In this guide
A floor will need to provide for one or more of the following:
- Structural support of the room's contents and users and the weight of the floor itself; and
- If the floor is a ground floor, provide resistance to:
- Ground moisture; and
- Heat loss (thermal insulation)
There are three general types of ground floor construction:
- Solid, ground bearing, concrete floor
- Suspended Timber Floor
- Suspended Concrete floor
A typical floor for a garage generally consists of hardcore, sand blinding, DPM (damp proof membrane) and concrete. It is considered to be good practice to place reinforced mesh within the concrete as this can reduce the chances of cracking from the load (weight) of a vehicle. The floor will not normally need to be insulated.
Storage buildings, annexes and summer houses
Floors in these types of building can take one of the three general types outlined above. The exact specification for the floor will depend on how the building is to be used and whether it is to be heated. More information on each floor type can be found in the section on floors for extensions.