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Was the screed for UFH? Is that length of time standard? Is the area totally off-limits when it is drying?
gillies-
Rule of thumb for screed is that it cures at approx 1mm a day. I forget how long it is unusable for.
Fast drying screed such as Ardex A38 is walkable from 3hours and ready for floor coverings from 4. Clearly more expensive than regular screed but a no brainer.
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It was for underfloor heating.
I believe it was near 100mm of wheelbarrowed sand cement screed.It was totally off limits for 2 days, and we had some first fix electrics the following week (approx 5 days after).
No flooring or kitchen units advised for at least 40 days, longer the better subject to temperature and humidity.We got roof, plumbing and electrics etc sorted in the meantime, but with summer holidays it meant that it was about 80 days between doing the screed and installing kitchen and flooring.
The structural concrete part of the room (old kitchen diner) was usable a lot quicker, but did benefit from latex self level after.
I have some cute cat paw prints in the screed where there was a bit of exploration going on.
Our existing house was built on a concrete beam and EPS system, so the existing kitchen diner area had to have UFH embedded in a structural concrete slab. This area is on a seperate UFH loop, and therefore the room doesn't quite heat up evenly when the UFH kicks in. Once at temperature though, its all fine.
Originally we had thought to go for either electric underfloor across the whole space, or part wet and part electric, but our builder recommended we go for the wet system for better heating, efficiency etc.
He had expected to take up normal screed which would have come up pretty easily. Instead they spent 3-4 days gunning up 20m2 of 100mm concrete slab.
EstelleGetty
Acliff
I'm almost done now, but I have had quite a few learnings along the way:
LVT - They say some varieties can tolerate subfloor imperfections, but not as well as they make out. Its pretty smooth and level, but I can feel a bit of flex/hollow feeling in some areas.
In hindsight I would have liked to self level the whole area up to the hallway, but was budget/practicality/time meant not.
Screed - I didn't realise how long it would take to dry. Had knock on effects on ordering kitchen, choosing and ordering flooring, and organising contractors later. When a builder says they'll have built your extension in 4-6 weeks, I naively thought we'd be able to get in and fit kitchens, decorate and move in soon after. Add 40 days of screed drying, then lining up kitchen measure, kitchen fitters, flooring and it takes quite a bit longer until its usable.
I started the extension late May, and hopefully will have the gas hob connected and gas signed off, kitchen sink plumbed in this week (approx 4 months). Decorators coming end October.
Living without kitchen/boiler - Pretty grim. The wall knocked down in the above picture was where part of my kitchen was, and you can see the boiler on the left. That all came out beginning of June. New boiler was commissioned and kitchen installed beginning of September. 3 months without a kitchen and immersion heater water, and no washing machine with a 5 year old and 18 month old was challenging.
I'm extremely fortunate to have been able to buy my mum a small house walking distance away last year (having family close by for both our and her health and mental wellbeing was a big priority with Covid uncertainty) and we've had huge support with running washing loads, some cooked meals, washing children, childcare etc.
The kids have been fine really, but I think only because we've been able to drop them off to grandma when everything got a bit too much. Both myself and my wife are rather worse for wear, health, diet, stress levels etc. Will be glad for it to be over. Mental load is very high.
Garden: Wrecked. Builders were pretty good and tidy, but 4 months of diggers, material storage, scaffolding, heavy foot traffic has wrecked it. Landscaper coming this week to relay patio, level everything and returf as the grass has now been overtaken by weeds and is unsalvageable.
Also, In hindsight, I would have done the slabs at least much earlier, as the bottom part of the white render is showing the effects mud, sand splashing. Hopefully it will clear up with a jet washer.
Budget: We have miraculously stayed pretty much on budget from our estimates at the start of the build. We started just as the materials shortage / price increases were coming in and our builder was extremely good at sourcing materials, windows, bifolds and them arriving in time.
Work distraction: I get very easily distracted, and quite nosy, so I've not really got much work done in the last 3-4 months. From getting stuck in to help where I can without getting in the way, to going back and forth to Howdens etc to make sure the kitchen fitters/electricians have what they need on the day, so they don't have to come back in a week.
My office is downstairs just by the work going on, so extremely noisy and I found it difficult to concentrate on work. Also with the office being a dumping ground for stored kitchen stuff, it became a horrible place to get work done.
I should have got a bigger storage unit and dumped all the decanted kitchen stuff and boxes in storage.
Self employed while working from home during an extension is not easy.