Limecrete floor & membrane - recommendations

[Kearn]

The time has come to dig up 8+ inches of screed and concrete in our entrance hallway / animal shelter!

Once I have the foreign rubbish out and the right level, I will be putting down a thin layer of limecrete, followed by a breathable membrane then limecrete on this ready to lay the reclaimed pavers - the original brick floor was kindly destroyed in the 40/50s. There are traces at least so we have managed to match the pavers and pattern...

So my Qs are:
- any decent recommendations for delivery of hydraulic lime in a sensible quantity/price so I can avoid being robbed at a builders merchant? Actual amount tbc depending on the final depth, but the room is 14ft square.
- same goes for a breathable membrane.

I will need these delivered middle of next week, so lead times can't be too slow. Plus they will be coming to Berkshire, close to Reading so closer the better.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts...

 

[plasticpigeon]

I used Ty Mawr in Wales but I was buying a whole floor, foamed glass, membrane and aggregate so delivery was a small part of a big order. THe lime was cheaper than a builders merchants. Since you have to dig out, why don't you go a little deeper and use the foamed glass hardcore insulation that is used as the base of the more modern Limecrete floors.

 

[88v8]

In addition to providing a little bit of insulation, the glass or LECA layer acts as a buffer to absorb changes in groundwater level.
4" LECA, 4" limecrete minimum, however that would be living dangerously over a 14ft span; 6" limecrete better although with a brick floor the odd crack may not really matter.

And do appreciate that with 196 sq ft to dig, another inch or so is a lot of digging!
Extra 2" is around a ton and a half, and ditto extra limecrete.

Anyway, "Lime Berkshire" produces these
https://www.yell.com/s/lime+suppliers-hungerford-berkshire.html

Ivor

 

[Kearn]

Thanks Ivor & Plasticpigeon - still a lot of digging to be done. Reasonably comfortable with the volume, that was to be expected - first challenge is the 8inches of concrete and screed before I reach soil on top of original floor height, so a bit of depth still to dig! I'll post some pics when I'm next at my laptop, as I have a very curious curved Georgian pit/wall butting up against the stack of the Tudor chimney. Currently it makes zero sense as it is deeper than original floor level and possibly a circle the size of the entire room, the walls of which were there before the pit, which doesn't make sense either!!

I'll check the link and see if they can supply - many thanks!

 

[Socksitis]

Hi Kearn,
I am reading this post with interest as we too have some floors to make better. Our problem could well be a lack of footings and I wondered if you may well have this problem?

 

[Kearn]

Hi Kearn,
I am reading this post with interest as we too have some floors to make better. Our problem could well be a lack of footings and I wondered if you may well have this problem?

Nope, thankfully footings and foundations are all good here, we don't have a problem (yet?!) - aside from the 8 inches of concrete!! Unless someone was very clumsy, footings shouldn't have been touched - we are obviously taking care digging around the perimeters of the original walls. What is interesting is the remains of what I'm finding underneath from across the centuries! Only 50% uncovered so far, but what we have found so far is very baffling!!

 

[88v8]

I am reading this post with interest as we too have some floors to make better. Our problem could well be a lack of footings and I wondered if you may well have this problem?

In the room where we replaced the concrete floor, we found there were no footings to speak of. Back in 1620, no Building Control.
We got down to the keystones, then to get the minimum limecrete thickness, a bit lower. 'If Building Conlrol were here they'd make us underpin it' said the builder. 'Well, they're not and we aren't' said I, and we didn't.
However, we left the excavation open only one day, and the ground is hard clay. Other soils are available.

IVor

 

[Kearn]

I used Ty Mawr in Wales but I was buying a whole floor, foamed glass, membrane and aggregate so delivery was a small part of a big order. THe lime was cheaper than a builders merchants. Since you have to dig out, why don't you go a little deeper and use the foamed glass hardcore insulation that is used as the base of the more modern Limecrete floors.

Thanks - bit delayed on getting this done. But just ordering today for a fun BH weekend!

I've actually dug down adequately now - and will be going with a RFG base layer. As much as anything it saves waiting twice for the line to go off.

Delivery isn't a huge cost, well not with Mike Wye anyway, Ty Mawr on the other hand were considerably more expensive across the board!