Hello!
I was wondering if anyone knows a bit about how they did things in the 70s with poured concrete slabs.
I've heard someone say that they used to embed joists in the slab, which would then absorb moisture over time?
I'm in the process of planning the recreation room a bit, does anyone have some tips on what it might look like with a house from '69 with a basement?
I was wondering if anyone knows a bit about how they did things in the 70s with poured concrete slabs.
I've heard someone say that they used to embed joists in the slab, which would then absorb moisture over time?
I'm in the process of planning the recreation room a bit, does anyone have some tips on what it might look like with a house from '69 with a basement?
It was common to press down some pieces of studs (regular or pressure-treated) into the wet uncured concrete, to have something to attach the sill plates of the house walls to.
This was before the time of concrete nail guns, hammer drills, concrete anchors, and all the fancy stuff that exists today.
These studs will rot if they are not pressure-treated, and it will start to smell bad (throughout the entire house) if it is treated wood.
However, it holds up well if the house stands on particularly dry and nice ground.
But now you're probably talking about a basement floor, and it rarely looks like that.
In those cases, a foundation footing was often poured or built upon which the basement walls were later constructed, and a concrete slab was poured inside the footing/walls.
There was rarely any reason to insert wood anywhere in that construction.
And then it does transition to wood somewhere nonetheless, if it's a wooden house, but often it was at least half a meter above ground, reducing the risk of ground moisture reaching the studs.
I actually have very limited knowledge in this, so if others have something to add, it's probably good if you write it.
edit:
A basement family room in an older house is a tricky construction, somewhat of a risk construction.
You have to think about where moisture that comes through the basement walls (or condenses on them) will go.
So read thoroughly about different constructions before you start furnishing the basement.
An unfurnished basement is always the healthiest in this kind of house.
This was before the time of concrete nail guns, hammer drills, concrete anchors, and all the fancy stuff that exists today.
These studs will rot if they are not pressure-treated, and it will start to smell bad (throughout the entire house) if it is treated wood.
However, it holds up well if the house stands on particularly dry and nice ground.
But now you're probably talking about a basement floor, and it rarely looks like that.
In those cases, a foundation footing was often poured or built upon which the basement walls were later constructed, and a concrete slab was poured inside the footing/walls.
There was rarely any reason to insert wood anywhere in that construction.
And then it does transition to wood somewhere nonetheless, if it's a wooden house, but often it was at least half a meter above ground, reducing the risk of ground moisture reaching the studs.
I actually have very limited knowledge in this, so if others have something to add, it's probably good if you write it.
edit:
A basement family room in an older house is a tricky construction, somewhat of a risk construction.
You have to think about where moisture that comes through the basement walls (or condenses on them) will go.
So read thoroughly about different constructions before you start furnishing the basement.
An unfurnished basement is always the healthiest in this kind of house.
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My house is from '69 and is built with a footing and a thin concrete floor in the basement. Under the concrete, there is a plastic layer meant to protect against moisture. In the concrete, there are pressure-treated joists that do not smell at all throughout the house. They may emit some odor. The floor joists were attached to these joists, and on top of that was a parquet floor. Between the floor joists, there was insulation.
Aha, then they must have intended to lay flooring already during the construction phase of that house.bobas said:
I was under the impression that most basement houses from that time had basements intended only for the heating system, laundry room, storage, and such, all with raw concrete as flooring.
But there you go ...
