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Underfloor cavity
Anonymous user 11 December 2018 - 7.53 PM
We live in a Victorian house which is built across two levels. The front section is built over an underfloor cavity with a few stairs then down to the kitchen which is on ground level (I believe this is a common design for such properties). At the side of our house there is a hatch (c.16”x16”) which appears to have once had a door but currently doesn’t have one. I’ve covered with rodent proof wire to avoid any unwanted visitors but I am currently looking for some guidance as to whether I should have a door fitted. Whilst it seems sensible to add a door / cover to the hatch I am worried about how this may influence ventilation under the house and in turn whether this impacts the wooden structure etc. Any guidance welcome. Many thanks
2 answers from MyBuilder tradespeople
Hi Greg, Around the area in question, is there any decorative spoil at all? Any mould around skirting boards? This would indicate poor sub floor ventilation.
Answered
12 December 2018
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Without seeing the building its hard to tell, so this advice is entirely at your own risk. Caveat out of the way (!) can you look around your house to see if there are any other vents along the walls (below the internal floor level). These vents (in addition to your hatch) would be providing the ventilation allowing the 'cellar' to breathe. If these are in place, it may be that you do not need the hatch (you may need say 1 vent per 1-1.5m length). However, in any other circumstance, I would not recommend taking out this 'hatch' you mention as it may be acting as the only vent to the under floor cavity. To get past your 'non-paying tenants' issue, I would suggest you use a different vent, there are commercial products called 'Mouse Mesh' which could do the job. These are used in place of air-bricks, but will look maybe less unsightly than a home-made rodent mesh (if your rodent mesh making skills are as poor as mine that is...)
Answered
5 January 2019
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