What is this in my floor/ceiling? (Edit: Also how old is my door and what should I do with it?)

[Athers1971]

Lifted a floorboard in the first floor hallway this weekend and it revealed not only the electrical spaghetti that I expected but also this material, that can only best be described as long canes.

Couple of photos here. Any ideas what it is and its purpose?

 

[malcolm]

It's holding up the haired plaster forming the ceiling below much like lath would do in later buildings. Wow - that's a find. You mentioned somewhere your building was 400 years old. That ceiling looks like it might be original.

 

[Cubist]

Likely to be hazel rods used as wattle- very early lath. Not much will have survived so a real find.

 

[Athers1971]

Ahhh that's really interesting, it had crossed my mind it could have been Lath but didn't look like any of the pictures I could find.

I will mention to Mrs A so that any plans for new floors/ceilings are managed.

We've yet to start on the house, slow process of Architects drawings for the necessary LBCs, has meant we have really enjoyed living here and getting to know her.

Local history suggests that the property (in whatever form it was then) was around the turn of the 17th century, though Historic England suggest 'late 17th'.

Interestingly, Historic England also suggest front door is 17th.....we need to lose the white outer door that has appeared on the porch since the date of the listing and so this is going to be our front door again at some point.

Any thoughts on where to start with restoration and security?

 

[Cubist]

What aspects of security are you/your insurers concerned with? Are there any natural hazards you need to be concerned with such as flood, etc?

Regarding the real front door. Your CO will almost certainly have something to say about any restoration of it. Mine did, and wanted drawings, statements of new/replacement materials, etc, etc......

Right now, in your place, my first concerns would be signs of damp, rot in timbers, ventilation and drainage indoors and outdoors.

 

[Athers1971]

Yes we’ll only be touching the door once the real priorities are sorted. I think the main (evident) damp issue can be sorted by repairing the chimneys and re flashing/haunching.

Having lived here for 10 months it’s not a damp house, so not sure what the ‘damp specialists’ were on about with their report. I’m sure we’ll uncover some additional works required once we make a start.

In terms of security, I simply mean keeping the bad guys out! I’m pretty sure we don’t have a key for that lock and so wondered if it would be appropriate or a done thing to have some modern secure locks fitted in a tasteful way.

 

[Cubist]

That's a 'rim lock'. Its an old model and keys to fit it can easily be made. Alternatively, its inner workings can be replaced by a competent locksmith. There are quite a few, and fairly recent, discussions in this forum concerning just that and these can be found through the search feature.

Mortice locks may be feasible - and more acceptable to insurers - but, and its a big but, while the door may appear thick enough to accommodate one, that timber may be far too strong to cut the mortice easily and nor may there be sufficient space in the door frame to accept the receiver. You may be able to fit an oak mortice lock box to replace the rim lock but you would also have to find away for a similarly boxed receiver plate to fit into the outer frame.

I'm away from home at present but will, if you wish, post a photo of the solution I used. Notall that pretty but it kept us compliant with insurers demands.

 

[Athers1971]

A photo would be ideal, when time permits, thank you.

 

[Easrow]

I had to double take the 1st photo you put on as I thought it was of out place. Same style floor boards, same colour carpet, same spaghetti wiring and same style ceiling material. Ours is 1847 and has lath and plaster for most but we have also found the same straw type as you in a couple of places. The sound insulation properties are amazing! We just lighly filled a few cracks/holes and stuck up a thick lining paper to hold it all together. I love the hand finished look of it when the light catches the undulations etc. It looks soft and warm.

 

[Cubist]

A photo would be ideal, when time permits, thank you.

As promised. Rather crude but that's in character with the house.

Looking at your door again I see its double skinned and the planks are pinned with 'through Iron nails'. While thick enough maybe, if any of those nails are inconveniently placed, then there's no chance to install a mortice lock except via a similar approach to mine.

Cheers and Good Luck,
Cubist

 

[Athers1971]

Ah, I understand what you mean now. Very useful, thank you!

 

[Cubist]

I had quite forgotten that we had faced some challenges during our first winter here due to gales howling through what became our dining hall because of the gaps around the front door. As we had not decided what we ultimately wanted to do about the door itself, after consultation with our CO, I constructed an outer oak frame into which the door would fit snugly as it closed, to provide a wind/weather proof seal using a concealed rubber gasket. At first that project appeared to be a simple exercise involving cutting and fitting a few lengths of timber into/around the the posts and beams that formed the entrance to the house. The fact that there were/are no true levels, verticals or right angles in this old place was easily managed but..... scribing and cutting the timbers to meet a door that had warped in several places proved rather challenging.

 

[88v8]

Fabulous door.

This surface mount 5 lever rim deadlock may satisfy insurers and wouldn't look too out of place. The challenge might be creating somewhere for the striker plate, given that the reveal is skew.
Locks only from outside, but I'm sure you'll find a pair of antique bolts on eBay for internal use.

When it comes to draught-proofing, Compriband expanding foam tape is a great boon for uneven surfaces.

Ivor