Nisoko 6 Posted August 8, 2013 Share Posted August 8, 2013 Must be. No 'builders from hell' style stories then? Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted August 13, 2013 Author Share Posted August 13, 2013 None at all, no complaints. Missing the house now, will go back on Monday. Dont suppose there'll be anything major though with 4 days this week off for Obon. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 This thread is interesting ... We (+1 and I) owner built our house from a self-designed kit. So ... the order in which things were done was mightily important! The bath went into position on top of he wet area flooring, which means it was late in the process. We did footings for the steel flooring supports (900mm deep and 300mm diameter - filled with concrete to hold the "stumps") set the supports and then attached the beams and joists to them. Flooring (T & G cypress pine) was laid upside down except for wet areas where we had to use "wet area chipboard", and the frame went on. Roof trusses and then roofing, followed by exterior cladding of aerated autoclaved cement panels (aka Hebel Power-panels) attached towalls frames, and then the insulation and interior lining. After the plaster guys finished, we turned the flooring, nailed it and filled it and then sanded to finish. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted August 14, 2013 Share Posted August 14, 2013 This thread is interesting ... We (+1 and I) owner built our house from a self-designed kit. So ... the order in which things were done was mightily important! The bath went into position on top of he wet area flooring, which means it was late in the process. We did footings for the steel flooring supports (900mm deep and 300mm diameter - filled with concrete to hold the "stumps") set the supports and then attached the beams and joists to them. Flooring (T & G cypress pine) was laid upside down except for wet areas where we had to use "wet area chipboard", and the frame went on. Roof trusses and then roofing, followed by exterior cladding of aerated autoclaved cement panels (aka Hebel Power-panels) attached towalls frames, and then the insulation and interior lining. After the plaster guys finished, we turned the flooring, nailed it and filled it and then sanded to finish. A bit lost in the lingo... What does "wet area flooring" consist of? Do I gather that your house is steel frame with Hebel concrete panels for walls? What do you think of them? (They exist in Japan, too, but I don't know anybody who has one.) Also, what does it mean to "turn" flooring? Sounds like it must have been fun, though, since you remember the details. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Wet area flooring is the flooring that is underneath the tiled areas that will be subjected to moisture - such as the bathroom, toilets, laundry. These areas have a compressed chipboard base and the tiles are laid over the top of this, with a fibreglass "tub" between the tile substrate and the flooring material. You got the basics right! Steel "stumps" with Cypress bearers and joists. Steel frame on that, exterior skin is Hebel powerpanels - not quite concrete, but nearly. Roof trusses are timber - mistake, that was - we'd have been better off to have steel frames there as well, since the truss maker had a major problem reading the plans, so had to do several "fix" operations at their cost, and our inconvenience. Turning the floor refers to the fact that the flooring is cypress Tongue & Groove (T&G) and had to be laid loose upside down so we could walk around inside before the plaster and painting was completed. Once the messy work is completed (the plastering and painting) the floor can be turned right side up and clamped up, nailed down and finished off. Remember the details, mainly because I used to teach this stuff. Industrial Arts (the Yanks here would call it "wood shop") and building construction, at High school. A grreat chance to put the teaching into practice. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Thanks, JA. Interesting how such different techniques are used in different countries. Thinking in particular the fiberglass sub-flooring, and the "turning" thing. From what I've seen on TV here, tongue-amd-groove flooring is just put in once, right-side-up, and then protectively covered until construction is done. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 That's the way it's put in in the UK as well. Fit it, nail it down and then cover in plastic if you need to paint or plaster. In old houses, there is nothing special under the wet areas....bathroom n kitchen sub site is the same as the other rooms Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted August 15, 2013 Share Posted August 15, 2013 Many places here are built with either concrete raft floors, and have carpet or "floating" timber floors added above that. They have no underfloor space, though, and that means that plumbing etc is embedded in the floor, makes for an expensive job if there's a leak! Others have chipboard flooring throughout, and carpet etc added above that. These ones are like the cottage that we built some years ago, and have underfloor crawl space so plumbing etc can be inspected and/or repaired as needed. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Dunno about new houses (I was a timber preservation labourer), they may have similar build styles now. A huge problem for the old houses in the UK are that they aren't sealed, which seems crazy considering how wet the UK climate is. This is why old tenements and buildings are always damp etc. So a huge part of my job was ripping the floor up, getting into the subsite, digging out the soil and rubble that builders like to throw down there, concrete and waterproof it then either replace all the floor joists and boards or treat them against wet and dry rot and Robert is your father's brother. Hence I know how disgusting underneath a bathroom really is!! Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Good old Robert!! He's one popular brother, hey Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted August 16, 2013 Author Share Posted August 16, 2013 Many places here are built with either concrete raft floors, and have carpet or "floating" timber floors added above that. Is that done by magic?! I'll get to see my new house again Sunday, though I don't think much will have changed. This week has been quiet apparently, Obon and all. In a way that's good as I won't have missed much. Link to post Share on other sites
JA2340 16 Posted August 16, 2013 Share Posted August 16, 2013 Not magic, just a terminology. The floor is actually not attached to the substrate, hence "floating". But it IS secured, and will not float away! See here ... Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted August 17, 2013 Share Posted August 17, 2013 Butt joined sounds a bit rude! Must be exciting the next few weeks you house building guys, entering the last stages.... Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted August 18, 2013 Share Posted August 18, 2013 For us, the last stages were more a case of wanting to be in. Excitement fatigue had set in by that time! Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted August 18, 2013 Author Share Posted August 18, 2013 Oh I think there's lots more excitement left.... loads of stuff still to do - outside siding, kitchen, washing room, stairs..... I reckon the next month might be the most exciting as things come together. Perhaps when we get into late September I might be ready.... We shall see! Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted August 21, 2013 Author Share Posted August 21, 2013 I'd like someone with better Japanese searching skills than myself to help! Our house is now getting it's covering. We are having KMEW's Hikari-sera 光セラ Basically this type: http://www.kmew.co.jp/shouhin/siding/hikaricera/ I'm trying unsuccessfully to find out details of what it's actually made of. Not having much luck. Anyone able to do some excite search and find out a proper answer for me? Thanks Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted August 21, 2013 Author Share Posted August 21, 2013 Aha, found this http://www.kmew.co.jp/global/indonesia/siding2.php Would still like to know what the 'basic layer' is made up of..... Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 My guess would be coloured cement which is moulded in big sheets to look like tiles. Big sheets mean its cheap and easy to install. It probably just hooks onto rails screwed to the wall. Posh office buildings now get self-cleaning windows so its an established tech for glass at least. Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 Thanks Mr Wiggles, that's what I thought (about the cement). Was looking for evidence because my dad was convinced - and proceeding to tell people! - they were plastic, as much as I told him they weren't. As always, he knows more than me sitting in the comfort of his house on the other side of the globe! So was/am looking for proof of what they actually are! Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Reading back, but the cheap I mean is cheap to install. The actual cost per sq meter of the material may be more than some tiles, but the installation will drag the total cost back down. Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 Thanks. I think you are right. Oh yes I do know the cost, its not cheap, as we upgraded to thick hikari cera from a much more basic version that is just nailed on. I also requested corner bits and and some nice lines....everything to make it all look good. I like 完成度が高い! Basically upgrading from a default cheaper version to what we have cost the best part of a million. Whether it will be worth it other than 気持ち, I have no idea. But I wanted to do it. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Sounds good to me! Some photos would be nice though! Or even just a floorplan.... Link to post Share on other sites
DumbStick 13 Posted August 24, 2013 Author Share Posted August 24, 2013 I'll take a few from inside a bit later when it's hopefully looking all lovely. Link to post Share on other sites
snowdude 44 Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 We were told today that our house should be all finished by the last week of September. As we have loads on then we are planning to move in to our new house on the Oct bank holiday so mid October is our plan! Will go over to Kobuchisawa Monday morning to see how it is all getting on. The waterproofing sheet and outside panels should be going up this coming week. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Are the windows in both your houses gonna be double glazing? Is that standard now on new builds? Link to post Share on other sites
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