I was thinking of removing the floor joists where I plan to make the bathroom in the house, which is a log house. But I suppose I should put something in place to hold the house together so that the walls don't start to bulge. There are no tendencies for that now, but if you remove the beams, you never know what might happen.
I have found information about cables, rebar etc. But maybe a steel beam would be the best option? I'm looking for something inorganic as I won't be using waterproofing.
I have found information about cables, rebar etc. But maybe a steel beam would be the best option? I'm looking for something inorganic as I won't be using waterproofing.
Self-builder
· Stockholm
· 8 605 posts
Hmm, Removing the beams sounds risky, but I guess you want to lower the floor a bit - can't you just recess them then - or will it be too high? Even if you set beams in, for example, steel, a damp ground won't be good - so either you have to set a seal like a Shaft anyway (unusual construction) or make sure it's well ventilated and dry so that the moisture is aired out - which probably assumes you don't use the bathroom too much then - or at least don't spill water on the floor that you don't dry off immediately? But why won't you have a seal!? Even if, for some reason, you don't have it on the walls, you should at least seal the floor? /K
Thank you for the response! Yes, I am removing the beams to create an inorganic substrate so that any accidents can flow straight through and into the ground, so to speak.
I have found a steel rod that I have screwed across between the walls, so now I can remove the beams.
I want to avoid waterproofing because I find it so dull with all the chemicals and would like to experiment with something more natural and non-toxic. The foundation will be filled with Hasopor and then with clay and clay tiles as the floor.
I have found a steel rod that I have screwed across between the walls, so now I can remove the beams.
I want to avoid waterproofing because I find it so dull with all the chemicals and would like to experiment with something more natural and non-toxic. The foundation will be filled with Hasopor and then with clay and clay tiles as the floor.
Self-builder
· Stockholm
· 8 605 posts
The problem is that it's not just water going straight down, so to speak - if you have something porous (insulation), the moisture can travel up the walls and so on from there. The big risk isn't perhaps a large leak but rather a slow leak or that constant moisture load leads to mold growth, even if the materials directly underneath are inorganic, organic material (dust, for example) can get in, or the moisture can be absorbed into beams or similar structures nearby.
But good ventilation and not using the bathroom too much and too often, and of course ensuring that you don't have a shower spilling directly onto the floor but rather using a bathtub or shower cabin or the like, should work, that's how it was in the past.
If you want to use the bathroom in a more modern way; well-insulated, shower every day (everyone in the family) and a shower corner - then I would at least lay a rubber membrane or similar as a moisture barrier on the floor, and at least paint the walls in the shower corner with some paint that blocks out moisture as well...
/K
But good ventilation and not using the bathroom too much and too often, and of course ensuring that you don't have a shower spilling directly onto the floor but rather using a bathtub or shower cabin or the like, should work, that's how it was in the past.
If you want to use the bathroom in a more modern way; well-insulated, shower every day (everyone in the family) and a shower corner - then I would at least lay a rubber membrane or similar as a moisture barrier on the floor, and at least paint the walls in the shower corner with some paint that blocks out moisture as well...
/K