[Kimbo]

I have a question - I have been given the opportunity to use some rooms in annexes to my parent's farmhouse. These rooms are pretty bare, they have basic electrical work done to them, but the floors are still cement (unleveled) and aside from the fact that the buildings now have windows, that's pretty much all they have.

I wanted to know what sort of things does a layout room need? Are there components which I would need to spend money on to get installed before I even begin about putting down baseboards?

Thanks for your advice guys!

 

[Kimbo]

Hi Expat,

Thank you for taking the time to write such a complete response. I had a feeling this might be a more costly venture than simply hacking straight at it!

Whilst the annex is attached to the house, the rooms themselves are on the other side of an annex which used to house a brewery, so it's actually a huge distance we're talking about. The closest thing that could be brought in I suppose is electric heating?

The windows are indeed double-glazed - I was in the annex during the winter and whilst it doesn't seem to get extremely cold over the winter, its clear that there are wide dispartities between summer and winter.

The beginnings of the electrical network is there - there is, as far as I know, seperate circuitry for lights and electrical outlets - in any case there are running lights in the building and as far as I can tell the electrical wiring was done quite well. They have their own distribution board and all of that.

 

[Kimbo]

In terms of the options ,what would seem to be the most worthwhile investment? In the end the room(s) would be exclusively used for my model layout!

Though I guess if I'm going to make this kind of investment I might as well go right away for the bigger room my parents proposed. But that one's a whopper of a space 104 sqm.

 

[Kimbo]

Hi DB,

Indeed that's correct, my parents are in Wallonia - In order to get advice, would I go to an architect or someone different???

Wooden floor it would be then, this is a better option than a carpetted floor?

 

[Kimbo]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my situation and provide me such detailed advice.

The best way to describe the room would probably be to take some pictures of it

It's difficult to explain how the room is arranged, so next time I'm up at my parents I'll be sure to take the digital camera along.

But thank you all for the great advice! I'll definetely have plenty to take to a local builder which I think in the end sounds like the best place to go for prices and stuff in any circumstance.

Best wishes,

Kim

 

[Kimbo]

Well, looks like all my plans have been changed! If the banks agree, we'll be buying a new house! It's a triplex, and I've negotiated the use of the top floor for my trains - all I need to do is make sure there's a space for visitors to sleep and I'm all set!

It's sold with only the big works completed, so it's up to us to take care of everything inside.

So looks like your suggestions about wooden flooring and underfloor heating are going to be viable options! I think I've got more or less 45 to 50m2 to work with.