Cellar conversion

[Addamski]

Hello,

I need some advice on converting a victorian cellar.

I would like to lower the floor buy just 100mm for a bit more headroom, the floor is cracked so needs replacing anyway. Will this be possible, what are the regs for this?

My foundations with existing and proposed floors are in the sketch attached.



Also which is the best way to waterproof the walls and bridge the join to the DPM under the new floor? I am on a budget and will be doing the work myself but would prefer a plastic membrane type as opposed to a slurry.
There seems to be quite a lot online but it's hard to choose the right one for my budget etc.

Thanks
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Untitled

• Addamski
• 29 May 2014
• 1

 

[noseall]

I need some advice on converting a victorian cellar........I am on a budget and will be doing the work myself

Advice - yeah, leave well alone!

Cellars are for storing wine and un-used gym equipment. Unless you intend spending thousands on a pro' job, then all you will end up with is a musty but plastered/painted cellar.

If you expect a 'livable' space on a budget then prepare to be disappointed. If however your expectations are low and all you want to do is tart it up a bit then fair enough.

I think you should seek pro advice (S.E. etc) about lowering the floor.

 

[TheVictorian]

As above, if you are lowering the floor then you need to go through a structural engineer. Bear in mind that to lower it by 100mm you are probably digging down more than 300mm to fit screed/insulation in.

If you want the room to be habitable then you need to follow regs, imagine if there was a fire blocking your escape up the stairs and you hadn't fitted a escape window/door. To me this is more important than a bit of damp coming through.

I use my cellar for storage of wine and junk, the front wall used to allow water to seep through during very heavy rain so I applied 2 coats of tanking slurry and it's dry as a bone down there now.

 

[Addamski]

Thanks for the reply's,

Sorry I should have said it's not going to be habitable even though there is a door out to the back yard and a window to the front garden.

I was going to put a utility down there and then storage and maybe a bit of a workshop.

I wanted to make it dry and warmer really, it sounds rather like yours 'TheVictorian' and I know next door has an extra 100mm headroom.

And when they put a new floor in with DPM it improved the situation loads compared with mine.

Cheers

 

[RonnyRaygun]

You shouldn't have any trouble lowering the floor by 100mm or so. The party wall will easily retain the small amount of material on the opposite side.
Keeping it dry is much more of a problem and one that needs to be carefully thought about and designed.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I need some advice on converting a victorian cellar.

 

[Addamski]

You shouldn't have any trouble lowering the floor by 100mm or so. The party wall will easily retain the small amount of material on the opposite side.

Thanks for the comment Ronny, could you just explain what you meant by this?

The image I attached was actually of an internal wall, I dug a hole next to an external one and it has an extra coarse of brick under it with a wider footing.

So in your opinion Ronny just 100mm lower would not be a problem?

Thanks

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