Christian McArdle wrote:

Really ? You ain't seen the joists in this 100 year old tenement we now
live in. They're almost like someone has just slightly squared off the
trunk of the trees and laid floor boards over them.

I'm not familiar with tenement houses. However, round here, Victorian and
Edwardian terraces are common. The joists certainly don't look substantially
thicker than that used in modern construction.

I'm not familiar enough with construction north of the border but I'm
told it a fair better than down south historically at least.

I would say there is a huge range of build qualities over in the C19 and
early C20 houses with the better housing being a good as any within the
limitations of the technology (no cavity walls etc.). but the rough end
is abysmal, e g door frames that consist only of the lining wood.

The best built housing AFAIK and IMHO is the inter world war stuff that
was built for owner-occupiers.
The lower end of the market was less worse relatively at that time.

Since then it seems that house are being built less well to cleverer
designs so that they are OKish
I would not expect the joists to fail on a modern home even if built by
B*rr*tt etc. However you have to go a long way up the market spectrum to
find houses with wooden flooring rather than chip-board.

All modern pitched lofts are built with a high strength 'forest of
matchwood' which means the space is less useable and less easily
converted.



--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
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