Low ceiling... is the answer digging out the floor??

[Bensj]

Hi All,

I'm glad I found this forum and site - a goldmine of information from some passionate and knowledgeable people.
This is my first post and from the title I imagine some of you groaning already.

The situation:

I'm looking at purchasing a non-listed 18th century weaver's cottage in Devon, UK. As with many cottages the ceilings are low. I'm tall. In this particular property the second floor ceilings have obviously been raised so there is no problem for me, however, downstairs, I would have to move around like a hunchback, crawl, or suffer perpetual concussion. There are original beams and supports in all downstairs rooms which I obviously do not wish to remove. I'm not a structural engineer or builder, but I'm assuming the cottage probably has an earth floor so I'm wondering whether anyone knows of the possibilities and pitfalls, or has had the experience, of digging out the floor by about 6 inches...? Any sensible thoughts/solutions/advice welcome!

 

[MikeG]

Nightmare.

This is not a good solution, leading to all sorts of issues, and in particular, to the perennial problem of dampness in the lower walls/ floor junction area. If you can lower your floor and still have it remain 6 inches above the finished ground level outside, then you've got a chance, but I don't think I have ever seen that circumstance. There are also serious structural issues with walls not having a foundation and having the internal buttress (of the floor) against external pressures (of the soil) reduced. All the internal walls and doors will need work (you'll need new doors). Frankly, in addition to the above, and the the increased susceptibility to flooding, it leads to the evisceration of the character of your cottage, so lowering the floors should be avoided at all costs..........and that's before we start talking about drains.

Belated welcome to the forum, BTW. This is a harsh response to your first post, and I hope you stick around, but ultimately one has to wonder why you would contemplate buying a house in which you can't stand up straight.

 

[Flyfisher]

Harsh, but fair.

There have been umpteen threads on here over the years about damp problems caused by external ground levels being higher than internal floors, for all sorts of reasons, so actively considering lowering an internal floor is not something to be taken lightly . . . and that's without the structural and other implications already mentioned.

There might be some other very good reasons that you're considering buying this particular house, and I totally get that it can be a very emotionally-driven decision, but just be aware of the implications of what you would be taking on in terms of time, cost, disruption and possibly the worst thing of all - completely changing/destroying the very character of the property that is attracting you in the first place.

Are you sure there are no other similar properties that would be better suited to your height requirements?

 

[steveb]

I guess a lot has been said already - if it's anything like our place then the foundations will be 3 bricks deep which doesn't really give you a lot of scope to dig into without seriously affecting the structure - potentially an all round underpinning job as you go to put in complete new foundations.

That's not to say that it can't be done, but to me sounds like a lot of risk and work. What sort of additional height (depth) do you need? Is it an inch or nearer six?

 

[tobydog]

On a lighter note, this reminds me of a sketch from Blackadder:

Baldrick: Don't worry Mr. B, I have a cunning plan to solve your problem.

Edmund: Yes Baldrick, let us not forget that you tried to solve the problem of your mother's low ceiling by cutting off her head.

:lol:

 

[88v8]

Hello and welcome.

I'm 6ft and I have to duck in various places, upstairs and down.
Previous owner for 19 years was 6'2".
Owner from 72-84 was I guess 6'5". Even after a 30 year absence he still ducked in the right places when he visited one day.

It depends how bad it is. If it's odd beams and doorways, you'll get used. If it's all the ceiling joists, I'd give it a miss, as lowering by more than an inch or so is going to be, well, a pain, as described.

Ivor

 

[Bensj]

Thanks everyone, no problem with harsh honesty at all. Very useful feedback. Maybe I can amputate my legs at the knees... :lol:

 

[masochists-r-us]

The floors in our 17th C house were reduced before our time and many years ago (probably in the 1960's) by about 6 inches, giving us generous headroom. No damp or structural issues as far as we're aware and we're not about to restore them to the original level. We have no foundations either, but the house is built on rock and the ground levels around it have also been dug out. However, it has caused a small problem around the rear door where a small amount of water seeps under the wall and door during heavy downpours which we will need to address. Whilst you do get used to ducking low spots over time, permanently bowing as we have to in our cellar (which we are happy to live with) is not really acceptable in your main house. Good luck with your decision !