1870 house, flooring in cellar options

[jtopping]

Hi,
I have an 1870 home. Half the basement is cement floor but the back half walks out and appears to be joists and boards over a very limited crawlspace. Part of the wood floor was accessed to do some drain work to the street public sewer in the past (trap door and dug out pit). the wood boards are a little squishy but seems to be in good shape. I know the correct thing to do would be to remove all flooring and inspect the joists and sills etc... I ripped off about 90 years worth of linoleum and carpet pads which seemed like it had been down there forever. Now i just want to put something modern down to keep it clean and usable. Linoleum tiles? The floor is NOT even. Do i need to put subfloor down to keep it all more solid? Then apply a flooring option? Thanks for any ideas. I have photos if needed.

 

[tmbdevelopmenttx]

I love old houses with a touch of modern design, However, to secure the floor you better check the underside of the floor, insert shim with wood glue in between the joist and the subfloor. Hope this helps

 

[Bobby the builder]

Hi sorry for the delay, I have a 1770 home with the same situation, half cement half crawl space no more then 2ft deep. I dug out most of the areas or at least made a path to the corners so I can install hot water heat radiators and electric. There is another issue you need to address after a visual inspection like T mentioned above. That is support, the uneveness is due to a lack of support and bowing due to spans that are not up to todays standards. Also any wood support should not be in contact with dirt. You can do some simple jacking and added support columns. Visual inspection from below will also help identify wood destroying insects, (termites, powder post beetles, carpenter ants). Remember if you brave the crawl with proper attire and flashlight for your inspection or work to be preformed wear a good mask. Hampta disease is found in many crawl spaces from rodent droppings turning to dust. You won't smell it but be protected!
One other thing if a contractor has to work in those tight spaces you will get higher estimates due to the lack of access.