Chiswick project, week two

Week two on our Chiswick project. The house is coming apart before it goes back together.

Week one finished with the hoarding up. That is the point at which a job stops being a drawing. Since then the team has stripped out the old flooring and the skirtings. They have also taken out the architraves, the doors and the carpets. All of it is in the skip.

With the floors open, new noggins have gone into the joists. There were none there before. That is common in a house of this age. It is the reason a floor bounces. Noggins stiffen the joists against each other. So the finished floor sits flat and stays flat.

Insulation is going in next. It is chosen for thermal performance and for sound between floors. After that the plywood deck goes down, and then the engineered oak.

Engineered oak is the right board for a floor over heating. It also suits a suspended timber structure. The ply core moves far less than a solid board would. It is also the visible part, which is why it goes in last.

Planning something similar in west London? Tell us about the house. Or see finished work on our projects page.