Everything on our end has been significantly delayed.
Originally, we planned to start construction in August, but for various reasons, that didn’t work out.
Now, we finally have the first site meeting with the construction manager scheduled for next week.
However, I have concerns about whether it makes sense to start building at this time of year. Maybe it would be better to wait until spring?
We are building a solid masonry house with a basement. My worry is that if the weather turns bad and the roof isn’t finished by Christmas, a lot of water and frost could affect the building materials over the winter.
What do you think? Should we start now or wait?
We are not under any time pressure.
Originally, we planned to start construction in August, but for various reasons, that didn’t work out.
Now, we finally have the first site meeting with the construction manager scheduled for next week.
However, I have concerns about whether it makes sense to start building at this time of year. Maybe it would be better to wait until spring?
We are building a solid masonry house with a basement. My worry is that if the weather turns bad and the roof isn’t finished by Christmas, a lot of water and frost could affect the building materials over the winter.
What do you think? Should we start now or wait?
We are not under any time pressure.
Our project also only started in October due to various delays. We are building in central Hesse. Tomorrow, our basement will be delivered, and the following week, work on the ground floor walls will begin. The shell of the building is expected to be finished before Christmas. We’ll see how things go with the screed after that.
I actually find it advantageous to start in autumn, as the shell construction can then dry well over the winter. Above all, you will probably move in during the summer rather than at -20 degrees Celsius ( -4 degrees Fahrenheit) 😉 The screed heating phase also takes place at warmer outdoor temperatures, which is a significant cost factor.
SpeedyG schrieb:
...so that the shell construction can dry properly over the winter.Is that still really relevant nowadays? I think I heard that the moisture introduced during masonry work is much lower today than it used to be.
Regardless, the point about the screed and especially moving in during summer is a good one [emoji4]
ruppsn schrieb:
Is this even relevant nowadays? Not relevant, nowadays thin-bed mortar or even adhesive is used.
ruppsn schrieb:
The point about the screed and especially moving in during summer is good I actually think the opposite... Summer means high humidity and poor screed drying. Additionally, after the heating system has been running in autumn or winter, the house has a residual warmth. That’s something I do not want in summer.
Building physics shows that screed dries best in winter. Cold air enters the house with low humidity, is warmed by the heating system, and can absorb a lot of moisture.
When you ventilate crosswise, you exchange the warm, moist air for dry, cold air (about 35% humidity). In summer, the air inside the house already has 68 to 75% humidity at 30°C (86°F), so it does not have nearly as much moisture-absorbing capacity as in winter.
By the way, this is also why a cold crawl space develops mold if the attic ladder is left open all the time.
Warm air rises into the crawl space, which reaches around 30°C (86°F) when exposed to sunlight and holds a lot of moisture. At night, the temperature drops to, for example, 10°C (50°F). The cooler air cannot hold as much moisture, so condensation occurs and moisture penetrates the beams or insulation material.
When you ventilate crosswise, you exchange the warm, moist air for dry, cold air (about 35% humidity). In summer, the air inside the house already has 68 to 75% humidity at 30°C (86°F), so it does not have nearly as much moisture-absorbing capacity as in winter.
By the way, this is also why a cold crawl space develops mold if the attic ladder is left open all the time.
Warm air rises into the crawl space, which reaches around 30°C (86°F) when exposed to sunlight and holds a lot of moisture. At night, the temperature drops to, for example, 10°C (50°F). The cooler air cannot hold as much moisture, so condensation occurs and moisture penetrates the beams or insulation material.
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