We have a cold storage located below our front entrance. In the cold weather the floor in the entrance lifts, causing the ceramic tile to crack and lift off. The entrance does have a heat register but this area is always cold. In the cold storage there is a hole through the concrete wall approx. 1 inch in diameter which has been screened. The ceiling is drywalled, but we don't know if it is insulated. Is the hole in the concrete wall necessary and what can be done about the front entrance? The house was built in 1963.
Answer:
If you're going to use the cold storage room you'll probably have to introduce more in the way of ventilation. As long as the room underneath is allowed to cool off to that extent, you'll probably have trouble keeping ceramic tile on the floor above it unless you install a proper plywood underlayment there.
