How to build your own hypocaust

If you fancy building your own Roman hypocaust system here's the recipe for success to create a six-feet (1.8-metre) square hypocaust:

10 clay flue tiles
1 tub of fire cement to seal joints
12 bags of building sand
2 bags of lime
8 bags of cement
50 celcon insulation blocks
60 normal house bricks for furnace and pillar bases
12 paving slabs 2ftx2ft
250 firenza 8x8 inch terracotta tiles for pillars and the top surface
Firewood to fire furnace all day and night
Clogs for foot protection!

After excavating a foundation pit the size of the floor, build up the walls with the celcon blocks, including gaps for the flues and leaving an entrance for the furnace. Next build the furnace throat in an adjoining pit large enough to accommodate the stoker. Construct the hypocaust pillars inside the room so that they will meet the intersections of the large paving slabs and lay the paving slabs on top. Seal the joints with the fire cement and then lay the terracotta tiles on the surface. Stoke the furnace and warm your feet.

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