ABSTRACT
By the end of the 19th century, most new houses in towns and cities were built with timber ground floors. Imported softwood (deal) accounted for most of the timber; only a small percentage was homegrown. The floors were constructed from a series of timber joists supporting square-edged floorboards. The design and construction of timber floors has changed over the past 100 years but only in detail, not in principle. Modern timber floors are still constructed from softwood joists but nowadays there are stricter rules (in the form of Building Regulations) to prevent risks of damp and rot. In fact, timber floors are fairly rare in modern construction because most ground floors are made from concrete.
