Lowering floor in Listed property

[mgrc]

I am looking at a property that has ceiling heights of around 5' 8" and want to find out the costs of lowering the floor. The cottage is Grade II Listed and I suspect has little or no foundations, so I think it will need to be underpinned to allow the lowering of the ground floor to take place.

Can anyone tell me the approximate costs of underpinning per linear metre together with digging out the floors themselves. Planning consent may also pose a problem I think.

Thanks.

 

[andrew gayton]

I would suggest that you need to explore the potential for obtaining Listed Building Consent to do this before going any further. Underpinning and the removal of an historic floor / historic floor level should meet some opposition.

 

[Schoolmarm]

You have already started a thread with some replies on this same topic.

 

[middi]

It is extremely difficult to give you any idea as to how much it is likely to cost to underpin. Unfortunately you do not describe in ( brief) details the fabric out of which your cottage is built from ie- stone, brick, timber and what kind of floors are existing at present.
It is quite possible that there is no need to underpin ( or deterimental to the building) and still be able to lower the floors by a few inches adequate for you needs.
If listed you need to get listing building consent to underpin ( if at all required) as this kind of work can be very distructive to some original fabric of the building

A few pictures of the cottage may give a better idea.

Middi

 

[mgrc]

My post has been listed twice, mods please delete, thanks for the replies.

 

[andrew gayton]

Listed Building Consent would be required for the lowering of the floor, even if underpinning was not required. If the floor is of historic interest (original/early format [pamments/flags/floor brick on sand/lime/ash etc])then it should be retained as is. In my experience, once a floor has been lifted, its interest is lost, however well it might be reinstated. Far too many historic floors are lost during ill informed works of restoration.