"Pete C" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 30 Jul 2005 17:18:10 GMT, "brugnospamsia"
wrote:

Dear group,

I have lived in my "first time buyer" terraced house for 21 years and
can't
see myself "upgrading" in the forseeable future.

Having had the roof rebuilt, the 140 year old upstairs ceilings were shot
and I found it made sense to completely replace them with new timbers and
foil-backed plasterboard.

I am now faced with two non-level, bouncy and bendy upstairs floors and
given that the downstairs ceilings also need replacing, I am wondering if
this is the best solution here too. The under-spec. joists run front to
back
and are (loosely) cemented in to the outside and stairwell walls so the
replacement joists would have to be attached to wallplates and hangers. I
plan to use 22mm t&g chipboard in anticipation that most buyers in my area
tend to want carpet or laminate upstairs rather than sanded boards (I
plan
to have carpet upstairs and sanded boards downstairs).


What's on the upstairs floors at the moment? I'd retain the original
floorboards if possible, a buyer might want to have an original wood
floor upstairs.

I'm likely to damage quite a few lifting them whatever I do to stiffen the
floor - unless I worked from below I suppose (the Lath and plaster ceiling
will come down by itself if I don't remove it myself)

http://uk.geocities.com/gentlegreengiant/ruinbig.jpg

This is the style of house I have. I bet there isn't a single house in my
street with stripped boards upstairs - half a dozen have been for sale
recently and the online photos show carpet in every case ... though with the
prices at the insane level they are now (I wouldn't be able to buy it now if
I was starting out !), perhaps I have to look to a more affluent kind of
buyer ....


Also don't the non level bouncy floors would give the house a bit of
character?

LOL


If you're replacing the downstairs ceiling you could 'sister' the
existing joists with some extra timber to stiffen them up a bit,
doubling the width will double the stiffness.

I've considered this but the beam ends have been half-way into solid brick
walls for 140 years ... It's actually going to be less bother to go the
whole hog ....


Having lived in the street so long, my observations make me doubt any of
the
other houses have had so much trouble expended on them ...

Why not ask your neighbours? If they've done OK for 140 years they
can't be too bad.

cheers,
Pete.