Filling in a cellar?

[Goodwordguide]

We've been recommended that we have the cellar on our (potential) new house filled in as it's so damp - often has standing water, woodworm etc. the house is large so cellar not really needed for storage plus it has a very restricted height so would never be used for anything else.

Does anybody know in particular if this is recommended in old houses (200 years+)? And what material do they use? I had just assumed that all old houses had damp cellars. It's well ventilated at least.

Many thanks for any help

who made the recommendation, and what do you know about their qualifications and experience?

Why do you want to fill it in? If it's too damp to use just leave it empty.

And woodworm has nothing to do with damp and should be treated irrespective of what you do with the cellar.

He's a very experienced a member of the Inst. of Struct. eng. and someone who specialises in timber frames.

It wasn't a direct recommendation for our house ( he hasn't seen it yet), more a phone conversation along the lines of 'houses that age will always have damp cellars and hence danger of woodworm etc [which we have] and filling in the cellar is one of the best ways of dealing with it'.

I just wondered if this is correct with ref. to old houses plus if anyone else had experience if this.

Thanks for any help you can give.

I thought you get woodworm in damp timbers (moisture content of 20% plus), therefore one way to treat it is to reduce the dampness.

The cellar has standing water, though not all year round of course.

Should add, the woodworm is in the sub-floor timbers, visible in the cellar.

So you actually need to determine the damp content of the timbers and decide if you're going to treat the woodworm (cheap) or fill in the cellar (not cheap).

You could also take steps to reduce the damp and make the cellar more usable.

Yes definitely will have timbers surveyed. I just wondered if there were anypros and cons of filling cellars as I don't think I know of anyone having done it before.

The cellar is only 1m in height so not even great for storage.

Ooer I've just been watching creepy stuff on ITV3 Dark Matters lol

Yes, I was a bit at them describing it as a cellar. It will be looked at... And it is very creepy...

Maybe I'll store my mannequin down there... And a few of DD's old dolls...

Thanks polter, i will investigate a drain and cap

If it's damp, just get it tanked.

if it's a 200 year old house, then it is probably built with lime, not cement, and porous bricks or stone, and probably a bare earth floor. It might not be possible to tank it effectively, and water would probably still collect.

Usually a lot of subfloor ventilation, with extra airbricks (one every two metres all round the house is not too many) will remove average damp, but if the floor of the space is very wet, there may be a problem with high water table, broken pipes or drains (this is very common in houses over 50 years old) or water draining towards the house from flat paving or leaking gutters. If you have any of these causes I would always try to cure it first, since filling the space will not remove the source of damp. It might be unusually damp at the moment due to exceptional rainfall. The old airbricks, if any, may well be choked with cobwebs and dirt, or some idiot may have blocked the with slates.

One thing I would advise against is constantly pumping it out. This tends to remove soil particles with the water, resulting in a hole under the house that it might eventually subside into.

I just wrote a reply that has vanished ... Grrr...

Yes, it's definitely lime and well-ventilated. External guttering needs replacing so that could be an issue, plus it has been terribly wet recently. And the vendor did say it was dry and she didn't seem to be the lying type (but then, I'm very naive!).

Thanks again for the help

If it's an older building, how about asking SNAB for specialist advice? If you're planning to buy an old house it's worth joining and going on their homeowners course.

I have to say that I really can't work out why filling a cellar would help with a timber frame?

Good idea grendel, thanks

If the floor has water and woodworm probably best to remove all the wooden flooring and replace the entire floor with a proper concrete floor fitted with modern insulation and damp/water proofing, this would be much better in the long term and also inspect ALL timbers in the building for wet rot, damp rot and infestation.

I have a building which was constructed in the 18th century and a concrete floor has done it no harm but in fact has given the entire building a lot more strength, these old buildings only need to breathe to keep the timbers dry but if the floor timbers are removed then there is not a problem.

Goodword In your original post you've asked for our suggestions regarding filling in a cellar when you mention a " ( potential ) new house " How long along the process of buying this property are you if there are suggestion that the cellar could be filled in ? Personally, older houses are not for me, but have you lived in one before so are aware of the hazards/joys of living in one ?

We're pretty far along eg, have school,places etc, but I'm always cautious given the tortuous house-buying process in the UK.

We haven't owned a house this old before - we lived in one abroad but it was very different due to different climate, different hazards etc. It is a learning process to some extent as all houses have their 'quirks', to put it euphemistically. I just wondered if anyone had experience of this as we personally have not filled in a cellar before and would not have thought it was the simplest solution.