Making a suspended timber floor on sleeper walls

[@MischievousImp540]

The air brick was used to provide cold air to inbuilt or freestanding larder units or cupboards in the day's before refrigerators, earlier ones were cast iron.

[@freetolook3727]

Pretty cool idea, no pun intended. We here across the pond never heard or saw of such things as we use(d) cellars. My basement maintains a constant 63°F near the floor joists year round. I haven't measured but the temp near the floor is probably 50°-55°F. That's a good place to store tuber type vegetables, canned fruit and veggies, and other food stuffs.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Yup, defo seems the most likely use. 👍

[@Russwig]

@@freetolook3727 I had something similar in a kitchen cabinet on an exterior wall in a house in San Francisco. It was a wood structure and there was a screened vent at the bottom of the cabinet with a corresponding, but smaller one, at the top of the cabinet.

[@Ragnar8504]

@@Russwig I think I've even heard it being called a California cooler.

[@wardy2002]

Shows what a good job it is. Even the tree fell plumb.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Too right! 👍😎

[@davewill5226]

In my mums house they had a similar vent into the kitchen what we called the pantry a permanent vent under a stone shelf a very crude cool system for storing food pre 1960s .

[@GosforthHandyman]

This seems most likely to me too 👍

[@moo7137]

Just make sure to put loads of wood offcuts, broken concrete/bricks, a few beer bottles/cans and some cigarette butts on that lovely new concrete under lovely new joists, its old British tradition you know ;D good progress as usual and every part explained clearly. Can not wait for next part.

[@moiragoldsmith7052]

🤣🤣👍

[@0skar9193]

newspapers, old plastic bags, odd bits of cable, some broken glass, off cuts of insulation all add to the 'character' as well 🤣

[@stewartmcardle8149]

Can't see Andy doing that ..have you taken notice of how ultra tidy he is ? 😉

[@normanboyes4983]

You forgot the bottle of piss.

[@GrahamDenison]

No one said a Capstan Full Strength packet?

[@normanboyes4983]

Andy - absolutely cracking job on the sleeper walls and floor joists. You did well, I expected nothing less.😀👍

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers Norman!

[@sampycroft2025]

A tradesman that takes pride in his work. Good job 👍

[@dermotkelly6946]

I’m glad the tree missed your new builds , you deserve good fortune for doing the work yourself and saving a fortune in labour costs 👍

[@SteveAndAlexBuild]

Lovely job on the joists . It’s deffo going to be warm alright ! I reckon the random brick is a decorative air brick . Very rare , very nice 👌🏼🧱👍🏼

[@stevencooper6593]

I agree, id sell it 💰💰💰

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers bud! We're defo going to try to keep the brick as a feature, somehow. 👍👍

[@freetolook3727]

@5:24 Good job matching the heights of the two floors. It's almost like you knew what you were doing!😂

[@GosforthHandyman]

Ha cheers! 😂

[@johnmcauley7158]

I have enjoyed watching this renovation so much keep up the good work best of luck

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers John!

[@mozu517]

Incidentally, you always have the best music 🎶 🎶 🎶

[@GosforthHandyman]

Ha thank you! Love good music! 👍😎

[@dermotkelly6946]

That brick thing you spoke of is the flue to the stove you found in your garden shed 👍

[@roberthardy2013]

It’s looking great now, you are definitely on the home straight!

[@GosforthHandyman]

Getting there... but windows, gaaagh! 😭

[@Doug....]

Nice one Andy. I only watched for the 20 mins of this video and now my head is swimming with all the extra bits of pipework elec etc that you need to do. 😱 You must keep a good written record of things to do. 👍👍👍

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers Doug! Yes, our heads are constantly buzzing with all the pipework routes etc. 😂

[@alanmullock381]

Well done Andy and Mrs Mack!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😎😎😎

[@GosforthHandyman]

👍👍👍

[@freetolook3727]

Whenever I built a deck for my RV customers, I would give it the barn dance test. What's the barn dance test you ask? You get on the deck and dance your brains out as hard as you can. If the deck doesn't move, then it passes the barn dance test! 😂😅😁😄😃😄😅😂😁

[@moiragoldsmith7052]

Hard times and testing times requires furious dancing! 😁

[@GosforthHandyman]

Absolutely! 👍😁

[@Mr_Ashley]

Should pride yourself on your skill and knowledge! Well done sir !

[@GosforthHandyman]

Thank you! Every day is a learning day! 😁

[@Russwig]

Suggest you get yourself a small wood chipper for making mulch out of branches (electric for those that are under an inch or so, or petrol for larger capacity). Goes a long way when pruning, reduces large piles of twigs like you show to 1/4 the volume and can be recycled around the rest of the garden beds and plantings. Also good for rebuilding footpaths. Love the work and agree that keeping wiring and plumbing accessible is smart.

[@shirleyburnham2782]

Taking shape, can't wait to see the finish xx

[@GosforthHandyman]

Same here! 😁👍

[@petercoughlan103]

It's a busy time for you Andy. We're at the same extending and renovating since last April we're back in like yourselves but it's half done/ half building site. Interesting to see your approach to different scenarios, I dug out the old floors and installed underfloor heating (big job totally worth it ) keep up the good work👍

[@GosforthHandyman]

Fantastic stuff! Got windows yet? That's been our biggest delay. Crazy. 😭

[@petercoughlan103]

@@GosforthHandyman we didn't have any issue with windows thankfully. Painting and decorating is the stage we're at👍

[@PaulSmith-pr7pv]

Great video. That Robin Clevett video on insulation is also really good.

[@davidhughes854]

All coming together very nicely Andy. Looking forward to seeing the next jobs getting done.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Insulation next!

[@JJPHAT777]

Enjoyed this. First time watching. Another carpenter here from NS Canada (retired). We call 'noggins' blocking here. Good work!

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers! A big welcome to Canada! 👍👍

[@joshhancill7273]

Lovely weather today compared to that 😂 we’ve been for a walk in Jesmond dene with the doggo

[@GosforthHandyman]

Been amazing! Time for some garden work! 😎

[@v88krb]

Good work Andy. Never used one of those nail guns but can see it saves a lot of time and effort. Attention to detail is so important and glad you keep banging the point home. Roll on the next episode!

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers! The nail gun is one of my best purchases of this renovation. 👍

[@stomperthemixer1]

Great progress as usual buddy and looking very nice Andy. I can't wait to binge watch all again when its all complete. Stay safe buddy.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers Neil - getting there!

[@nutter-world]

Fantastic job on that floor mate. It's even satisfying to look at 👍

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers Alex!

[@superiorbeing95]

Nothing like a good old weather event to reveal the lag in publication of youtube videos lol, I wondered how things went at this time. Great series of videos Andy!

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers - we survived! 😂

[@bellabella9918]

No fear of the plum tree falling through the studio roof in future...that's a plus 👍

[@GosforthHandyman]

Too right - was always a bit nervous about that! 😂

[@keithl4779]

Such an interesting project!

[@GosforthHandyman]

Ploughing on! 👍

[@moiragoldsmith7052]

I'd be using the twigs as kindling, save on the skip money😁. That brick has me intrigued though! You must so excited at the progress. Well done you and Mrs Mac'. Look after each other well💞.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Would have loved to have kept it for kindling but already have crazy amounts of kindling wood so this went for recycling. 👍😁

[@carllamb6711]

Hi mate Loved this one with so much in-depth content learnt so much thank you 😊

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers Carl! 👍

[@haydenuk02]

Brilliant work and thanks for sharing this with us take care

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers!

[@stewartmcardle8149]

Very satisfying progress Andy.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers Stewart!

[@dermotkelly6946]

As long as you get the venting right on this type of floor it is a good job and good for services, to work your noggin size decide on your centre and deduct the thickness of what ever your joist thickness is and that will be your noggin length 👍

[@Nonsense62365]

Nice job on the blocking!

[@stuartmolyneux64]

I'm doing the exact same job in my kitchen, with the main difference being joist sizes & thinner pir. Cant wait to see what materials & fixings you'll use for the sub floor and finished floor. I'm also doing the same thing in the upstairs bedroom with floorboards butting up against caberfloor chipboard.

[@freetolook3727]

What a lot of people do over here across the pond is build a 2" x 4" stud wall inside of the concrete wall. You lose a little bit of space but you pick up more insulation, a run on the inside for utilities and now sheetrock or any other wall type covering can be fastened with ease.

[@donkmeister]

We have timber frame/masonry-clad in the UK too. But, Mr Mac's construction here is what we call cavity wall... An outer brick wall facing the weather, an inner brick wall facing the inside, and then a cavity in between (which used to be air but is insulated these days). Originally it was done to avoid damp penetrating from driving rain, but as it kept houses warmer it's main purpose is now insulation.

[@trek520rider2]

@@donkmeister I wanted to get my the cavity in my 1936 house insulated but they wouldn't do it because there was stone above the DPC. Anybody tell me why that was a show stopper?

[@GosforthHandyman]

👍

[@1x3dil]

Hi all To Have a nice level floor will make life so much easier when it comes to installing the kitchen . Even when there adjustable it’s not the same . As for the the brick , it looks like it’s made of salt glaze pottery which makes it possible to produce a complex shapes. So maybe it’s some sort of cavity air vent , that’s shaped to prevent the wind and rain getting in . But ha it will definitely make a talking point when you have everyone round for the new kitchen unveiling . Best wishes and kind regards as always 😀👍👍👍

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers! Could well be! 👍

[@freetolook3727]

That plum tree was dying and rotten in the middle. It's so hard to tell when they leaf out and bear fruit normally. Then all of a sudden, the tree gives up the ghost and all you can do is hope and pray that you're not standing next to it when it does.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Yeah, very old tree. Some lovely logs from it!

[@davideyres955]

Make sure you have a good vapour barrier between the plasterboard and insulation. There’s some good stuff on Steve roofer’s channel about sweating roofs and the amount of moisture that can build up in roof spaces. He’s a flat roof specialist but the same thing applies. Plus it will help make sure the room is not leaking air. Also when you do the bi folds make sure to continue the damp course down from the inside level to below the level outside. Rodger bisby on skillbilder mentions this regarding leaking inside if you have a level inside to outside Have a look at gapotape as well for the insulation.

[@jeanhawken4482]

Beautifully built

[@GosforthHandyman]

Thank you Jean!

[@freedmirza3919]

Beautiful work

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers!

[@MrPaul646464]

I’d attach a ledger board to house walls then use joist hangers, with a support in the center, then block between joists to make it all one solid non bouncy floor.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Considered a ledger but you can run in to problems with air bricks being blocked etc. Wall plates were prescribed by the architect. 👍

[@allanmould2633]

Good luck mate

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers Allan!

[@cliveclapham6451]

LoL all good, l giant dovetailed my joists into the wall plate🤭🎯🤔 Mrs Mack guest appearance 🌞

[@GosforthHandyman]

Impressive! Yes, Mrs Mac cameo. 😁😎

[@cliveclapham6451]

@@GosforthHandyman ha ha l think you should do spot the Mrs Mack appearance. 🤔 perhaps a Mrs Mack channel🤦🏻 l think it great when the unsung hero’s get a mention they do a huge amount of work and support in the background. She’s a real trouper. 👍

[@freetolook3727]

@2:56 Looks like it'll last 100 years!

[@GosforthHandyman]

Too right! 💪

[@viankalobosvalenzuela7456]

Excelente trabajo 👌🏻 saludos desde chile 👊

[@GosforthHandyman]

Big welcome to Chile! 👍😁

[@maverick6170]

If you're creating more waste than a skip full you should maybe consider a grab wagon. I don't know about the Newcastle area but 40 miles south in Teesside when I was building our extension and knocking walls down recently we got a grab wagon for the cost of a skip but it can hold twice as much. Bargain👍

[@Nonsense62365]

In the USA we space our joist’s and wall studs 16” or 24” on center, it looks like you’re using 40CM or 400 mm = 15.75” US

[@Nonsense62365]

What you call boxing in your pipes in the USA we call it building a sophet it’s the same thing with 2x4 wood studs

[@terrytopliss9506]

Looking good.👍👍

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers Terry!

[@freetolook3727]

That plum tree couldn't have fallen in a more appropriate place. For some reason, not sure if it's a law, maybe a law of nature, that when a tree falls, it falls where it does the most complete damage. 😄😅😂

[@GosforthHandyman]

Yup - hit lucky!

[@rzholland]

My god you are fast nailing noggins......

[@GosforthHandyman]

No flies! 😂💪

[@stephenjones204]

Hi, we demolished our garage leaving a drop to our garden level, we'll be putting in some decking on a dwarf wall/joist support system. Without putting in all the noggins how would we fix down the joists to the dwarf walls. Thanks in advance, George

[@barrymcguinness4049]

Lovin your contents

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers Barry!

[@MrSmid888]

My 20 yr old bungalow dips on near all larger floors, looking at plans there’s “honeycomb sleeper walls”. Really annoying. Not severe but enough that a golf ball will roll and settle. I’ve looked under the floor I struggle to see the sleeper wall under living room, il have to go under one day. If it’s settled I might just self level the timber floor.

[@ianthorpe9652]

Hi bud, great vid. Doing a Reno in a similar property 1911. Ripped floor joist out as had dry rot. For the centre beam could I use concrete lintels?.

[@jennifertelford1564]

I would simply have a garden fire with all those twigs, not forgetting the potatoes for jackets in the garden.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Got crazy amounts of burny wood already 🔥😁

[@adgeebike9173]

Don't forget to leave some empty Park Drive or Woodbine packets under the flooring.

[@ScouserLegend]

How was the wall plate attached to the bricks?

[@Rhys_Beer]

How did you attach the wall plate to the brick work?

[@scottnever8732]

sorry I joined late, loving the videos. Why didn't you go for tradition floor or Block and beam? Seems so much hassle if you had to concrete anyway????

[@firesurfer]

I found a similar looking thing, here is a description; "During a Full Building Survey in Epsom, Surrey we discovered this Schrijver system installed on the subject property. This is a Dutch damp proofing system, however there appears to be no need for this to be on this property as there is already a dpc installed and there was no evidence of damp or historic damp. This system isn’t very common, however when seen, this system is usually installed into properties with 9″ solid masonry walls, not cavity walls as seen in the photo." If you copy and paste this into search, you will get the right page. It's not exactly the same, but very similar. It looks like a type of air brick, but might be an obsolete vent for a stove or fireplace.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Interesting! 👍 Similar shape!

[@ambroseoyanga7018]

What is the size of wall plate, boarding and where is the air brick built

[@petemoring67]

That strange brick at 17.00 is a Cat-Flap for 🐀🐀🐀Rats🐀🐀🐀 to stop them damaging other areas 🤞🤠

[@steveridge8168]

what size thickness of insulation boards did you use under the flooring? best price if known.

[@Lenka-gv2vs]

How big is the void between the concrete and the suspended floor please?

[@stihl3826]

How thick is your underfloor slab?

[@Nonsense62365]

I’m extending my exterior wall 6Ft x 18 feet it’s a brick house built in 1909 with a stone foundation that extends 12” above grade. I’m digging out the foundation 30” Deep x 12” below grade. Not sure if I’m going to use cement block for the 12” layer above grade or just make forms 12” tall x 12” deep. I live in rural Utah and The odds of finding a Sub Contractor who knows how to build cement block walls is probably very low because I’m 75 miles from the nearest large town with 49,000 people and the cost is More expensive than just pouring the extra 12 inches” which adds up to another 1 yard of concrete. 1) How thick is your concrete slab? 2) why did you decide to install a concrete slab instead of installing post and beams on-top of the dirt like the rest your your house. and the joists on top of the beams.

[@narkeddiver7325]

Many, many Noggins, but fortunately no Nogbads ;)

[@GosforthHandyman]

😁👍

[@AngelaHamill-pb5nu]

I'm having an extension built and noticed my suspended floor is 2 inches lower than the suspended floor is that ok and how do we get around it without damp later on

[@77Gman]

what size joists are they?

[@Doug07Ferron]

Andy Great job. Question: do you need a vapor barrier between pir board and floor boards. It's just I've seed it used with rock wool?

[@roscopeco2000]

I really like that song you had playing, what is it?

[@adambishop5125]

LBL by Cospe.

[@GosforthHandyman]

👍😎

[@fromthetoon1602]

You not thought about underfloor heating from your boiler? Cracking job btw

[@GosforthHandyman]

Cheers! Considered it but it would add too many complications and costs. 👍

[@pn8902]

Is there anything on the other side that the hole in that mysterious block thing leads to? Maybe it's been covered by paint and plaster over the years. Do your neighbours have one? would any elderly people who live in the area be able to tell maybe?

[@GosforthHandyman]

We're one of the last houses to build on the back so sadly there's no evidence of this brick on any of the other houses, as far as I know. Nothing on the inside!

[@davidjma7226]

? I thought the bay window was coming out first? Bit confused here Andy. Looks good though - thanks

[@GosforthHandyman]

Unfortunately we can't take it out until the windows are in so we've had to work around it for now. 👍

[@freetolook3727]

@8:06 I thought that the old kitchen wall and window were coming out? Won't that leave a gap between the new floor and old floor??

[@GosforthHandyman]

Plans have changed (again) and we're now just blocking that up. 👍

[@stephenrobb3730]

Tried to find the Robin Clevett 450mm center video but no joy, which one is it? Thanks

[@GosforthHandyman]

Here you go kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJK3iICLqrmKpKs 👍

[@freetolook3727]

@8:53 Aren't you forgetting sill plates on the ends of the floor joists?

[@GosforthHandyman]

Not sure that's a thing over here - the joists just sit on wall plates 👍

[@freetolook3727]

Sill plates tie in the joist ends and helps to keep them upright, spreading at the bottom and from warping on the ends. Makes for tighter construction at the cost of a few extra boards.

[@lalski08]

Been building for 40 years, I would have put another sleeper wall in that room

[@GosforthHandyman]

We just follow the architect plans. 👍

[@Bobrogers99]

The real test is when the brick wall is removed and you see if the new joists all match up perfectly level with the old ones. Of course they will! Very wise of you not to put pipes under the floor. Getting to them to repair a leak would be a horror show!

[@GosforthHandyman]

Hi Bob - I know, I've checked and checked the floor height but until that wall is out I'm still doubting myself. 😂👍

[@E69apeTheMatrix420]

Do you buy Windows and doors of the shelf from b&q / wickes etc or get them custom made for a fortune? Presuming your bricks are 65mm with 10mm mortar making 75mm total then off the shelf should just fit. Blocks can be cut to any size so that's never a problem. It costs about half and takes about 7 to 14 days from day of order.. Will usually find a few unusual sizes needed for made to measure still but not many. Crystal direct and Euramax are both good quality.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Well there's a story. We went off the architect drawings, which meant bespoke everything. Huge mistake. We've been waiting for our sodding bi-folds for almost 6 months!! 😭😭

[@seanscott8125]

.If that air brick goes into your kitchen it could have been the vent for a pantry/ meat store

[@normanboyes4983]

Good guess.👍

[@GosforthHandyman]

Think that's most likely 👍

[@peterleishman431]

👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@GosforthHandyman]

👍👍

[@highpath4776]

Wooden suspended floor or block and beam better ? (probably asked this before)

[@GosforthHandyman]

Block and beam is probably technically better... but for something like this I prefer to match with what was originally in the building. 👍

[@philsexton5761]

What is the music you were playing at the end m8, I liked that but can't find anywhere where it says what it was??

[@adambishop5125]

LBL by Cospe

[@GosforthHandyman]

👍😎

[@freetolook3727]

Changed from New York Yankees hat to Boston?

[@GosforthHandyman]

Well spotted! 😁

[@MrGlenfraser]

Your like me, start building and it rains like hell or we get storms and high winds....

[@GosforthHandyman]

Yup, weather was perfect... until we broke ground. 😁

[@Nonsense62365]

What’s a noggin? I am know noggin ‘ as the slang expression for your head in the USA. Like damn I just hit my noggin on that beam! “Bloody Hell”. Frickin Frack! How are you going to secure the Joists? By toenailing them into the perpendicular beams? That are sitting on top of your double plates. Is there special horizontal joist hangers? I’m only aware of joist hangers that are vertical but unless you’re going to use joist hangers and drill holes into the brick and secure in the brick on each side?

[@GosforthHandyman]

Yeah, joists are just toenailed in to the wall plates in this scenario. They can't really go anywhere. 👍

[@Nonsense62365]

@@GosforthHandyman jolly good job you’re doing, I’m learning some things I didn’t know from watching your show! My Exterior Brick walls have up two kinds of brick fire rated brick on the exterior with a small air gap and Adobe brick in the interior which is disintegrating. Total of 13” thick walls. Built in 1909! Did you calculate the building material cost of installing wood studs 2 x 4 or 2 x 6 actual sizes are 1/2 x 3 1/2 studs or 1 1/2 x 5 1/2“ Vs cement blocks and labor. You’re Very lucky to find Alan who’s A journeyman at installing cement block and brick! And who does quick work and great work! that’s actually an oxymoron in Rural America! I live in a teeny tiny town with 1500 people. I moved from Los Angeles with over 5 million. There are no professionals in any of the building trades located within 40 miles of where I live. If I wanna find somebody who does brick work almost impossible since 99% of all the homes built are stick built

[@freetolook3727]

@3:42 I know that the flue was installed correctly and up to code but there's just something that is setting off my OCD. Just seems like the design and flow could be more efficient. Usually 90° elbows on exhaust piping is a no-no.

[@cliveclapham6451]

Agree don't look right 🤔

[@donkmeister]

If I've got my bearings around where his extension is wrt the boundary, running it straight would have it exhausting into neighbour's garden/path... Not allowed, and even if it were, creating damp patches on their property is not a good way to endear yourself with the neighbours. One of the challenges of developing and modernising an old house is that you are balancing your requirements against what's already there, so you pick the perfect place for a boiler but then have an imperfect run for the flue. The perfect place for the flue might have put the boiler in a position that impacts some other aspect of the room it's in.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Yup, as donkmeister says it was either that or having the boiler in the kitchen, which we didn't want. It's a larger flue pipe to accommodate the (very expensive) bends. 👍

[@freetolook3727]

I was thinking more along the lines of a more sweeping curve out the side of the house where it is now. I realize exhausting to the neighbors side is not ideal.

[@andymccabe6712]

@@cliveclapham6451 based on any actual knowledge, or what?! If it's ok then it's ok!!

[@mrszee951]

i was wondering why you would do it like that ?

[@GosforthHandyman]

Which bit?

[@mrszee951]

@@GosforthHandyman a timber floor why not a warm deck concrete and screed or block and beam

[@mikehunt4375]

Wor lass bonny lad😅

[@GosforthHandyman]

👍😎

[@dannyc9521]

That old vent is for coal fire I think to draw in air

[@GosforthHandyman]

The air draw for the fire was under the floor 👍

[@freetolook3727]

Some people have posted in the comments about leaving a legacy under the new floor. While cigarette butts and beer cans may date the project, a few current year coins might do the trick!.

[@GosforthHandyman]

👍

[@robthewaywardwoodworker9956]

👏👏👏👍👍👍

[@GosforthHandyman]

👍👍👍

[@scaffyman406]

😄

[@GosforthHandyman]

😁

[@UberAlphaSirus]

So that tree became a teenager then.

[@GosforthHandyman]

Branched out to start something new. 👍

[@UberAlphaSirus]

@@GosforthHandyman no, lol. it droped it's plumbs :D

[@krisgair5863]

Need any help then let me know, would love to be part of this first hand, 😉

[@GosforthHandyman]

Ha thank you!