My question is really; how do you build a wooden floor structure? I'm handy and have tackled most of what I set my mind to, so I mainly need to know the measurements, how to fasten the wood to each other, etc. Maybe there's some kind of principle sketch somewhere?
An extension on our house is probably built with scrap wood treated with kreosote, and we want to get rid of it. "Don't touch the stuff!" is the advice we've received, but it doesn't smell very pleasant and the odor spreads throughout the house. Not fun at all. So we've decided to tear everything out.
The extension is about 3x5 meters, with two-thirds being the entrance hall and the last third an old bathroom which will now become a laundry room. Every square centimeter inside is worn out and would be renovated anyway, so even if there's a lot of extra work with the new floor structure, it's "just one more burden to bear."
For now, we hope that the treatment hasn't contaminated the surrounding areas, but if it has, we need to think further about the best way forward.
An extension on our house is probably built with scrap wood treated with kreosote, and we want to get rid of it. "Don't touch the stuff!" is the advice we've received, but it doesn't smell very pleasant and the odor spreads throughout the house. Not fun at all. So we've decided to tear everything out.
The extension is about 3x5 meters, with two-thirds being the entrance hall and the last third an old bathroom which will now become a laundry room. Every square centimeter inside is worn out and would be renovated anyway, so even if there's a lot of extra work with the new floor structure, it's "just one more burden to bear."
For now, we hope that the treatment hasn't contaminated the surrounding areas, but if it has, we need to think further about the best way forward.
You don't mention anything about what the foundation looks like today, log frame on stones, pillars, masonry foundation, sill, etc., or you might not know until you demolish it. It's difficult for the forum to advise without knowing the conditions.
You're not afraid of new challenges, a good start.
I usually go to the library, where there's mostly everything about "Building houses/garages/outbuildings, etc." That's what I've done and I hope to learn something new every day. But you can never become fully knowledgeable, which is why I consult the forum sometimes.
You're not afraid of new challenges, a good start.
I usually go to the library, where there's mostly everything about "Building houses/garages/outbuildings, etc." That's what I've done and I hope to learn something new every day. But you can never become fully knowledgeable, which is why I consult the forum sometimes.
Hmmm, that was forgetful of me. Of course, one must provide some relevant info!
It's a crawl space with a concrete wall. Almost certainly concrete block, because the extension we built our new bathroom in is made of block, and the extension where the hall and the old bathroom are located was built around the same time and by the same previous owners.
The library was a great tip! I realized that I once received a book on construction techniques that I should have had at the ready long before this renovation. I'll look for it and see what useful information I can find.
I've started demolishing the surfaces today, taking down some Masonite sheets from the walls and ceiling. The walls are sturdy boards. The ceiling above the Masonite is nailed with short planks, and, as I expected, there's a pile of sawdust. The floor structure above the new bathroom was similarly done with sawdust insulation, and despite wearing a mask, I coughed badly from the dust, so I'm not looking forward to shoveling out a lot of that stuff again. Well, it has to be done.
It will be exciting to see if the sawdust is lying on newspapers here too; there was plenty of interesting evening reading from 1961 when we tore down for the new bathroom
I called a cleanup company last fall and checked with them what they thought about the creosote smell, and the technician there said that it's most common to have impregnated the base for the sawdust insulation. It's not uncommon for it to be an impregnated paper. We'll see what we find here; the planks in the ceiling look strangely discolored. The wall boards, however, looked "normal."
It's a crawl space with a concrete wall. Almost certainly concrete block, because the extension we built our new bathroom in is made of block, and the extension where the hall and the old bathroom are located was built around the same time and by the same previous owners.
The library was a great tip! I realized that I once received a book on construction techniques that I should have had at the ready long before this renovation. I'll look for it and see what useful information I can find.
I've started demolishing the surfaces today, taking down some Masonite sheets from the walls and ceiling. The walls are sturdy boards. The ceiling above the Masonite is nailed with short planks, and, as I expected, there's a pile of sawdust. The floor structure above the new bathroom was similarly done with sawdust insulation, and despite wearing a mask, I coughed badly from the dust, so I'm not looking forward to shoveling out a lot of that stuff again. Well, it has to be done.
It will be exciting to see if the sawdust is lying on newspapers here too; there was plenty of interesting evening reading from 1961 when we tore down for the new bathroom
I called a cleanup company last fall and checked with them what they thought about the creosote smell, and the technician there said that it's most common to have impregnated the base for the sawdust insulation. It's not uncommon for it to be an impregnated paper. We'll see what we find here; the planks in the ceiling look strangely discolored. The wall boards, however, looked "normal."