Flitch beams and torsion ties!

Repairs to the Court House ballroom floor are now fully underway.

Due to a lot of wear and tear the floor was very creaky and uneven leading to suggestions of ghostly goings on due to the constant odd noises heard coming from the ballroom. On close inspection it was decided that many of the floor joists needed replacing and this work is now underway.

The photos below show the various attempts to level and strengthen the old floor firstly using torsion ties to pull the floor level and then using ‘flitch’ beams (placing a steel or iron plate in the middle of a beam and bolting it together to provide reinforcement).

It’s easy to see from the pictures what a difficult and skilled task it is to get an old floor like this back to a level and quiet state without getting rid of all of the original timber!