street was bone dry and there was no sign of water even under the floorboards of this house...)

    All views on potential options and their pros/cons/pitfalls gratefully received!
    • CommentAuthortony
    • CommentTimeAug 14th 2014
     
    Dig it all out carefully make it flat add hardcore, insulation and perimeter insulation to outside walks, dpm, concrete or lime crete slab with pipes in it, easiest with pumped screed.
    • CommentAuthorUphillPhil
    • CommentTimeAug 14th 2014
     
    Worth doing to the whole ground floor?

    I guess it solves the airflow under the building issue. Presumably have to sacrifice the working fireplaces in that case, but would probably be able to live with that?!
  1.  
    ''Presumably have to sacrifice the working fireplaces in that case,''

    Why? If you want a dedicated air supply you can build that in.
    • CommentAuthorUphillPhil
    • CommentTimeAug 15th 2014
     
    Nick: True.

    NB. What happens to utility pipes when people replace a suspended floor with a concrete one? Do they just bury the pipes & hope nothing goes wrong, or relocate them above the base embedded in the insulation layer under the top screed?
  2.  
    We've just done a 150 slab over 125 Pu, and we cast in 2 x 75 x 50 battens next to the Pu upstand to take the rad pipes. Screw in long screws and 'waggle' the battens out when the concrete is just starting to go off.
    • CommentAuthorjfb
    • CommentTimeAug 15th 2014
     
    I've been renovating an older house (just outside Oxford in Garsington as it happens) and faced some similar questions as you did.
    Initially I thought I'd add ufh to the kitchen and a new side extension but in the end I dug up the whole of the downstairs and put in ufh right across it. Build up was hardcore, sand, dpm, 200mm eps (polystyrene), upstands at edges, 100mm concrete slab (and no wood flooring).
    But then I am over budget and behind schedule!

    There is great advice to be found here though sometimes hard not to get lost in all the different angles. It probably depends on how far you want to go - digging out the floors and getting good levels of insulation down before the slab is fairly major work. Looking for eco options also depends on definitions - oil based insulation may look un eco but what it does is very eco. You can put in a limecrete floor rather than concrete but it is a lot more expensive and limits what you can put down as the floor if you want to maintain its breathability. I put in a small limecrete floor in a small barn because it had more damp issues but with the main house I opted for concrete for the reasons above - hopefully the breathable wall build up can deal with any damp issues that might arise from the floor pushing moisture to the edges.

    You are very welcome to pop over my way if it would be of any use to you - I am not an expert by any means as some on this forum are but I have learnt a lot by getting stuck in over the last year .

    john
    • CommentAuthorUphillPhil
    • CommentTimeAug 19th 2014
     
    Thanks for the comments John, if you want to whisper me some contact details, then that would be much appreciated - it would be interesting to see your project regardless!
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