ᐅ So, which is it: cost-effective or expensive exposed screed?
Created on: 20 Mar 2015 11:05
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Willem81Hello everyone!
My family and I are currently planning to build our own home. We have found a nice and affordable plot of land and are in the process of purchasing it. We have found a great architect who wants to bring our partly very concrete ideas to life. Since the planning has just begun, but I already enjoy dealing with details, I have a question for you.
To briefly explain:
Over the past few years, I have read a lot about architecture, especially on how to build cost-effectively without compromising on quality. Great books on this topic are, for example, "Attractive Building on a Small Budget" by Achim Linhardt and "The Wooden House of the Future" by Marc Lettau and Markus Mosimann. The discussions often lead to more philosophical questions like: What do I actually need? For whom am I building? Do I focus on outward appearance or coziness? Where do I set priorities? What is really important to me? Do I have to build the way “it is usually done,” or can unconventional solutions that save money also have a special appeal?
Besides these fundamental questions, which relate to construction type, concept, floor plan, and features, material choice is also a very important aspect. The general advice is: avoid mixing materials and allow unconventional solutions (for example, do bathrooms and kitchens always have to be tiled?).
One thing that kept coming up is polished screed flooring. Many books and magazines mention that a flowable screed treated with epoxy resin or other materials can be a very affordable floor covering. However, it is actually hard to find much information about it online. No one really quotes realistic prices; you mostly just read that polished screed is very expensive. In forums, some say the floor cost about 150 euros per square meter (about 14 USD per square foot), while others claim to have installed such floors for 7 euros per square meter (about 0.65 USD per square foot). So the range is very wide. Has anyone here had experience with this? I'm not looking for sugar-coated answers—if it’s too expensive, it’s not an option. I just find it interesting that the information varies so much. I look forward to hearing your experiences.
My family and I are currently planning to build our own home. We have found a nice and affordable plot of land and are in the process of purchasing it. We have found a great architect who wants to bring our partly very concrete ideas to life. Since the planning has just begun, but I already enjoy dealing with details, I have a question for you.
To briefly explain:
Over the past few years, I have read a lot about architecture, especially on how to build cost-effectively without compromising on quality. Great books on this topic are, for example, "Attractive Building on a Small Budget" by Achim Linhardt and "The Wooden House of the Future" by Marc Lettau and Markus Mosimann. The discussions often lead to more philosophical questions like: What do I actually need? For whom am I building? Do I focus on outward appearance or coziness? Where do I set priorities? What is really important to me? Do I have to build the way “it is usually done,” or can unconventional solutions that save money also have a special appeal?
Besides these fundamental questions, which relate to construction type, concept, floor plan, and features, material choice is also a very important aspect. The general advice is: avoid mixing materials and allow unconventional solutions (for example, do bathrooms and kitchens always have to be tiled?).
One thing that kept coming up is polished screed flooring. Many books and magazines mention that a flowable screed treated with epoxy resin or other materials can be a very affordable floor covering. However, it is actually hard to find much information about it online. No one really quotes realistic prices; you mostly just read that polished screed is very expensive. In forums, some say the floor cost about 150 euros per square meter (about 14 USD per square foot), while others claim to have installed such floors for 7 euros per square meter (about 0.65 USD per square foot). So the range is very wide. Has anyone here had experience with this? I'm not looking for sugar-coated answers—if it’s too expensive, it’s not an option. I just find it interesting that the information varies so much. I look forward to hearing your experiences.
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Bauexperte20 Mar 2015 11:23Hello,
One of the users here—something with two zeros in the username—took the effort to grind a vertical wall himself. With DIY, of course, you can save a lot of money; especially with exposed concrete flooring. But honestly, if it were me, I wouldn’t get exposed concrete flooring—it’s a job for someone with a lot of experience, as the saying goes in the Rhineland.
Regards, Bauexperte
Willem81 schrieb:No; there are interesting alternatives.
For example, do bathrooms and kitchens always have to be tiled?
Willem81 schrieb:€150.00/sqm (approximately $160/sq ft) is a realistic figure… for North Rhine-Westphalia; in Bremen, you might manage with around €120.00/sqm (approximately $130/sq ft).
In forums, some say that the floor cost 150 euros per sqm, others say they achieved such a floor for 7 euros per sqm. So the extremes vary a lot. Does anyone here have experience with this?
One of the users here—something with two zeros in the username—took the effort to grind a vertical wall himself. With DIY, of course, you can save a lot of money; especially with exposed concrete flooring. But honestly, if it were me, I wouldn’t get exposed concrete flooring—it’s a job for someone with a lot of experience, as the saying goes in the Rhineland.
Regards, Bauexperte
Just search for Quick Mix design flooring... I just listened to/watched a video about it... there’s also a video on YouTube... For example, you can pour gray and add a white pattern (custom floor). You can leave it as is, sand it, or seal it depending on your preference...
You can get prices through building material suppliers or screed installers...
You can get prices through building material suppliers or screed installers...
@One00 is the user who built a very nice house for themselves and their family – including this polished... or was it multiple times glazed?--- wall. Yes, that kind of treatment is probably only done on one wall, maybe also just on the floor of one room (the sanding).
However, it usually has a much stronger impact and then becomes something extra special. The same goes for natural stone cladding used as an accent.
Personally, I really like this industrial style with exposed concrete – but I think I would eventually get tired of it everywhere, somehow it lacks a certain coziness.
I can’t say anything about the costs. I remember reading a lot of magazines about affordable building before our first (purchased) house. From unfinished walls, exposed concrete floors, and consequently non-plastered cable installations, to fixed windows without lintels, building on a grid system—everything was covered. I believe anything new and unconventional can also be built affordably. Once the majority likes it, then the "less" can be sold at a higher price. You can see it nowadays with minimalist design: everything is more expensive than traditional handcrafted work.
However, it usually has a much stronger impact and then becomes something extra special. The same goes for natural stone cladding used as an accent.
Personally, I really like this industrial style with exposed concrete – but I think I would eventually get tired of it everywhere, somehow it lacks a certain coziness.
I can’t say anything about the costs. I remember reading a lot of magazines about affordable building before our first (purchased) house. From unfinished walls, exposed concrete floors, and consequently non-plastered cable installations, to fixed windows without lintels, building on a grid system—everything was covered. I believe anything new and unconventional can also be built affordably. Once the majority likes it, then the "less" can be sold at a higher price. You can see it nowadays with minimalist design: everything is more expensive than traditional handcrafted work.
