removing earth floors?

[Hindhaugh]

Would like to remove existing earth floor in old cottage to install staircase to roof space and correct some settlement. If possible will retain existing beams 'for show' and put suspended floor over existing beams. The earth floor has traditional red tiles on top (in roof space). Any tips out there from anyone who has removed one of these traditional earth floors?

[Lizzie15]

Wow-how do you get an earth floor in a roof space? Is this usual? I've had earth floors but always at ground floor level,where of course they are easy to deal with

 

[John Cox]

Yes, I had this 'pleasure' a few years ago. Packed earth was used between the rafters as insulation. I had if under the floor boards on the first floor and as a packed earrth floor in the loft. With hindisght, I should have started in the loft and worked down... However, the ceiling was made of oak slats set into groves in the rafters with the soil resting above. I found a kango hammer or an SDS to be the best device for breaking the surprisingly hard earth and let it fall through onto ramps made from old doors to slide it outside.

Beware though, once the soil had gone the rafters became unstable as it was the soil that held them in place. I had to fix these back in place with noggins.

[Opel Fruit<P><BR>Opel Fruit, Dept. 53<P>]

You mean like this?:

Fairly standard on >200 yo properties up north.

The top level is terre cuite tiles, laid on torche/masse. Then there are either wood slats or oak boards on top of the crossbeams.

If you are lucky, the crossbeams are laid on the tie beams and pocketed in the walls at the other end.

[Opel Fruit<P><BR>Opel Fruit, Dept. 53<P>]

Another view in another area:

[Hindhaugh]

Thanks for this everyone, how do I view the pics?

[Opel Fruit<P><BR>Opel Fruit, Dept. 53<P>]

Ooooo, can anyone see them??