SLAB
Back at it in the new year and back to talk slab stuff. I alluded to it in the last post but there was something that needed to be done before we could talk slab - and that something is in-floor heating.
We were already kinda set on it anyways, but during our planning process, basically everyone was like “so you’re putting in in-floor heat right?”.
And here’s the thing - if you’re ever building on a slab or anywhere that underneath access is going to be an issue after the fact - just run the tubing. It’s way easier to just add a boiler later on than it is to try to run tubing after a concrete slab or subfloor is there. If you don’t end up using it then whatever - a little bit of extra cost and you’re future proofed. But down the road you’re thinking your toes are a little too chilly - add the boiler and you’re laughing.
So anyways - yes, we added in-floor heat across the entire length of the house. We had it set up in 3 different zones - one for the main bedroom/ensuite - one for the main living area/kitchen, and one for the guest bathroom/bedroom. Seemed to make the most sense at the time and said time will tell.
I mentioned tubing so yes, that means we went with the water route as opposed to the electric route. We’ll be using a propane boiler to heat this but there is also the option to use an electric water heater - similar to what you use for regular hot water. There’s also combination systems that can do both. Anyways that’ll come at another time.
So once we got that run through the house and ending in the utility room, it was time to pour us some concrete.
I was lucky enough to be around when this part was happening - it was a beautiful morning out there as I was doing some clean up around the property and was very cool to see the concrete pros at work.
2 and 1/4 concrete trucks later and the concrete was in. We used fibre mesh concrete for the slab and since we’re using the raw concrete as our actual flooring throughout the house, we had it finished smooth.
Sealing came next - our concrete peeps recommended doing one coat of sealer right after it was dried to protect against all the mud and debris that’ll be dragged in there over the next while. Then when our drywall is done we’ll do another coat. That’s a while from this point though.
Thanks for following along! Next up we’re gonna chat interior walls/doors and exterior windows and doors - probably the most expensive line item on the build itself. Fun stuff. See ya soon.
Al
