Trying to sort the floor in the living room and found the recesses at each side of the chimney breast, which always seemed pretty shallow, are actually false walls with a load of sawdust packed behind it. Of course, when the relevant bits of floor came out, so did the sawdust.

It all looks pretty original (Victorian), but might be a later (certainly not recent) addition. The wall in question is a party wall with the house next door. Looks like it might be a single skin.

Does anyone have any idea what the function of the sawdust is? I'm guessing some kind of rudimentary insulation for either heat or sound.

With nobody living in the house next door since we arrived, it's not possible to know what the sound transmission is like (if that's what it's for), so hard to tell whether it might be a real issue. I'm rather assuming that it would be possible to strip the false walls out and rebuild to a similar line in plasterboard (sounds more messy than difficult), including a 'sawdust substitute' as necessary. If I have to though, it would be best to do this sooner rather than later as the next move (once the floor is in) would be to decorate, carpet etc.

On Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:40:35 -0700 (PDT), GMM
wrote:

Trying to sort the floor in the living room and found the recesses at each side of the chimney breast, which always seemed pretty shallow, are actually false walls with a load of sawdust packed behind it. Of course, when the relevant bits of floor came out, so did the sawdust.

It all looks pretty original (Victorian), but might be a later (certainly not recent) addition. The wall in question is a party wall with the house next door. Looks like it might be a single skin.

Does anyone have any idea what the function of the sawdust is? I'm guessing some kind of rudimentary insulation for either heat or sound.

With nobody living in the house next door since we arrived, it's not possible to know what the sound transmission is like (if that's what it's for), so hard to tell whether it might be a real issue. I'm rather assuming that it would be possible to strip the false walls out and rebuild to a similar line in plasterboard (sounds more messy than difficult), including a 'sawdust substitute' as necessary. If I have to though, it would be best to do this sooner rather than later as the next move (once the floor is in) would be to decorate, carpet etc.

Are you sure it _is_ sawdust, rather than, say, vermiculite?


--
Frank Erskine

GMM wrote:
Trying to sort the floor in the living room and found the recesses at
each side of the chimney breast, which always seemed pretty shallow,
are actually false walls with a load of sawdust packed behind it. Of
course, when the relevant bits of floor came out, so did the sawdust.


What is the construction of the false wall? - lath and plaster?
I've worked in hundreds of Victorian houses and I've never seen or heard of
anything like sawdust to be used in this way, even the Victorians knew about
the risks from fire and rodents


It all looks pretty original (Victorian), but might be a later
(certainly not recent) addition. The wall in question is a party
wall with the house next door. Looks like it might be a single skin.


It's easy to find out, simply measure the distance outside between yours and
next door's windows, half it and then measure the inside recess, if it's a
single skin, the difference will be 2 inches

Does anyone have any idea what the function of the sawdust is? I'm
guessing some kind of rudimentary insulation for either heat or
sound.

With nobody living in the house next door since we arrived, it's not
possible to know what the sound transmission is like (if that's what
it's for), so hard to tell whether it might be a real issue. I'm
rather assuming that it would be possible to strip the false walls
out and rebuild to a similar line in plasterboard (sounds more messy
than difficult), including a 'sawdust substitute' as necessary. If I
have to though, it would be best to do this sooner rather than later
as the next move (once the floor is in) would be to decorate, carpet
etc.

If it is/was for soundproofing, you'd achieve better results with 75mm of
rockwool plasterboarded over and skimmed

GMM wrote:
Trying to sort the floor in the living room and found the recesses at each side of the chimney breast, which always seemed pretty shallow, are actually false walls with a load of sawdust packed behind it. Of course, when the relevant bits of floor came out, so did the sawdust.

It all looks pretty original (Victorian), but might be a later (certainly not recent) addition. The wall in question is a party wall with the house next door. Looks like it might be a single skin.

Does anyone have any idea what the function of the sawdust is?

Woodworm excreta?

Something the ******* whobuilt it just threw in there because it was a
place to throw stuff.

I am fairly sure the brickie lefts some turds in my chimney construction.

And the cartons from his sandwiches.

I left a whole bottle of white glue inside a wall once.


I'm guessing some kind of rudimentary insulation for either heat or sound.

With nobody living in the house next door since we arrived, it's not possible to know what the sound transmission is like (if that's what it's for), so hard to tell whether it might be a real issue. I'm rather assuming that it would be possible to strip the false walls out and rebuild to a similar line in plasterboard (sounds more messy than difficult), including a 'sawdust substitute' as necessary. If I have to though, it would be best to do this sooner rather than later as the next move (once the floor is in) would be to decorate, carpet etc.


--
To people who know nothing, anything is possible.
To people who know too much, it is a sad fact
that they know how little is really possible -
and how hard it is to achieve it.

On Monday, July 16, 2012 9:08:33 PM UTC+1, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
GMM wrote:
> Trying to sort the floor in the living room and found the recesses at each side of the chimney breast, which always seemed pretty shallow, are actually false walls with a load of sawdust packed behind it. Of course, when the relevant bits of floor came out, so did the sawdust.
>
> It all looks pretty original (Victorian), but might be a later (certainly not recent) addition. The wall in question is a party wall with the house next door. Looks like it might be a single skin.
>
> Does anyone have any idea what the function of the sawdust is?

Woodworm excreta?

I wouldn't want to meet a woodworm who could produce all that in a dark alley! Literally sacks of the stuff.....


Something the ******* whobuilt it just threw in there because it was a
place to throw stuff.

I am fairly sure the brickie lefts some turds in my chimney construction.

And the cartons from his sandwiches.

I left a whole bottle of white glue inside a wall once.


I'm guessing some kind of rudimentary insulation for either heat or sound.
>
> With nobody living in the house next door since we arrived, it's not possible to know what the sound transmission is like (if that's what it's for), so hard to tell whether it might be a real issue. I'm rather assuming that it would be possible to strip the false walls out and rebuild to a similar line in plasterboard (sounds more messy than difficult), including a 'sawdust substitute' as necessary. If I have to though, it would be best to do this sooner rather than later as the next move (once the floor is in) would be to decorate, carpet etc.


--
To people who know nothing, anything is possible.
To people who know too much, it is a sad fact
that they know how little is really possible -
and how hard it is to achieve it.

On Monday, July 16, 2012 8:58:48 PM UTC+1, Phil L wrote:
GMM wrote:
> Trying to sort the floor in the living room and found the recesses at
> each side of the chimney breast, which always seemed pretty shallow,
> are actually false walls with a load of sawdust packed behind it. Of
> course, when the relevant bits of floor came out, so did the sawdust.
>

What is the construction of the false wall? - lath and plaster?
I've worked in hundreds of Victorian houses and I've never seen or heard of
anything like sawdust to be used in this way, even the Victorians knew about
the risks from fire and rodents


> It all looks pretty original (Victorian), but might be a later
> (certainly not recent) addition. The wall in question is a party
> wall with the house next door. Looks like it might be a single skin.
>

It's easy to find out, simply measure the distance outside between yours and
next door's windows, half it and then measure the inside recess, if it's a
single skin, the difference will be 2 inches

> Does anyone have any idea what the function of the sawdust is? I'm
> guessing some kind of rudimentary insulation for either heat or
> sound.
>
> With nobody living in the house next door since we arrived, it's not
> possible to know what the sound transmission is like (if that's what
> it's for), so hard to tell whether it might be a real issue. I'm
> rather assuming that it would be possible to strip the false walls
> out and rebuild to a similar line in plasterboard (sounds more messy
> than difficult), including a 'sawdust substitute' as necessary. If I
> have to though, it would be best to do this sooner rather than later
> as the next move (once the floor is in) would be to decorate, carpet
> etc.

If it is/was for soundproofing, you'd achieve better results with 75mm of
rockwool plasterboarded over and skimmed

Well the bloke I'm doing this with is a builder and he's never seen it before, but a cruise around Google reveals that it has been used for insulation. Oddly, there is no evidence of mice etc. It's all pretty dry but a bit of a fire risk I should think.

The recesses are about half the depth of the chimney breast, with lath and plaster on some pretty substantial studding (6+ inch joists running vertically up the wall from the look of things.

i rather feel the rock wool and plasterboard coming on. A tricky job to align it with the coving but should be do-able.

On Monday, July 16, 2012 8:57:43 PM UTC+1, Frank Erskine wrote:
On Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:40:35 -0700 (PDT), GMM
wrote:

>Trying to sort the floor in the living room and found the recesses at each side of the chimney breast, which always seemed pretty shallow, are actually false walls with a load of sawdust packed behind it. Of course, when the relevant bits of floor came out, so did the sawdust.
>
>It all looks pretty original (Victorian), but might be a later (certainly not recent) addition. The wall in question is a party wall with the house next door. Looks like it might be a single skin.
>
>Does anyone have any idea what the function of the sawdust is? I'm guessing some kind of rudimentary insulation for either heat or sound.
>
>With nobody living in the house next door since we arrived, it's not possible to know what the sound transmission is like (if that's what it's for), so hard to tell whether it might be a real issue. I'm rather assuming that it would be possible to strip the false walls out and rebuild to a similar line in plasterboard (sounds more messy than difficult), including a 'sawdust substitute' as necessary. If I have to though, it would be best to do this sooner rather than later as the next move (once the floor is in) would be to decorate, carpet etc.

Are you sure it _is_ sawdust, rather than, say, vermiculite?


--
Frank Erskine

Definitely sawdust - I don't think there's any doubt about that, even though vermiculite would make more sense.

In message , The Natural Philosopher
writes
GMM wrote:
Trying to sort the floor in the living room and found the recesses at
each side of the chimney breast, which always seemed pretty shallow,
are actually false walls with a load of sawdust packed behind it. Of
course, when the relevant bits of floor came out, so did the sawdust.
It all looks pretty original (Victorian), but might be a later
(certainly not recent) addition. The wall in question is a party wall
with the house next door. Looks like it might be a single skin.
Does anyone have any idea what the function of the sawdust is?

Woodworm excreta?

Something the ******* whobuilt it just threw in there because it was a
place to throw stuff.

I am fairly sure the brickie lefts some turds in my chimney construction.

And the cartons from his sandwiches.

I left a whole bottle of white glue inside a wall once.


I know of a commercial building that has a UHF repeater base inside a
wall! It was put in a handy alcove for the builders use during
construction and when we came to take it out they had blocked it up...

--
Bill

Update - I had another look at it this morning in the light and found the wall behind this partition is plastered, so presumably the original. I had thought this must be original as the coving has been continued, but maybe they just made a decent job of it in those days.

A bit of a dilemma just now in terms of what to do, though I'm tempted to go with the advice of 'just forget it and see what happens' that my builder matey recommends. Think I'll be getting rid of the sawdust before laying the floor boards though as I don't fancy having that in the void, waiting to catch fire or make mouse nests.