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