House construction curiosity... (2025 Update)

on a tray?

My parents bought a post-war infill to a bombed gap in a long terrace. The ground floor was all solid floor - front room, back room and hallway with a cupboard under the stairs which held the electricity meter with the rest used for storage. I never found out where the water came in - the stopcock was by the front doorstep with a long stemmed T shape that was used to turn it on and off. The back room/living room coal fire had a back boiler that heated a hot water tank in a cupboard in the bedroom above. In hindsight it looks like a shortage of materials design.

Posh houses had dumb waiters. Even more fun for kids.

Parents 1956-built house on land they owned, had a serving hatch as large as a 1 metre square window, with two sliding glass doors in wooden frames, curtain-style.

The glass had an obscured wash-board effect and was presumably not safety glass, so they were soon covered with 'Fablon'?

But its not done like that. The construction slab is only rough-poured and only tamped to get it more or less level. On top of this is about 100mm of screed which does provide the necessary level floor. The screed has the sort of consistency of the centre of an aero chocolate bar which gives some insulation. All typically topped with Marley 'plastic' tiles stuck down with some sort of black biutumastic goo.

Same way the humans did

That's not how my slab was done. Just one pour and very accurately levelled and smoothed flat using a big machine like a floor polisher, but with flat metal blades instead of a brush

Or a trolley

Or simply by hand in several trips

I know. But you cant screed a wooden floor can you?

The whole poured slab/screed top is expensive ok?

Compared with a few 6x3 and some crap pine boarding

The servants carried it. <g>

Hiss! You're supposed to say "Sticky-backed plastic".

The detour via the hall and lounge was probably only 10' longer

I can see that. The (slight) inconvenience versus a load more kitchen worktops and kitchen storage.