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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Building Questions >> 1930s semi, ground floor construction https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1509545883 Message started by Natedog on Nov 1^st, 2017, 2:18pm

Title: 1930s semi, ground floor construction
Post by Natedog on Nov 1^st, 2017, 2:18pm

I live in an ex-council semi that was thrown up in the 1930s. It's always puzzled me as to why the ground floor (originally just made up of living room at the front and kitchen/pantry at the rear) was built with a suspended wooden floor at the front half and a solid concrete floor in the rear half. There isn't any form of cellar. The space under the floorboards is too small to climb into.

Was this done for any practical reason, or just for aesthetics? Originally the wood floor was painted dark brown round the edge with a large square of linoleum in the centre, and thebconcrete had marley floor tiles.

The only practical reason I've come up with is that it was to deliberately make the room drafty to let the open fire breath properly

Title: Re: 1930s semi, ground floor construction
Post by woodsmith on Nov 2^nd, 2017, 8:21am

I'm not sure what the logic was, it's not as though they had heavy washing machines to consider, but it's very common.

Title: Re: 1930s semi, ground floor construction
Post by thescruff on Nov 2^nd, 2017, 10:08am

Around that time there was a shortage of timber, you may also notice there's not much timber over 8ft and the loft is built with 3x2.