Suspended Timber Ground Floor Construction Building Regulations

Ground floor structure.

Suspended timber ground floor construction building regulations.

Supports underneath the floor are permanent and include sleeper walls or timber props placed at regular intervals. At the turn of the 18th century when construction techniques moved from boarded floors installed directly on the ground to suspended timber floors over a ventilated chamber the innovation solved a significant problem. Suspended timber floor as a requirement of the building regulations the structure should be protected against the growth of weeds and other plant life. This void underneath the suspended floor was ventilated via airbricks or other types of vent in the external walls to ensure a very effective air flow through the under floor area.

To avoid penalties when laying a concrete floor building regulations must be followed. Suspended timber floor how to build a floating or hollow timber floor. These are solid floor construction suspended concrete floor construction and suspended timber floor construction. The standard form of construction became the timber floor structure positioned over compacted earth with an air space in between.

Previously floor timbers had been prone to damp and rot thanks to their direct contact with the moist ground. All the figures are based on normal domestic floor loadings where the floor construction is typically 18 25mm floor boards sheets with up to 12 5mm thick plasterboard and skim underneath. This allows air flow and ventilation to prevent the mould and dry rot that would otherwise occur over damp ground. Building and understanding a suspended or hollow timber floor.

There are three general types of ground floor construction available. Suspended timber floor as a requirement of the building regulations the structure should be protected against the growth of weeds and other plant life. The standard method is to lay sheets of polystyrene or similar above the ground floor and then lay a screed or a timber floor over. The ground should have a layer of concrete poured across and there should be a ventilated gap of at least 150mm between the underside of the timbers and the concrete to prevent moisture.

It is now a requirement of the building regulations to insulate ground floors. But some systems incorporate insulation within the floor itself such as tarmac s heatsave plus. We explain how hollow or suspended floors are made and what the key building regulations that affect them are. Common timber sizes used in floor construction.

The ground should have a layer of concrete poured across and there should be a ventilated gap of at least 150mm between the underside of the timbers and the concrete to prevent moisture. Timber suspended floor ground preparation remove top soil and vegetation apply total weed killer and 150mm min thick sand blinded hardcore then either i provide concrete ground cover of at least 100mm thick or ii prepare the ground to an even surface and lay a ground cover of concrete at least 50mm thick on.