help with skirting question/reno

[tomato]

We are about to renovate/extend 1930's brick home and have gaps in the front rooms (which we are retaining) between floorboards and skirts and in negotiations with a building co. to do the job. They seem reluctant to replace the skirtings and instead just adding a small strip of timber to hide the gaps (as though they are part of the original skirting). Some of the gaps are a good inch between floor and skirts. There will still be gaps where the architraves are though which won't matter where we carpet but will show in hallway as we intend to keep just floorboards. I am wondering if this sounds reasonable, being a newbie to renovation, would it cost too much to rip out old skirtings and start again??? Is there another solution??? The new skirtings for the new extension are going to be bigger than the original, is that going to look dodgy. I would rather get it right now even if it is going to cost a bit more. Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks

[markharrison]

Hard to say definitively. If you want to get the same mouldings that were used originally you will probably have to have them made. It depends on the original quality of the house (not everything made in the 1930's was brilliant) whether this is worth the cost. Only you can tell us that as there isn't a lot of detail in your post.

Photos and more detail please.

[TermiMonster]

Removing old skirtings invariably leads to a fair bit of damage to existing plaster (assuming hard plastered or lathe and plaster walls), so if you remove them, expect substantial plastering work as well. Leaving them in place would be the normal method, if they don't need replacing in themselves.
It's not unusual to cover gaps as described, some people just use quad, which doesn't look fantastic IMO, but each to his own.
Cheers

TM

[les88]

In the old days before cost cutting, a quad was fitted to the skirting to hide any differences. Would that work? If not what I have done in the past was to cut out the short boards back to a joist and install a longer board.
les

[echnidna]

It sounds like the stumps are gone and the floor has dropped leaving a gap between the skirting & floor.

So have the stumps checked out before you start renovating.

[markharrison]

Removing old skirtings invariably leads to a fair bit of damage to existing plaster (assuming hard plastered or lathe and plaster walls),

I've had a fair bit of success using a Japanese cats paw with the thin pry end.