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Anyone see this type of floor system?
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[#1] Posted: 04/13/2012 - 2:04:48 PM		Reply with Quote
I came across an unusually built home yesterday. In 13 years inspecting, I have only seen this system three times, and all three instances were in the same neighborhood and were homes of similar age. This home was built in approximately 1941. Typically in homes this age I see a conventional floor system with wood joists and beams, and brick piers. But as you can see here we have poured concrete beams and piers. The subfloor consisted of two by eights (not tongue and groove or even shiplap) laying on their flat side and spanning approximately 6 feet between the concrete beams. I can't say that I saw any unusual settling or other movement inside indicating a problem, but I'm just curious if this system was/ is used elsewhere. Did a transplant from elsewhere bring it with him, or is it just a case of a local builder marching to his own drummer?

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Kevin

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Anyone see this type of floor system?
 [#2] Posted: 04/13/2012 - 3:52:31 PM		Reply with Quote
Heavy duty. Never seen such.
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Anyone see this type of floor system?
 [#3] Posted: 04/13/2012 - 6:06:21 PM		Reply with Quote
I see 2x's that aren't T&G all of the time, and it's typically allowed (I'm sure you know that). I've never seen the concrete, but it's pretty cool.
Brandon

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Anyone see this type of floor system?
 [#4] Posted: 04/13/2012 - 9:51:37 PM		Reply with Quote
I've seen rebar'ed concrete beams in upscale homes for porches. Works well.

Marc
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Anyone see this type of floor system?
 [#5] Posted: 04/14/2012 - 04:26:49 AM		Reply with Quote
Could be some old military-base thing.. ? No? On the periphery of old WW2 bases, you see experimental stuff from time to time...
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Anyone see this type of floor system?
 [#6] Posted: 04/14/2012 - 06:22:36 AM		Reply with Quote
Like Marc, I see it on porches of the old estate homes.
Kurt in Chicago

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Anyone see this type of floor system?
 [#7] Posted: 04/14/2012 - 08:16:26 AM		Reply with Quote
I've seen that setup exactly once at it was only in a small portion of the basement. Didn't see any issues with it.
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Anyone see this type of floor system?
 [#8] Posted: 05/02/2012 - 11:29:21 AM		Reply with Quote
So you are not seeing any deflection or noting any bounce with 2by's spanning 6'?
Egbert
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Anyone see this type of floor system?
 [#9] Posted: 05/02/2012 - 10:10:32 PM		Reply with Quote
Could it be that the 2X8's were used as forms for a concrete floor?
Ezra Malernee
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Anyone see this type of floor system?
 [#10] Posted: 05/03/2012 - 08:15:43 AM		Reply with Quote
Quote: Originally posted by emalernee

Could it be that the 2X8's were used as forms for a concrete floor?
No, conventional nail down hardwood floors were installed on top.

And there wasn't any unusual bounce to the floor. In fact, the interior walls looked great and I had no clue that the floor system was unusual until I opened the hatch to the crawl.
Kevin

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Anyone see this type of floor system?
 [#11] Posted: 05/03/2012 - 6:34:31 PM		Reply with Quote
In the early 1940's there were restrictions on materials and their use because of WWll. Maybe this was a work around.
Steven C. Hockstein, AIA
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Anyone see this type of floor system?
 [#12] Posted: 06/16/2012 - 12:55:37 PM		Reply with Quote
Oddly enough, that design is used commercially in many if not most parking deck designs. Maybe the feller who built the houses was a commercial builder doing a side thing?
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