Bauhaus concrete villa with core insulation - experiences

Since I spread the work over several days (2-3 joints per day), it went without muscle soreness

Today work began on the floor. Since it is not quite usual, I would like to show a few pictures. A few pages ago, I already described the whole process. The entire crew was there promptly at 8 o’clock. Due to the complexity, a team of 12 men is currently working. The inclined lift and the first truck with asphalt were brought along immediately.

The inclined lift is used for the balcony of the upper floor. Inside the house and later also to the lower levels, transport is done by hand as before.



The mass, heated to over 200° C, is poured out and moved, smoothed, etc. with a piece of wood. It is hard work. In addition to the weight and temperatures, there is also the smell. In the past, the asphalt was heated even more. However, this is no longer allowed for several reasons. Currently, it is the first layer to bond the installation to the floor.



The goal is to have the first layer finished by tomorrow evening. The second layer by the end of the week. The garage will come much later because we need it as storage space and the specialist for the preparatory work cannot come at the moment.

Very exciting! As I said, it’s not quite my style visually because it’s too dark, but I don’t know this kind of flooring at all and I’m curious to see how it will turn out in the end. Are they really coming in there with those old-fashioned wooden buckets on the yoke? That’s probably the only material that handles asphalt well, right? But somehow it looks like it’s from another era...

That is just the bottom layer. It is the same asphalt that is sometimes used in renovations. Only after the second layer and sanding do you see the result. But it still won't be your thing. We have the wood on the ceiling then. It is still the only way to process it. Only the transportation and heating have become more modern. The last meters and the installation are still the same. #Knochenjob

Actually, the combination and placement of the materials (hard/rocky on the floor and wood on the ceiling) is quite natural. The only thing missing is the leaves . I think that the floor in combination with the building will very much suit my taste, even though we ourselves have decided on a completely different type of house. I had concerns about bringing any unpleasantly odorous materials into the house, which was a decisive factor for us. Whether that is really healthier I cannot prove and will not even try – decision made based on emotional criteria and that's that. What especially pleases me about your project is the clear demonstration of the great respect you have for your craftsmen.

I can understand your concerns, but the smell disappears after cooling down and a few days.
Here is an excerpt from the Building Biology magazine:

"Cast asphalt screed is a bitumen-bound screed. A filler mixture of stone flour, sand, and gravel in the ratio of approximately 1 : 2 : 2 is mixed with about 8% bitumen in a hot state as a binder, homogeneously mixed, and applied in a liquid form at about 250 degrees Celsius.

Cast asphalt screed offers several advantages: it is water-free (so no moisture is introduced into the building), impact sound insulating (low sound longitudinal conductivity due to 'rubber rod-like behavior'), and can be walked on and covered after only a few hours.

The binder bitumen is indeed derived from petroleum but must not be confused with the binder tar, whose emissions are considered highly hazardous to health.

In the hot state, for example during processing, health-hazardous emissions from the bitumen content must be expected. Therefore, protective measures according to technical regulations should be strictly observed.

In the cold state, however, no significant toxic emissions are known to us. Installed cast asphalt is therefore, according to current knowledge, not harmful to health."

Thus, we have no concerns regarding building biology here.