Raised Timber Floor Construction

Building a wood framed raised floor foundation compares favorably to the cost of a slab on grade foundation.

Raised timber floor construction.

The dead load on a floor is determined by the materials used in the floor s construction. A typical wood frame floor covered with carpet or vinyl flooring has a dead load of about 8 pounds per square foot. Also called raised flooring access flooring or raised access computer flooring a raised floor is a construction model in which an elevated floor is built above a building s original concrete slab surface thereby creating a hidden void between the two floors that is used for the passage of mechanical and electrical services. Issues to be taken into account include.

This construction is similar to the timber floor above but uses either pre cast concrete planks or small pre cast concrete beams with concrete blocks laid between the beams. If there s wall board covered ceiling suspended from the underside of that floor the dead load increases to about 10 pounds per square foot. Expedites scheduling of trades. There are two general types of raised floors.

It also assumes the room has been stripped of all floor coverings trim and other obstructions and that the floor you re building on top of is level. Suspended timber ground floors consist of the finished timber floorboards being attached to floor joists which are suspended above the subfloor of the foundation. This plan assumes the new raised floor will be open to the lower part of the room on one side as it really wouldn t make sense to do it in a closed room with just a doorway leading in. Ventilation is required in the same way as a suspended timber floor.

Raised floors are more resilient under foot and provide access for heating equipment insulation plumbing wiring and other mechanical. We explain how hollow or suspended floors are made and what the key building regulations that affect them are. Building and understanding a suspended or hollow timber floor. They can normally span greater distances than timber joists.

Construction of a raised wood floor helps accommodate the scheduling of trades. These floor joists are raised above the subfloor on small supporting walls called tassel walls or sleeper walls. The raised floor homeowner accrues lifelong benefits such as curb appeal comfort energy efficiency and lasting value. 6 4 10 construction of timber floors upper floors shall be constructed in a workmanlike manner and provide satisfactory performance.

Review the construction process that walks you through the raised floor basics from soils and footings to floor framing. An illustrated look at how a typical wood frame floor is built including sublooring and more.