springtime progress pt.2
…continued from pt.1…
The window and door frames have now been remounted, but not all have been refinished in plaster, as we have to wait once again for the worker who did this part to return in May. However in the meantime, other steps have been completed.
The big one being the underfloor heating.
This was supposed to happen as soon as the plasterwork was done, but everyone soon realized that the initial concrete pour wasn’t at the correct level, so a more accurate measurement was taken for the levels in each room and more concrete was carefully added.
The following week the plumbing crew arrived to lay the materassi (styrofoam “mattresses”) which create a patterned system for the tubes to click into place. Next step was choosing the right days to lay the tubing, as the mornings were still frosty and we couldn’t risk cold temps on these tubes since they could break. So the scheduling was made to pour the final massetto (screed floor) over the tubes the day after they were complete. And as an extra precaution against any unwanted frost, we covered all of the openings (of which there are many) of the house, both windows and doors, with tarps to keep the tubes safe.
The tubes were then laid within a span of two days, and a couple of days later, the pavement crew arrived and laid the final smooth and level screed floor. They used a sanding and buffing machine as well to be sure that it was close to a finished floor as possible. We now have 2-3 millimeters to play with to put down the finishing resin - which will not happen for a while until the full house is watertight.
Another part of the house that was being worked on concurrently was the flat roof where they started to finish the gradual slopes of the sides that lead to the hidden gutters. The middle section will be raised slightly and then filled with a shallow pour of small pebbles. Then the entire overhangs will be finished with a plaster.
And now as April begins, the earth-moving has begun again at the front of the house to prepare for the retaining wall and driveway. I’ll have more on this soon.
In the meantime I’m just trying to keep all of my ducks in a row (and all of my sanity in tact).