The Remont. By Alexandra Zyuzina.

No. This article is not about choosing items from catalogues or simply refreshing a boring interior. What it is about represents the practical part of our “Detail” module.

My spot is an empty attic in a private house without any finishings at all. Moreover, it doesn’t even have a proper floor done, just cone tree planks resting on the bims. I need to develop a plan for the family of four, considering the changing needs of members (like growing children). Also, the quality of insulation system should be approved by others living downstairs. Also, the ventilation system and water supply has to be adapted to the existing geometry. And finally, I have to sell the choice of finishings to myself. It must be ecological, esthetically pleasuring, not too expensive and consider the fact that the house overall is new and has wooden floors. The latter means that every surface slightly moves depending on temperature and humidity therefore cracks and folds might appear if the choice of materials or technology is not appropriate.

To the plan.

I started with creating a new living scenario in the family. Previously, an average city apartment we lived in dictated that all of us can only gather together in the kitchen. All the homework and leisure time the members spent in their rooms, separately. Besides, we didn’t have any studio space for “dirty” work (painting, sculpting, modeling etc.) Having it in a bedroom, even large bedroom embodying living room as well, is not so convenient. Therefore, it was concluded to distribute as little space for bedrooms as possible in favor of saving it for the studio connected to kitchen. In this case we all have working tables at the same area and spend more time together: painting or doing homework or playing or eating, just close to each other.

Second, and the most important, step is the floor.

For better sound insulation we “cooked” the following pie: put as the first layer fine-dispersed clayite, covered it with rockwool, filled the gaps between bims with foam and nailed it with cone tree planks.

After the job was done it became clear that no good finishing can lay on this distorted surface. The difference in planks level fluctuated between 5 to 30 millimeters. Sanding can not take that much. So we bought a lot of OSB panels to level the surface and also fix harder all the floor. It forms 2 and 3 layers in different areas. The last layer is a standard gasket that comes with parquet boards to reduce knocking acoustics. But only this fine layer is to be put after installing partitions.

Five partitions for two bedrooms and a bathroom were made with a popular scheme: Knauf aluminum profiles, insulation wool, gypsum cardboard, glass fiber to reduce cracking and a coating. It was good to be at the spot, of course. When builders started putting first lines on the floor it turned out that plan on the drawing and reality are a bit different. 50 to 100 millimeters might alter here and there just because there were no proper floor when I measured the space. We undertook several corrections therefore. The conclusion here is that an architect really should visit a project spot as often as possible to not let such things go on their own. I was lucky to simply live at the spot.

Ceiling and the sloped walls in the context of light and the finishing surface. The order is as follows. First comes the electricity: all wires and cables must be fixed at the places approved in the plan. Than a framework and finishing boards are put. Last step is connecting lamps, heads and switchers.

Let me skip all the finishings part and finish my story with a story. Once upon a time I was commissioned to redesign an educational space. A recreational part of it, to be fair. When it came to choosing the finishings my client asked me, if I have ever done a repairment at my own apartment. The question seemed silly to me by that time, but now I understand the ironiс sense of it.