zoothorn

@Onoff I'll take a temp reading at different points in my mainroom tonight, like yours. The floor lowest 2ft defo feels like a pool of cold. 12.5*C for you though? Jeepers I thought only my bad luck encountered such temps. At the moment.. 6.8*C in my mainroom typing this, hottie on my back. Freezing nose & hands. No heating on. Im just about happy enough, spinning a few records even so: I'm so used to the cold it's just 'normal' after 6 yrs. [My cabin in comparison last ev.. 28*C ! Super toasty, t shirt & shorts, real luxury: & 0*C outside, at the most].

Hi Jenki, thanks for your very good suggestion, & I did this in my extension so know the process/ caber floor. The only fly in the soup: I'm a boring audiophile & need the mass of concrete below my 2 speakers. But, I wonder if I could incorporate two 400x400 gaps ( my spkr positions ) afterwards.. & fill up with concrete? Hmm interesting. Cheaper surely.. no need to spend on a Pro Co to pipe in concrete, as I'd imagine the top layer part of the job would need.

Hi Peter, I have a "normal dose" of so-so 80's orange fluff, plus, 2 years ago a grant for another layer: a good 250mm extra added ontop, & perp to the joists: by a welsh "loft-monkey" in 1 hr whilst his monkey-mate smoked a fag outside. So I think 'adequate' to answer your question, to rule out I think this being one of the main factors. Its's more the loft air getting down & filling behind all 4 plasterboard sides below the loft. IE imagine one big bedroom, just with a thin divider between making it two.

Hi Roger- just noticed your mid wales too.. & another stone cottage-? Well well, this is very useful to know. I wonder where you are. Anyway, what I thought as my builder years ago -did- seem to find evidence of a blue bit of placcy @ edge of floor.. was & this was his opinion, that there -was- evidence of a dpm. This surely implies that the floor therefore-isn't- the original. And if so, then the implication further, is that there -might- be some PIR underfoot. I'd suggest it depends if it was a pro or amateur job (if pro PIR is surely more likely, even if a " 1" token gesture" like I know my ground floor walls are graced with before the 2" cavity). Damp. Even with this slim evidence of a dpm, yes I do get a bit of damp evident at edges: a dry black powdery residue I have to wipe away ( lowest 1ft on one wall) not bad at all really this/ not 'damp odour bad' here. But, I do get more in this room, upon a cupboard wall: open this tiny cupboard & there -is- wall moisture, plus a mild damp odour too. And another lesser floor edge area. So some thankfully " liveable-with " evidence of damp within the WALLS, moreso than the floor. Perhaps also suggesting a dpm -is- in place even if a bit shoddy. SO. One benefit I would hope to gain from my floor redo-masterplan.. is to clear up some, if not the majority if in the walls, of this damp. A bonus. But not the priority reason for the idea. Cold cold cold, is. Thanks, Zooter

@Big Jimbo & @saveasteading morning chaps, thanks for these suggestions: yes, I have done everything I can on this front, before coming to this last resort 'floor big job' idea. Really thoughrally sealed everything I can. It's leeching in though so hugely, from well I hope mostly the floor should I proceed with the grand plan, that addressing these minor ingresses you hint at.. is akin to a drop in the ocean. Its made no discernable difference. Even sealing the tangible cold air ingress gaps (you could even hear it whistling!) at the edges of the main room ceiling gaps-right-up-to-loft... made no discernable difference. So there's such such a HUGE ammount of cold entering the room, that the stove hasn't a chance of winning the battle ( or rather it could IF its run at super-hot 400*C for 3 hours using two huge baskets of logs, & warping parts of the stove in the process) running it 'normally', nor has stuffing edge gaps, doors, etc etc. Thing is first up, in an ideal world, is determining -where- the cold is entering via. But unlike a boat where you can bubble-test & find the ingress holes... with air you can't, as far as I know, do such a test to determine where the cold air is mainly leeching in from.

@Onoff Hi there, autumn greetings ( stunning day here, & -2 or so last night around midnight, & had cabin at 21*C at 11.30pm, albeit with a fair bit of effort, but passed the tricky sub-zero test pretty well). Well we're in a similar boat re cold. That alone helps my thinking tbh, as you understand the frustration. I too know -some- of the places cold is ingressing my main room, & such a big job curtails fixing: So as said, loft air 'cocoons' the bedrooms above, in the big cavities behind plasterboards on 3 sides each room ( divider wall between no issue), so like "one big rectangle of cold" air sat down -upon- the outside edges of the ceiling below. Then I'm so constrained to fill it, that all I've been able to do, is expandy foam in two places only (where you could see up almost to the loft standing in the main sittingroom). But the majority of this "cold rectangle" is just above the 1st floor, where the chipboard floor meets the edges of the lower walls ok... preventing any access to stuffing with anything. So cold just lies in a perimeter rectangular ring, just above my head.. apart from two 2m gaps Ive foamed 'closed'. So no cold loft air anymore -directly- leeches down & into main room (when I moved in you could feel cold air coming into sittingroom edges via the 2x 2m gaps!).. but.. just does just sit menacingly around edges. The dividing floor is thankfully thin enough to not think full of the same cold air really. Nothing I can do here. Zoot

Hi Roger, I dont think I've had a post from yourself before:- so thanks for reading my spiel, & your input. This is the nub question. Alas I don't know at this stage. But.. it just sure -feels- like there's simply no insulation under the concrete floor. BUT a fly in the ointment ((maybe) thus: my builder found tiny evidence of flecks of a blue membrane, at edges of this floor, suggesting it's -not- the original 1830 floor (which would have been just sat upon clay). So, when this dpm was put down is unknown, as is whether any PIR was put down during this job too. Thx Z

Morning markc, thanks for this. So did you do the work? Interesting results indeed. I bet she didn't have 2ft stone walls though & loft cold filtering down, past the beds above ( via the horrendous 6" cavities behind all/ both bedrooms' pB), & down hitting the edges of her kitchen ceiling tho! Can you tell me what her kitchen walls construction is like? I mean the point being, if you knew beforehand that she had 100mm PIR in the walls, & say a reasonably ok room above too, then you knew almost certainly after your test drill hole & finding concrete floor upon clay, that THIS was definitively the obvious weak link. With mine you see, like a boat taking on water ( but without being able to do a bubble test to determine where the hole, or holes are) I cannot determine --where-- the cold is primarily leeching in via. If I knew the answer to this, & knew confidently it --was-- to a decent degree the floor.. I'd prolly have cracked on by now. A very useful reply though, adding to my sense of confidence I am perhaps, ploughing the correct furrow with this idea. In retrospect, underfloor heating is out as an idea, not material costwise but simply due to running costs. Thanks, Zoot

As you can appreciate, there's alot if character to the inside walls. And it's not hugely wide either as it is.

Hi chaps, been meaning to propose this idea, for your expert opinions. An idea gaining traction as my build 'experience' does. Ok. My 1830 welsh stone cottage is a 6.5m x 5m rectangle. Low ceiling. Onto this main "shell", are 3 extentions, only 1 having insulation (2019). The other two 1970's extensions, are ontop (2 beds). And a ground floor addition (WC, kitchen). The huge overbearing issue is cold, in the main rectangle/ largish sittingroom. I also have the same issue in the two 1970's extentions: a camera showed just 1" of PIR, & none upstairs with 6" cavities behind plasterboard leeching cold loft air down. Now, I cannot feasably redo the upstairs extention ( without ripping out all pB & redoing with thick PIR), nor the ground floor extention (without removing all kitchen & WC fittings, excavating floors & laying 100mm PIR). So forgetting these two extentions (I don't sleep in either bedroom too.. & my kitchen & WC will always be unbearably cold. I Lump it). The one feasable room is main stone sittingroom 6x5 "shell", which I use having my 8.5kw stove in. It's so cold I run it at 375*F for 3hrs.. & back of room only achieves 16*C (my couch remains cold, as does my head, legs, back.. even a hottie on my back, hat & scarf on). Infuriating. PIR-lining the walls' interior? No, due to character loss, & space loss. So. The only option is excavate the main floor, is my thinking, & either A) add 100mm PIR, concrete cap it back to same level. Or B) add PIR -&- underfloor heating/ the whole hog idea. So firstly: is excavating & redoing either way.. a feasable job prospect? I have no clue. The main problems afaict: 1) I don't know if there is actually any PIR under this old floor as it is: daft to redo it & it makes no difference. 2) If it doesn't have (or say has 1" at best) how do I know the cold isn't 90% pouring in via the side walls instead, & so I'd be flogging a dead horse for zilch. Thanks for reading, Zoothorn.

Bloomin marvellous! Hope to heck one will fit. Thanks SAS

Fantastic- never thought it would be this simple in a month of sundays. Will do- thanks chaps.

Chaps, do I just buy a "replacement latch" / is this something that usually has generic dims one mfr to next? Or do I have to search for a perfect match, or closest to it.. I don't know you see. Or maybe each handle 'set' are made only for their specific 3 individual parts to marry together (handle, latch section, handle). I know the central square profile rod, is likely generically similar door to door. But is the latch section too I wonder..

Tbh the handles feel good quality, seems there's just too much spring tension, or I yanked down too hard when door jams (another facet of the weird wet climate thing: all the new doors swell & shrink like there's no tmrw/ never known any place like it in my life before).

Problem clear now..

-Booty- trap markc. Ithankyou. Z

Yup wedged door open/ removed whole shebang: can you get just this latch section? are they generic as a rule.. or differ with each 'set' including the handles? Thanks Zoot

Hi there LaCurandera, grateful for this idea- I've gone through your reply, adapted your thinking, & DONE IT! Well, I "walked" the latch out mm by mm with huge force inwards.. finally.. getting a sliver of a knife under the end of the latch. Rammed knife through. The latch was still under strong spring tension, so I was battling this mainly. Minor damage to frame, bracket thing, & door whacking in wedges to give me every mm. JesusH. Huge effort. So now door open. And handles do not move the latch, as expected. So gotta strip the thing down to figure out why latch & the square bar have become disconnected. This was my lowest bar of dignity today. Suffice to say I tried to 'hold it in & drive to town', but no way. Oh ffs. Then lowest bar of all. Yes....... I shat meself. Then on Im not fkn telling you- no way. A very poor day for me. Zoot.

Hi dpm, but Im on the wrong side to try this idea. In the photo eg above, I'd be on the far side. So the latch 'slope' can't be accessed. Im in a real bind here. You don't realise how neccessary a WC is 4x a day.

Problem remains: I turn the square bolt with pliers.. & still see latch section -not- moving in/ out.

Ah yes now I recall/ unscrewing this bit around it reveals 4 screws..

Hi markc hoping you're keeping well, thanks for the reply. Yup I can see a small grub allen head underneath the handle.. but removing this, the handle won't come off. I'm the other side of this photo, & handle is similar ( no lock section with mine). Zoot

Chaps, Ive been noticing my WC door's latch ( moves sideways when handle turned downward, to open or close door) has recently been catching in it's corresponding door frame metal recess plate. Meaning the door once closed, has been getting increacingly difficult to open. The latch section, with handle in fully down position, has been noticeably protruding more & more out the side of the door, a mm a week or so. Now.. the wind having closed the door today sometime, I can't get in at all. Not only that, but it seems the sideways section isn't even moving L to R at all. Door handle feels the same 'spring' tension to it though. Sod's law is Im on the wrong side to try the credit card idea. The slanted side, is the WC side. My only WC.. so imperative I get this sorted asap. Any ideas? I'll do a pic tmrw. Thanks for reading, Zoot