Should I replace my Edwardian house floor with concrete?

molly68

Some advice please.
I have sale agreed on an Edwardian terrace house. Mortgage survey reported damp/condensation below wood sub floor and reduced the valuation by £2000. Seller agreed to lower the asking price and mortgage went ahead. My own damp and timber survey today (rentokil) advised that I should replace the wooden floor with concrete. Floor was covered with carpet so wood was not exposed. From what I’ve read about this on good old google it seems that concrete would reduce the ventilation in the sub floor and may make the problem worse. He has told me the cost may be around £5000. Two rooms have been knocked into one and it is only the front part is wood the back appears to be concrete.  Advice would be appreciated. 

Norman_Castle

I'd start by increasing or reinstating the ventilation under the floor.

molly68

Thankyou, can you advise how I would do that?

daveyjp

How much was the Rentokil survey?

ss2020jd

Do you have a cellar? Or just a suspended timber floor? In a Victorian terrace a surveyor advised us to add air bricks/vents to the front and back to create air flow in the cellar and under the suspended floor. If you would want to have floorboards exposed then this would help.

In general, I would be wary of adding concrete to older properties and agree it could potentially create more problems. Perhaps get a second opinion from a specialist in period properties who would seek to preserve and work with the fabric of the building than just concreting over/under everything. There is a reason these houses have stood for hundreds of years, albeit with a little extra tlc. 

Unicorn_cottage

If you are buying a period property it is good to learn a bit about them. This website is good https://www.heritage-house.org/ and the owner of the company does some good youtube videos....this one may be relevant for you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XORucdJ5zQw

molly68

daveyjp said:

How much was the Rentokil survey?

It was £150, cheap I know but to I wasn’t expecting any significant issues or cost.

molly68

ss2020jd said:

Do you have a cellar? Or just a suspended timber floor? In a Victorian terrace a surveyor advised us to add air bricks/vents to the front and back to create air flow in the cellar and under the suspended floor. If you would want to have floorboards exposed then this would help.

In general, I would be wary of adding concrete to older properties and agree it could potentially create more problems. Perhaps get a second opinion from a specialist in period properties who would seek to preserve and work with the fabric of the building than just concreting over/under everything. There is a reason these houses have stood for hundreds of years, albeit with a little extra tlc. 

I have asked for a second opinion from a specialist independent surveyor who has advised they would have to expose the floor to properly assess. The house has been empty since Feb so I don’t think the seller would have any issues. I have a limited budget so don’t want any additional surprises when I move in.

Mojisola

We have a 1930s house and increased ventilation and put some insulation under the floor boards which did improve things but we finally replaced all the ground floor with concrete and insulation and the house is so much drier and warmer that we wished we'd done it years ago.

ss2020jd

molly68 said:

ss2020jd said:

Do you have a cellar? Or just a suspended timber floor? In a Victorian terrace a surveyor advised us to add air bricks/vents to the front and back to create air flow in the cellar and under the suspended floor. If you would want to have floorboards exposed then this would help.

In general, I would be wary of adding concrete to older properties and agree it could potentially create more problems. Perhaps get a second opinion from a specialist in period properties who would seek to preserve and work with the fabric of the building than just concreting over/under everything. There is a reason these houses have stood for hundreds of years, albeit with a little extra tlc. 

I have asked for a second opinion from a specialist independent surveyor who has advised they would have to expose the floor to properly assess. The house has been empty since Feb so I don’t think the seller would have any issues. I have a limited budget so don’t want any additional surprises when I move in.

That sounds like a good idea. If the house has been empty since then that could also have contributed to the issue with lack of heating and ventilation etc. They should be able to advise as to a suitable solution. If it is increasing ventilation and adding air bricks it shouldn’t cost anywhere near the quote you have been given for the concreting. 

daveyjp

molly68 said:

daveyjp said:

How much was the Rentokil survey?

It was £150, cheap I know but to I wasn’t expecting any significant issues or cost.

Better than free, but they are looking at the £5k prize so will always recommend a 'solution'.

Agree with others.  Look for sources of damp, sort them out, get some heat in there and ventilate well.