Can of Worms/ wood worms to be precise

[Probablystupid]

This is one for the builders or engineers rather than the keen DIY'ers.
So its not wood worm but we are looking to buy an old house in the South West of England. Parts of it date back to 1600. It has about 200sqft (200sqm) in the cellar (7-8ft head height) same on the ground floor and same on the first. Now there are various things wrong with it but the most concerning one is the basement ceiling/ground floor floor joists, which a re more or less completely rotten and have wet rot or dry rot or possibly both. In the wall there is a wooden beam that sits along the wall for the joists to sit on. My question is can this be easily lifted out and replaced with a steel or just a new wooden one. (if it wouldn't harm the building we could cut out the whole floor between ground floor and cellar for ease of access and to take the load off it as we want to redo the floor anyway. Any thoughts! help or someone who can point me in the right direction?

 

[KenGMac]

Short answer is yes, the embedded timber can be removed and replaced with either timber or steel, generally done in sections.

BUT??

Given the age of the property, you may find that you have constraints placed on what you can and cannot do and indeed what materials you can use?? Historic England, or one of the local Historic Building Preservation groups may want to have a say in what you intend?

Have you undertaken any research in the above areas??

Ken

 

[Probablystupid]

Thanks Ken, one of the good things about this property is despite it being so old it isn't listed so free to do what we want. Just had an estimate of £40k to replace them all, he suggested a contingency of another £10k to £15k so a £50k job. Seems a lot for lifting out old rotten wood replacing and then just chipboard on top

 

[KenGMac]

Hi, again.

Cost of timber is rocketing just about every day

Obvious "pointers"

Make sure all the old rotted timber is removed, use vacuum cleaners.
Apply a fungal spray especially where the old embedded timber has been.
Replace with "treated" timber, especially where embedded.
See if the embedded timber can be wrapped in very thick polythene inside the wall? [sheet DPM?]

Have a good look at air flow in the basement area, if needed cut more air bricks into the external walls. Is the external ground below where the embedded timber is ?

Have you considered underfloor Insulation?
1/. Can be slab insulation fitted tight between joists? Various types available + various thicknesses [thicker the better]
2/. Older idea, not as good as 1/. above, very loosely drape plastic netting between the joists, fill the netting with Glass Wool, cheap and cheerful Insulation ?? U-Tube videos should be on there??
3/. If the budget does not extend to Insulation now? fit it later, just get the floor in safe and secure, you have a large area in which to work??

Ken