Hello knowledgeable folks!
I have recently been granted a building permit for the construction of three small holiday homes. My hope is to start this during the spring, and I, along with experienced friends, will handle the majority of the work, but I will also contract out some of the tasks when needed. I have some building experience from before but have never built new constructions myself, which will be both exciting and educational. In this planning stage, several questions have arisen that I hope to find answers to among all you knowledgeable people here in the forum. I am grateful for any responses you might have!
1. I would like the concrete slab to be visible as a finished floor, is it possible to achieve a sufficiently good surface for this by troweling the slab, or will it also require polishing afterward? I really like the raw look combined with plastered walls.
2. Is it possible to pour the slab a few centimeters thinner in the bathroom to minimize the level difference between the finished bathroom floor and other floors? One idea I had was to place a wooden frame where the bathroom will be during the pouring of the slab, and then finish pouring the bathroom floor afterward. I would like to have microcement as a surface finish in the bathroom, which I think can create a nice transition from the concrete floor. But maybe it's not worth the effort just to achieve a nice transition?
3. The exterior walls will consist of aerated concrete blocks, and these are usually built with an overhang against the slab. But the area I am building in has a preservation program established by the municipality, and for the houses to blend in better with the existing environment, they will need to have a plastered base about 40 cm high. What do you think about building the blocks flush with the concrete slab and then plastering a base around this?
4. A neighbor in the village has recently re-roofed and saved his old roof tiles. I'm considering reusing these tiles for a more traditional look. What are your experiences with reusing old tiles? Is it worth trying to save some money, or does it mostly create headaches in the end?
5. The houses have an area of about 60 sqm each, so there will be quite a bit of masonry. Is it worth acquiring a band saw, or is a reciprocating saw/hand saw sufficient for cutting the blocks? Renting a band saw might become too costly considering the building time; perhaps someone in southern Skåne has a used one for sale?
These are initial questions that have come up, but there will likely be more. If you have other tips or advice that might be helpful, feel free to share them as well. I have read some threads here on the forum from people who have built aerated concrete houses that have given me much inspiration. Thanks for the help!
