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Week 24 - Juggling with the plan

Benpointer

Entry posted by Benpointer in General

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The plan for the two weeks just gone was to complete the plastering and start the floor tiling.  No issues with the first part, our team of plasterers have done a great job, see below.

 

The floor tiles arrived more or less on schedule, and the tilers Steve and Kev turned up as planned.  However, when they checked the floor humidity to confirm it was ready to tile, the meter showed it was slightly over the required level.  I am a little unclear of the actual moisture numbers but their meter was showing an amber bar when they really need it to be green to be sure it is safe to tile.    

 

The screed has been down for 63 days in an airtight house but that screed was 65mm thick on average so it was perhaps unsurprising it was borderline with the 1 day per mm drying time not quite being met.  (I have also seen a suggestion it should be 1 day per mm up to 50mm and 2 days per mm over, which would be 80 days!)  Also, of course it has been pretty humid outside throughout that period and the plastering has necessarily added more water inside the house.  No doubt that vapour control layer has been doing its job too preventing internal moisture getting into the structure.  To mitigate this we have had the UFH heating running very low but the plaster was drying too fast when we tried increasing the UFH temperature.  We have also had the windows open a lot of the time and for the past week we’ve been running the MVHR system to ventilate the house.  But despite that, the floor is not quite dry enough.

 

Of course, the plan is all very tight and was meant to be: floor tiling last week and next, spray paint w/c 17 November, then 2nd fix electric and plumbing is booked from w/c 24 November.

 

So what to do?

 

Disruptive as it must be for the floor tilers, they were very good about it and suggested seeing if we could get the decorator in a week early and then they’d work long days to try to get the tiling done by the 24th or thereabouts.   I called the decorator (another Steve) and after he had made a few calls he confirmed that he could indeed come in next week, Monday to Thursday. 

 

So that’s the revised plan. Hopefully by Thursday the floor will be dry enough to start tiling.  If not well… that’s a bridge to be crossed later.

 

Plastering

Despite the frustration of the (admittedly tight) plan being disrupted, we are taking comfort from the fact that the boarding out and skimming is all complete.   Dan, Sam and Brandon, our team of local plasterers have done a brilliant job for us and we’d be really happy to recommend them to anyone needing a plastering team in the Dorset, Wilts, Somerset border area (PM me if you want their details).

 

Brandon, Sam and Dan:

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Cladding

The end of last week also saw the return of our chippies Alan and Chris who made a start on the timber cladding.  We’re using Brimstone Ash from Vastern and Alan and Chris made a start with the soffits first.

 

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Focus for the next two weeks

  • Spray painting throughout.
  • Floor tiling
  • Cladding (we are going to need some more a scaffolding for the high cladding, so that is hopefully coming next week).

 

Dashboard:
Contractor days on site this fortnight: 29
Contractor days on site since build start: 382

 

Budget:  No change - still a bit over budget but within contingency.

 

Plan: Still on track to move in by Easter 2026.

 

Issues and worries closed this fortnight: 

  • None

 

Current top issues and worries:

  • Unsurprisingly: Will the floor be dry enough to tile?!
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saveasteading

saveasteading 2981

Posted

should be 1 day per mm up to 50mm and 2 days per mm over, 

 

That's often said* but is nonsense.

The majority of the free water in the pour combines chemically with the mix, and what is left is a low number. 

 

Typically I used to work with 175mm of concrete and it would be dry enough in 30 days.

That's unless you let it get wet again.

But if you have a closed box and airflow it will dry.

 

Of course the top surface dries most easily with air above it. It also wets most readily. But the concrete of screed below it immediately sheds moisture up unto the drier part.

 

* mostly it's been a genuine belief but I think it originates from contractors and manufacturers getting their excuses in early.

mjc55

mjc55 151

Posted

Great to see the progress that you are making.

 

Maybe take you up on the plasterers next year!

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