Access Panel for Wooden Floor.

Phil4432

Following on from my other recent thread, I'm considering getting an access panel installed in our laminate wooden floor.  The laminate is over timber floorboards.

Something like this...https://www.finwood.uk/wooden-boards-installation-craftedforlife/access-panels-for-wooden-floor-73.html

As previously mentioned, we have a suspended wooden floor.  The subfloor is about 6 feet below the floorboards.

I'd use it purely for service, so maybe it would be used once per year if that. 

Might seem a bit excessive, but in the unlikelihood that there was a potential issue like minor ingress, dealing with it early could save thousands.

If anyone has had an access panel installed, I'd be keen to know how much they paid and any potential pitfalls.  Thanks.

stuart45

That's a really deep crawl space. If you have sleeper walls, they will restrict your access, although some people knock holes through them.
A simple one is realativly easy to DIY, otherwise find a few local chippies for some prices. Could be a useful storage/wine cellar.

grumbler

Square timber frame + floorboards flash with the existing ones. Laminate on the top.

The hardest thing is edges of the laminate - both for the hatch and the surrounding boards.

Vertical boards and the steps in the picture are excessive IMO. Just add noggins to the existing joists.

ThisIsWeird

If you reckon you'd want access even once a year - that's a lot for most folk - then it makes perfect sense to build this in now, so you don't need to disrupt the laminate flooring afterwards.

It barely needs a hinged, ram-assisted trapdoor, tho' - a lift-off section should do.

All very DIYable.

Phil4432

stuart45 said:

That's a really deep crawl space. If you have sleeper walls, they will restrict your access, although some people knock holes through them.
A simple one is realativly easy to DIY, otherwise find a few local chippies for some prices. Could be a useful storage/wine cellar.

That's a good point re the sleeper walls.  Would rather not start knocking holes in walls really.  So would potentially have to have two hatches, if that were the case.

Attached neighbour had some extensive refurbishment done, I'm pretty sure there's was fully open.

Yes, could well be used for storage, wine cellar.

Phil4432

ThisIsWeird said:

If you reckon you'd want access even once a year - that's a lot for most folk - then it makes perfect sense to build this in now, so you don't need to disrupt the laminate flooring afterwards.

It barely needs a hinged, ram-assisted trapdoor, tho' - a lift-off section should do.

All very DIYable.

Don't have the DIY skills to do it unfortunately.

Another consideration is how to avoid pipes, wires underneath the floorboards when cutting the hatch...

The houses on our side of the street are lower than the road.  That makes them more susceptible to ingress from ground drainage.  And for some reason, driveway companies love to build drives so that ground water goes right into vents and airbricks.  A few doors down, the crawl space filled up with water.

I've taken care to ensure we have good surface drainage, installing storm drainage channels to the front and side of the house.

But would like to get down into the 'basement,' check brickwork etc.

grumbler

Phil4432 said:

stuart45 said:

That's a really deep crawl space. If you have sleeper walls, they will restrict your access, although some people knock holes through them.
A simple one is realativly easy to DIY, otherwise find a few local chippies for some prices. Could be a useful storage/wine cellar.

That's a good point re the sleeper walls.  Would rather not start knocking holes in walls really.  So would potentially have to have two hatches, if that were the case.

It's very easy to insert a small lintel. Easier than make extra hatches.

stuart45

Phil4432 said:

stuart45 said:

That's a really deep crawl space. If you have sleeper walls, they will restrict your access, although some people knock holes through them.
A simple one is realativly easy to DIY, otherwise find a few local chippies for some prices. Could be a useful storage/wine cellar.

That's a good point re the sleeper walls.  Would rather not start knocking holes in walls really.  So would potentially have to have two hatches, if that were the case.

Attached neighbour had some extensive refurbishment done, I'm pretty sure there's was fully open.

Yes, could well be used for storage, wine cellar.

It  might not have sleeper walls as it's a deep space. It's mainly to do with economics. Sleeper walls are normally built so that smaller timbers can be used, but if too much brickwork is required it could be cheaper to use joists big enough to span without them.

Phil4432

stuart45 said:

Phil4432 said:

stuart45 said:

That's a really deep crawl space. If you have sleeper walls, they will restrict your access, although some people knock holes through them.
A simple one is realativly easy to DIY, otherwise find a few local chippies for some prices. Could be a useful storage/wine cellar.

That's a good point re the sleeper walls.  Would rather not start knocking holes in walls really.  So would potentially have to have two hatches, if that were the case.

Attached neighbour had some extensive refurbishment done, I'm pretty sure there's was fully open.

Yes, could well be used for storage, wine cellar.

It  might not have sleeper walls as it's a deep space. It's mainly to do with economics. Sleeper walls are normally built so that smaller timbers can be used, but if too much brickwork is required it could be cheaper to use joists big enough to span without them.

I'm fairy sure the attached neighbors was all open down there. 

Spoke to my neighbour on the other side (unattached)  they don't have a massive space under the floorboards.  But the attached neighbour and the next house along do. 

The houses were all built at the sametime, strange that some do have that massive space and some don't.

What's started all of this in my mind, is the situation described in the other thread.... the smell of solvent/glue after drain repairs underneath the drive.

Spoke with the drain company, they said a smell is normal after works and could be under the floorboards of a suspended wooden floor as it would work its way through gaps.

Perhaps therefore there are gaps in the mortar down there, which is why I need to have a look. 

Handy to have an access panel anyway.