"N. Thornton" wrote in message
om...
But if the joists in my house are ok then a carpenter could do as NT
says? -
add a strip of wood to the lower side to raise it,

the top side of the existing joists.

Yes, sorry. I shouldve been clearer, I mean the side of the house which is
lower is where the strip of wood would go to increase its height.

progressively adding
thinner strips as you come away from the lower part of the room as the
room
levels off,

you'd lay one strip on each joist, the strip would be tapered to give
a level top surface. Establish a level using a laser, temporarily
clamp the 2x4 to the existing joist, exactly level, and run a pencil
line along top of old joist to mark the 2x4. Cut the 2x4 along the
line and it will fit on perfectly. Bench mounted circ saw. It is also
possible to use wood a bit bigger and not cut it, but just screw it to
the side of the old joists, either works.


relay floorboards, which seemed mostly ok before I put new
carpet down (damn), if necessary replacing the skirting boards with new
ones?

Would replacing the skirting boards necessitate any replastering?

no, as your new skirting will be higher up or same level. If you want
to make the job bigger by using new skirting, pick something as big as
the present stuff to avoid plaster work.


Have I got the gist of NT's post and am I right in thinking that this is
the
/best/ case scenario? Otherwise it sounds like I'm in a lot of ****.

I dont remember any reason to think your joists are rotten: is there
such a reason? Having a look will tell for sure.

Some electricians did take up a length of floorboards when doing some work
before I moved in and they didnt mention anything about rotten joists or
anything. The surveyor (and I'm having increasingly less faith in them)
found no signs of damp in the house, so I am a little more optimistic about
that.