Victorian Foundations There were no foundations as you would understand one today. This is why these old houses move throughout the year and get slight cracking or widening of the mortar beds.
How are Victorian houses built?
Victorian houses were generally built in terraces or as detached houses. Building materials were brick or local stone. Bricks were made in factories some distance away, to standard sizes, rather than the earlier practice of digging clay locally and making bricks on site.
What makes a house a Victorian house?
Victorian-style homes became popular during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901) and are characterized by Gothic influences and intricately designed woodwork. These homes often have pitched roofs, wraparound front porches, cylindrical turrets, and roof towers.
How can you tell if a house is Victorian?
Some distinctive characteristics of a Victorian property are:
- High pitched roofs.
- Ornate gable trim.
- Bay windows.
- Two over two panel sash windows (supported with a single astragal bar on each sash)
- Sash window horns.
- Decorative brickwork (often in red)
- Stained glass windows.
How well built are Victorian houses?
Put quite simply, if you’re wondering whether Victorian houses are well built, then the answer is that they are still standing and are sturdy, well-constructed and well-designed properties.
Do Victorian houses have footings?
By today’s standards, Victorian foundations seem very shallow and in some cases, the concrete footings are no more than 200mm deep. However, the way in which they were built allows the houses to spread the load across the ground, so the weight is distributed evenly.
Why do Victorian houses get damp?
During the Victorian period (1837-1901), solid walls were still being used which were prone to rain penetration and became damp and cold. Some were rendered externally which over the years becomes defective, allowing it to trap rain which penetrates the property.
Do all Victorian houses have damp?
Many Victorian houses, particularly those to first feature a DPC, can suffer from damp issues in the modern-day because the DPC has been bridged externally due to an increased ground level.
What are walls in Victorian houses made of?
Penetrating damp
Most Victorian properties are constructed with solid masonry walls, which are often relatively soft, red or yellow London stock bricks.
Why do Victorian houses have two front doors?
One Door Was Formal, the Other Was Not
While one door may have led to a formal area, the other could have been used for day-to-day business. This thinking applied to other visitors as well—homeowners likely wanted to greet guests at a formal entrance.
Do Victorian houses have cavity walls?
Builders and architects started to experiment with cavity or ‘hollow walls’ from early in the Victorian period. By the first decade of the 20th century, most pattern books for houses included examples of outer walls with two separate leaves of brickwork.
Do Victorian houses have solid walls?
Solid walls are a common feature of the pre-1919 Victorian housing stock in England, however their construction results in considerable heat loss, and thus large heating requirements. Solid wall insulation of these walls would improve energy efficiency, and in turn should reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
When did Victorian houses stop being built?
Most Victorian homes were built before 1910, but in Midwestern farming communities the style was still being built as late as the 1940s.
How thick are walls in Victorian houses?
the typical thickness of an internal Victorian house between neighbouring properties is around 225mm thick ( 9inch) plus ad the plaster thickness to this at both sides so looking around 275mm thick (11inch) approx. The type of material would be hand made or wire cut brick.
Do Victorian houses have solid floors?
Most houses at the end of the Victorian period (1900) were built with suspended ground floors. There were exceptions to this. Many houses had ground floors constructed with stone or clay flags; basements too were covered with flags. These were laid on a bed of ashes or directly onto compacted earth.
Do Victorian houses have damp proof course?
By 1875, damp proof courses became compulsory in London. A layer of slate was also used as a DPC for Later Victorian properties. This unfortunately led to walls decaying over time into the cavity which bridged the air gap. There was also an introduction of air bricks by the end of the Victorian period.
Do old houses have foundations?
Although you’re unlikely to have a home today without any support, some older houses were built with shallow foundations. Other houses may have had what seemed adequate foundations, but subsidence or other movement has weakened them.
Do Victorian houses have driveways?
The Victorian era
The Victorian period spans from 1837 – 1901 the long reigning Queen Victoria giving her name to the era. Nationally, building during this time ranged from terraced houses in the inner city, often built for factory workers, to large, detached houses with driveways and gardens.
Why are Victorian houses so big?
Balloon framing replaced the costly and cumbersome post-and-beam construction in use since Colonial times with relatively thin, light pieces of lumber–today’s familiar two-by-fours. These expedients made it possible to build houses faster, cheaper, and also larger and more elaborate than ever before.
Why are Victorian houses cold?
Most Victorian houses are constructed out of bricks, which take a long time to get warm, but once they have been heated they retain the heat well. So if you are away for a short period, it is wise to turn your heating down to very low, but keep it on for short periods every day whilst you are away.
Why were Victorian houses so dark?
Plus, before the advent of color-fast materials and disposable Ikea furniture, Victorian homes could be dark places–people used heavy curtains to protect their rugs and furniture from being bleached by the sun.