Lowering ground level of a dirt floor with concrete over it

[eco-refrofit]

Any suggestions of what trade to look for, as in builder or basement conversion specialist? Particular trade body?

We don't know if it will be possible to get a micro digger in (can they be taken apart or carried rather than rolled in?) Doorway is shockingly narrow and very little outside turning space to make the 90 def turn to get in the house... unless we go around the back which is down narrow 5-6 steps that look like an accident about to happen.

We are looking to lower the kitchen and dining area floor by maybe 30 cm to get a few inches of height and floor insulation in. The house is built on a major slope and has 4 different ground levels, this is the lowest.

Current ceiling height 1.95m to RSJs, 2.05m if we can move RSJs into ceiling void.

Lowering the adjoining (slightly higher) area by about 2 inches some years ago showed nothing under the concrete. The highest ground level is floating floor of concrete with airbricks under but we think the kitchen part may have been a shop or storage that was knocked through.

Wall we think are limestone obviously solid.

 

[aockenden]

Sounds like a job for a jackhammer, a few buckets, a few spades, a few friends and a lot of pizza and beer…

The most disassembly I’ve seen a mini-excavator capable of (after having rented and operated 3 different weight classes for maybe 10 different separate projects over the last 4 years) is pulling off the roll-protector cage on the back of the seat, but there could be options for even smaller ones I’m not aware of.

 

[LadyArowana]

The similar projects I’ve seen going on in London it appears to be done mainly with manual labour, simply due to the difficulties of access. The builder who did our renovation, where we opted to leave the concrete floor of the half basement level well alone, has done similar and it was people not machines.

 

[Flyfisher]

I agree with the above replies because we had similar work done to a previous (1950s) house to extend the kitchen into part of an integral garage, which involved lowering the garage floor by a little over 1m (house also built on sloping ground), and the builder elected to use manual labour rather than a mini-digger (which would have been possible without any disassembly) because of the risk of the digger doing more harm than good when in a small-ish space. I guess he didn't trust his workers!

I was surprised at first and then astonished at how quickly they dug everything out. I don't recall it taking more than a couple of days. Unless you're planning a DIY job, I would concentrate more on finding a good builder than worry about how they would do the digging - they will know the best/safest/quickest way of doing the work, bearing in mind that even a micro-digger needs sufficient working space around it for manouvering and emptying its bucket into a wheelbarrow or similar and it doesn't take much to damage a wall or ceiling with such a machine!