30.2 Shotcrete on the bedroom section
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- Опубліковано 30 кві 2017
- This video covers the bedroom wing portion of the shotcrete. We actually did this all at the same time as the Quonset hut video. The total time was 5 days.
More details and a gallery of pictures can be found on our website, www.homeintheearth.com/2016/08...
Again, thanks to the shotcrete crew for all their hard work. - Навчання та стиль
Having built multiple shotcrete monolithic domes.. your applicators put it on too think and that's why it sloughed off when disturbed. The Monolithic Dome Institute recommended a initial thin coating layer and then repeat coats of no more than 1-1/2" to 2" a pass.
Another technique used very effectively on very tall walls was.. we applied metal corner bead squished flat as a vertical stand off.. where the walls could be screed a certain thickness and easily finished. Worked like a charm!
Yup. We have another section to do soon (the radial vaults) and I am hoping to convince the gunite crew to go in thinner layers... The shotcrete crew wouldn't do it because they didn't want to move the hose around and bring it back. I couldn't even get them to listen to be about shooting it evenly on both sides. I am just glad the forms were strong enough to hold up under the uneven loads. The gunite hose is much lighter and the crew seem more agreeable.
I love running across people that are doing this type of construction. (P.S. I wouldn't want to lock horns with the guy operating that nozzle. He has got to be one strong head-knocker !) Thanks for the video. Please keep them coming.
I have really enjoyed watching your videos. I really want to see the completed project. Keep up the good work.
Really enjoyed watching your video; you guys made it look easy but I'm sure it had it's "work" involved in it too.
Very interesting! Never saw someone build a house this way! Well done !
Check the MARIN CIVIC CENTER, a Frank Lloyd Wright creation. All cement. Its so cool looking too and even more fun to get up in and go to the library when you are a kid. Old Frank was into fire proof housing way back when.
Its getting so close!!! I bet you guys are getting excited about it being so close - this has been such a long journey!
hard work but these guys make it look easy good job
I just started doing a building like this for a tornado shelter, man, I am glad I found you.
"building like this"? Shotcrete and lath forms or something similar? If you don't have compound curves, I would recommend wood forms as easier.
i want to build a dome home like this iv been thinking about for two years now its time for me to get a small home for me and my husband i need you to please contact me with prices ,,i live in ft lauderdale fl
I am not a builder, just the one. But there are lots of earth sheltered home companies out there. Formworks is a good one, Terradome if you prefer their style, but you can google for more.
LISA & MARCO Pastran/Binger You can also take a class at Monolithic Dome Institute in Italy, TX and even contract out all of the shotcrete and setup doing the rebar etc yourself. www.monolithic.com pioneered the true shotcrete dome and perfected the airforms they make to this day.
is there an added benefit building a house like this? it looks time consuming and to much work.
It is all about the thermal mass and getting down below the surface where temperatures are more moderate... But yea, i really didn't do it the easy way.
Have you watched a regular house being built?
Yes, its funny that people forget that building a regular house is also a lot of work. Finding a cardboard box just seems so much easier. ;^)
Well, doesn’t look like the type of house I would want, but it is awesome to see new things, new options and people doing their stuff as they want. It is an exercise of creativity and also can help build up the knowledge in construction! :) Nice job! Greetings from Brazil.
It is faster construction because there is a single trade: shotcrete... With conventional construction the builder has to phase for multiple trades. For example: masonry construction requires first the block layers, then to fill the cells with concrete, then stucco (or other veneer) -> *Then* the framers will have to be scheduled to install the roof (with straps) and other building elements. One colleague of mine here in Florida set the window frame in place and shotcreted around it, thus saving time on window installation. There are numerous advantages to it.
Just awesome and excellent...
Cool house. My dad and I are working on his ferrocement house. A dome house with a hole on the top of it built into a hill with retaining wall on the font side. His house will be earth sheltered all around it. I am behind on putting out videos on the project but we are getting lots of good work done. Anyhow I love your project here and it is cool seeing it in time lapse.
If you are making videos, I (and people who watch this video) are interested. Drop a link in here.
Great video and beautiful house
Good luck
Thanks for detailed videos. They have convinced me not to go the shotcrete home route.
Interesting comment. What specifically turned you off and what options are you left with?
eye protection is overrated.. dude on a work site i was on lost both his eyes from shotcrete hitting his face.
What sort of budget are you guys on? How much for all the steel/shotcrete ?
Just wondering what was the cost to do this?
Great vid mate 👍
About 40 years ago, my dad was working with some of the jet propulsion laboratory engineers, and they worked out an "earth-coupled" design that required almost no heat, just a little a.c.. They calculated the heat storage of dry earth, waterproofed the house, placed the correct amount of earth over that, and then insulated and waterproofed the house with the earth over it, finally covering the entire pile with more earth. By the time summer was over, the earth inside the insulation was "charged" fully with warmth. ( This had to be kept absolutely dry or it screwed up their calculations!) By the time winter was over, the coupled earth was fully "charged" with cool earth. Thought you might be interested. It seemed like it was best suited for dry climates.
Yup, that is the basic premise. The best summary of that work is "Earth Sheltered Housing Design" prepared by the Undergound Space Center Univerisity of Minnesota for the Minnesota Energy Agency and published in 1978/79. ISBN 0-422-26157-8. Of all my books on the subject (and I have many), this one is the single best source of information I have found. This is the book John Hait read before coming up with his PAHS system.
Have considered a system where you could replace any part or all of your electrical and plumbing with out having to tear back into your walls or foundation?
I bring this up cause I like maintenance friendly funtionality.
I am using ENT tubing in the walls. I can easily run another line thru there if I needed to. I also have some "empty" ones for future lines that I am not anticipating yet. The only other option is to run electrical boxes outside of the concrete, but we just didn't want to go for that industrial look.
I have lived in my current home for 15 years and never moved an outlet. I have added a few in inconspicuous places... There will be some wood walls and closets where we could do that if we needed to.
Keep in mind that the majority of the world lives in masonry homes. This is not an unusual problem.
Reminds me of monolithic domes. I wonder why it was falling off so much. Mixture? Setup? I have watched UA-cam videos of people doing the domes and not having so much of an issue.
They would try to get so much up in one place so they wouldn't have to move the heavy hose to a new section. They also complained about the mix and how the other supplier uses a different brand of portland, etc. In the one section, they said the wall was vibrating...
the mix is too wet you need to put it in drier it wont run or slump off like its doing! Ive seen whole pools put in w/o any slumping or run off
In a pool, you are shooting against a solid wall of earth without any vibration. Here, they are shooting against a metal structure. When it slumps off, they said it was often because the structure "bounced" it off a little. Also, you don't "dry it" off, they could just put less retarding admixtures in it... They wanted it like this. They just needed to go a little slower.
when we did them back in the 60s we sprayed a dirty coat and let it dry overnight then we had less slump and falloff
Simon HomeintheEarth that metal sheeting was bouncing everything back at them.. they put it on too thick first pass .AND The vibration caused a ton of sloughing. If they had done a very thin initial base coating, it would have set the wire tight and they could have put 1"-2" on it easily
I noticed a lot of bouncing around at the start and I'm sure theres a method to the madness, but why? Was it to give the spots a chance to dry up? I've got a lot of experience in other trades but concrete is not one of them.
Yes, if they put up too much in one place it just falls down. They don't want to move the heavy hose, so you know it is only because they have to.
Can I get plans for this and possibly a material list
Total cost per foot......?
Total time start to finish.............................?
Sen-sa-ci-o-nal... Amei o projeto!!!.... Só "serviu" para "completar" tudo o que eu sempre tive em mente mas não sabia "como" executa-lo. Valeu!!!
Great, glad I could help. Do you plan to do something similar?
Great video !!!
i have visited your website but i couldn't find some sort of final drawing of how the project supposed to look and was wondering out of curiosity how is it supposed to look .
My first thought was, "of course there are pics up there." But I looked around and couldn't find any good ones. I guess they are buried in one of the posts somewhere. I found a bit of one on one of the timeline pages (2014) and you can see my thumbnail is a portion of the front elevation, and I think some of the videos also showed the computer model briefly... But yeah, point taken, I'll put up something easy to find one of these days... I really also need to setup some playlists.
Those people should be wearing a mask. I can only imagine the occupational hazards especially to their lungs.
Agreed.
I saw NO DUST at all.
Romans did it just fine. It's not bad unless it's waterproof cement then it chemical burns but you still heal
Geez I hope those workers get paid good money. Hard to imagine they could do that more than a few years before their backs give out
Yup, it is hard work.
Handy house to own in the wildfire areas, also tornado land. Energy efficient. The round cement thing starts to grow own you after you start thinking how great that is. This is a large home, not a tiny home. I don't know about the under ground thing though. I get claustrophobic and I like a little more glass and daylight.
This is just the bedrooms and the windows are about standard for what you would find in a regular home. In the living room and other areas, I think it has more glass than average "above ground" homes. We also tried to over compensate for the "underground" thing by having as many lines of sight toward light as possible. The high ceilings also help and we will go with a light color also. It definitely doesn't feel underground when you are in it.
shotcrete is rich usualy 7 sac lite rock heavy cement content .however it is still porus overtime .by using add a mix water proof agents you are able to delay the water from leaking in.
Yes, we had a 7 sack pea stone mix, with fly ash and glass fibers and, on the warmer days, some flow retarders and other things just to make it easier to pump. I did ask about the waterproofing agents and I forget the price now, but it was a significant enough price increase that I decided against it.
Very helpful video. What’s the thickness of your shell? From the footage it appears they’re barely embedding the rebar - 4in total?
Hey Ben, the rebar chairs against the lath were 2 or 2.5 inches thick, then you have the half inch rebar layer, then it was supposed to be at least a couple inches past that. I know you shot your own shotcrete, so you know how tricky it is to know how thick you are once the rebar is covered. My hope is that it is at least 4 inches in the the thinnest spots, but many places are much thicker. And then we added another inch or two of stucco on the inside.
I know of some earth sheltered homes in Germany, including one with a 50 ft span, that are only 1 inch thick. But they had to be super careful and consistent on everything to make that structurally sound.
@@SimonHomeintheEarth Hey there! Wow, it’s difficult to imagine only shooting 1 inch thick. Though in the shotcrete class I took, one of the fellas mentioned that in mining applications they use a LiDAR-based system to ensure they’re shooting to spec, so getting very accurate shoots is definitely possible, which I also found incredible.
My structural engineer called for 6 inches of thickness (I told him I’d be shooting myself so he should build in some extra safety factor in his calculations). I ended up doing it similarly to you: 2.5in rebar and shot in two rounds, one to embed the rebar and then on the second round I eyeballed another 3 inches. I must have really overdone it though; in my computer model it worked out to be 156 cubic yards, but in practice I shot 210 or so (and my waste was probably only 5-10%), so I’m sure I’ve got some spots which are extra, extra thick.
Some of the other guys I talked to at the class will string up piano wire to gauge thickness (I didn’t have much success with this), and others use little plastic standoffs which have a single spike that protrudes up from the substrate a particular distance.
Thanks again for all the info and videos - I wouldn’t be building what I am without you and others paving the way.
It's really coming together! Are you still planning to use a horizontal apron of insulation to create a pocket of warm earth, for annual heat storage?
Yup, the "umbrella" has been a key element of the design since the beginning.
Great. I got interested in your project because there are so few well-designed and well-documented homes that use such a strategy, and you're really putting it all together. Best of luck!
Looks like a nice huge project. If you could do it again what would you do differently?
A bunch of stuff would be different. Lots of lessons learned. I think I'll write a book about it some day.
Any particular reason why you don't use some sort of channeling for the utilities so that they can be easily accessed if need be later on? That way you would spare future dwellers from having to break into the walls to get to the wiring/plumbing.
The blue conduit is "channeling" for the electrical. I made them all oversized and even put in extra ones. I also have a number of pipes I put thru walls to give myself access paths for just in case. I didn't bother to do it with the plumbing, but "in slab" plumbing is pretty normal. Future residents will just have to figure it out. ;)
Simon HomeintheEarth Cool beans!
did you use any water proof agents in the shotcrete mix ? i just assumed they werent because the hose technic, like shooting at a 45 DEGREE Angle, ect. i didnt mean to insult or judge at all. i hope it turned out good .
It is a "rich" mixture, so it is very dense which makes it a little bit waterproof, but not really. Waterproofing agents are proprietary and tend to be expensive. I don't think they would stop you from shooting the mix though. To get an idea of the price difference check out the cost of hydraulic cement at home depot. At ~15$/20lbs, it is ~12 times more expensive than the ~5$ for 80lbs of high strength concrete mix. I know part of that is because of the smaller quantity and handy bucket, but still, you get the idea. It is much cheaper to waterproof afterward. Also, if the concrete is waterproof, nothing stops water from moving thru a crack in it. Not even swimming pools use waterproof concrete.
Shooting at that angle prevents the material from blowing through the lath. I am certified, and had to shoot in such a way when using that same forming material. The worst part to me was when he said troweling helps consolidate the concrete LOL. Just seals the outside.
Craig Kidd, Troweling produces a harder and denser surface layer and many experts in the field refer to this as "consolidating" the concrete (which aligns with the dictionary definition of the word). I have even seen that term used in Shotcrete magazine. I didn't mean to imply that the consolidation went all the way thru 6 inches of concrete. Actually, the deeper concrete is probably compacted pretty well by the shotcrete coming in behind it. Basically I am politely saying that I LOL at your LOL ;)
Wow.. Amazing
How do these hold up in an earthquake? Micro rebar and concrete additives might help.
Buildings fail in an earthquake because they are shaken by the foundation and the height of the building acts like a whip. It is the flexing between the footing and the above-ground parts of the building that causes the damage. Underground buildings just move with the earthquake and are rarely damaged. Also, I am literally located in the middle of the North American tectonic plate and earthquakes are rare and mild here.
The telephone signal we can get from the inside of this kind of domes?
You would have to have some sort if repeater unless you used basalt rebar rather than steel. It is effectively a Faraday cage.
I have been testing the signal at all phases of construction because I expected the Faraday cage situation. However, that is not quite what happened. First, with just the rebar, I had no problem with the cell signal. Then After adding concrete, still no problem. Then I added insulation and dirt. Still no problem. Then the soil got wet and signal started to be a bit of a problem. Then plants started growing and that really reduced the signal. Then winter came and the plants died and the signal started getting thru again.
Conclusion, the plants (or the water in them) on the roof block signal much more than the rebar cage does.
At this point, there are spots in the house where we do get signal and spots we don't. We will install a repeater to bounce the signal around the inside.
Why are the skylights so extended upward like chimneys?
He is going to bury it later.
How is it holding up over the years? Do you have any expansion/contraction issues?
Nope, no problems. I think the earth on top moderates the temperature and therefore the expansion/contraction isn't happening, or at least not noticeably. There is also a lot of rebar, plus the glass fiber, lath, etc.
how the cell phone signal inside the building?
Yes, I was also a bit worried about a Faraday cage situation... I was slightly involved with another earth sheltered home build the year before I started mine and made sure to check the signal at every stage... That other build was a Formworks structure, so much more and much thicker steel. It also had a 25ft radius vault (mine max out at 13 ft) so it was using a double layer of rebar (vertical, then horizontal, then vertical again (offset 6 inches) and then horizontal again (offset 6 inches). That house only had windows on one side and was completely buried on the other (>25 ft deep behind the house). Even when the whole place was done and buried, I could go into the back of it and still get 4G... So maybe the signal can still get thru the windows, etc? In all these factors, I think mine will be less restrictive to a cellular signal.
good job
A couple hundred dollars of bentonite primer...
It sells for $50 for 2,000 pounds or about $6.00 per 50lbs bag if you want small quantities. When I prime hose I use a quarter of a bag mixed with water. Never had problems, never charged a customer for it. If they charged you $200 to prime, sorry to say but you got burned.
I think the price of bentonite changes dramatically depending on where you live. In Wyoming, it is literally dirt cheap. In Michigan, >1500 miles from the source, it is not. I Just did a quick google search and the first price listed is $899.99 (not including shipping) for 2000 lbs, so 18 times more than you said. For smaller quantities, The first price I see (again, not including shipping, which would probably be expensive) is $79.95 for a 45 lbs bucket, again that is about 16.65 times more per lb than your expectation. As for the "couple hundred dollars", that is what they told me it costs them when I asked why they preserve it, they could have been exaggerating a bit. The cost is not broken out on my bill, so I don't think it was an attempt to gouge me, at least not directly. I do recall paying a lot for the bentonite when I drilled the well (hundreds of dollars worth), so it didn't seem crazy to me.
Simon HomeintheEarth fair enough. It is extremely cheap where I am and I did not assume price would fluctuate so much.
Yea, its one of those things that can't just be dug up everywhere. Where about are you? Also, you seem to be someone who has done this sort of work. Any other comments on what you saw or was the primer cost the only eyebrow raiser?
Simon HomeintheEarth everything else seems really good. Your shotcrete crew knows what they are doing. The only thing I might have done different on your end would be to use stay form (very similar to the lathe) to create controlled breaks instead of having the over spray. That way it not only gives a defined stopping point for the day/area but also gives some thickness guides. Some guys like this others do not, personal preference I suppose.
I'm in BC Canada. I also learned that the bentonite that I was buying is not pure bentonite. It's a designed lubricant of several mixed ingredients. The store I bought it from is closed now but a friend that worked there said it was only about 10% bentonite. It worked great and I never knew the difference. Live and learn.
Love your project. I want to build my own designs but finances are not there for me. So many ideas, so little money. Keep up the videos, they are great.
Amazing vedios.
wow.amazing
the nozzlemen should get aci certified. im not trying to pick at anyome , but the certification test teachs you alot of helpful technics that help out alot. like proper rebar coverage and a blow pipe to prevent rock pockets.just a sugestion . good video. i like the house.
You assume they are not? These guys go down to Vegas for the annual meetings, updates, etc. They usually do work for the government, large factories, etc.. They just didn't care too much about the external finish on my job because I was going to bury it. I tried to convince them that waterproofing was expensive and I was willing to pay for extra finishing guys to get it shaped/smoother, but they were not convinced.
Love the time lapse and narration! Good job on the video, gave me lots of info without taking a lot of time. I really like the design and construction of your home. What made you decide on using shockcrete and a quonset hut (garage)? When is your next video coming out? Thanks!
I wanted to experiment with lots of different things so I could learn... The Quonset hut was a lot easier than the other bits... I am quite a bit behind on production. I have one mostly done, but just not finding the hour or so that I need to get it out the door.
Simon HomeintheEarth Are you using the walls with shotcrete for thermal mass? Or, will you install insulation on the inside?
It's a great project! I think I watched all you're videos. I'm looking forward to more.
Yes, I'm all about the thermal mass... So much so that I plan to put the insulation outside some dirt, not just outside the walls.
Simon HomeintheEarth Nice! Can't wait to see that.
Well, if you want to skip ahead, you can check us out on facebook (facebook.com/HomeintheEarth/) or our website (www.homeintheearth.com)
Is there any type of accelerator for that shotcrete nice work as well guys
It is already low slump, and I actually wanted the guys to have more time to smooth it out, so accelerators were the opposite of what I wanted. However, they used a variety of other additives. They need to be careful because the additives can cause problems with the pump or with keeping things up on the wall. Some additives, like fly ash, are great because they help the concrete flow (they are carbon nanospheres, like little ball bearings) and tremendously increase the strength of the final concrete.
Which kind of pump are you using? Do you know the flow rate?
I had hired a crew for this part. They brought their own equipment. On their best day, they put up about 40 cubic yards, but the pump was only running half that time.
I'm having a heart attack just warching
So wait this guy is blowing around hi-pressure concrete. He wears a hair bonnet...but no eye/ear/mouth protection?
Crazy huh?
Keep in mind that they are actually doing this and know how it affects them after many years of continuous work, while the people concerned about it are just watching on UA-cam. ;) Its not dusty, its wet. I was there and didn't feel like I was inhaling anything.
I wonder how the cost compares to traditional building materials?
It compares quite well. The basement (including the quad deck floor above it and the rough pluming in the floor) went in for twenty-some dollars per square ft. The Garage (including a bathroom and electrical and doors) is in the same "under thirty" range. The rest of the house is probably going to go a bit over budget, but we are still probably going to keep it well below the cost/sqft of most homes in our area.
Of course, this is only possible because we are doing so much of the work ourselves. Companies like "Formworks" claim their earth sheltered homes go in for about 3% more than conventional if you hire people to build it for you. But then you start to get well ahead when you are paying almost nothing for heating and cooling once you live there.
It's very important that the concrete that you're using doesn't contain any toxic shit
Actually, it does contain "fly ash", which are tiny nanospheres that get created as a waste material by coal power plants. These act like tiny ball bearings to help the shotcrete flow with less water. Less water means the concrete will cure stronger (about 4 times stronger than normal concrete). Trapping these in the concrete is good for the environment and many tests have been done to make sure that they can't get out.
Is this cheaper than just using concrete forms?
It depends... If you wanted to create simple vertical walls, perhaps with a formed pattern on the surface, then probably forms are the way to go. It gets even cheaper if your design is standardized enough to use reusable form panels that just click together. You could even look at insulated forms like I used on the garage.
However, if you want to create some more interesting free-form curved shapes like this, with domes, vaults, apses, etc. then shotcrete is the best way. We are still building some sort of form, but we really only need to build one side of it. So we save money on the forms. But shotcrete work is more difficult and requires more skill and equipment than simply pouring and finishing concrete, so that part costs more.
So you want to build a concrete construction and then put a lot of earth over it so it's like a bunker in the hill?
Yes, a bunker against the weather. Too many windows to be a real bunker, but all that thermal mass means it shouldn't need much heating or cooling.
its very very very nice
Good Job
I wonder........ With all that spraying........ How much of the workers respertory system was left intact?
Well, they seemed fine after doing this for a decade... So, maybe the human respiratory system is less fragile than some people believe?
Simon HomeintheEarth good to hear that 😊
have you done anything with straw bails constriction?
I do like the look of straw bail, and if I lived in a much drier place, I may be willing to try it. On the other hand, I think there is a probably a reason I don't see any other straw bail homes in SE Michigan. While I am more worried about moisture leading to rot, I think my wife would be mostly concerned about building a house out of something that critters love to nest in. So nope. I'm a different kind of crazy. ;^)
may be worth taking a closer look at. there is a house build on the coast of mobile alabama over 200 years old ,made with straw bails. still standing and in good shape.
Yes, in England (which is pretty damp most of the time) they do very well and many are probably older than our whole country... Maybe one day (after I get a break from the present build) I'll try it on a small structure (like a chicken coup). Maybe with one Cordwood wall?
It sounds like you would like to try it, if you do, I would love to see pictures or video some day.
or maybe a fence type wall around the yard
Our neighborhood rules allow for see thru fences, but not walls. In practice, none of our neighbors even have a fence (except maybe something around their vegetable patches to keep the rabbits out). Instead, we all opt for trees to get some privacy.
can you tell what it is yet ?? !!
Subscribe to find out...
And THIS, ladies and gentlemen, is how swellings in Tatooine were built.
Actually, those are hand packed mud over brick or thatch... but yea, it looks similar at the end.
These guys sure have lungs of steel. Didn't see a single person wearing face mask
I get this comment a lot on here. Perhaps normal human lungs are just much more resilient than modern people think? I know these guys all had been doing this job full time for over a decade (while maybe the one guy was only 5 years or so) and they seemed fine. They were working hard, lots of stamina and were smoking during every break. I didn't see anyone sneezing or coughing or choking on blood. Before facemasks or modern medicins were invented, Coal miners would work for 30 years... Not saying the particulate is good, and many coal miners did have problems eventually, but these guys were not dainty flowers, and your nose and lungs were not designed to require a facemask to deal with dust.
The imprecise, frantic gunite application makes the structural integrity questionable. One of the most labor intensive home build ever. For what purpose? Reminds me of Hitlers wolf lair bunkers, another bizarre compound.
You realize they aren't really working that frantically... It is a time lapse at 400 to 1200 times real speed. I am just keeping this comment because this is the first time I have been compared to Hitler. I guess it does eventually happen to everyone on the internet. Move on buddy, there are other videos on the internet for you to watch, check out the tiny house videos. Much less labor.
storm proof weather won't touch it
Whats the square footage on this home
It ends up at over 3000 round feet. I was actually shooting for 2400 sqft (my current home is only 1700), but working with round is a bit harder and I just couldn't make the layouts work.
Simon HomeintheEarth Is this a common material used where you live? This is a cool technique just not something I see very often
No, not common... There are a couple other earth-sheltered houses within a few miles, maybe a 20 or so in the county that I know of... and a variety across the state But that is a very small percentage. The vast majority of homes in Michigan are made of 2x4s, sheathed in plywood and then some veneer (like siding or brick) and then topped with an asphalt shingle roof.
whats the 'R' value of this structure
At this point... Not much. The concrete has something called "Dynamic RValue" in that it stores heat from the day and releases it during the night, so it has been cool in there all summer, but that won't do much once it is winter and you don't have that daily swing on either side of room temperature. However, the plan includes adding several ft of earth (R5 per ft plus thermal mass for more dynamic R value) and at least 6 inches of Foamular 250, which would be about R5 per inch... So above the bedrooms, at the top where the dirt is thinest, we would be talking something like R40 or R45, maybe R55 if I decide to put an extra couple inches of insulation in those spots... In the deeper portions between the vaults, that increases up to R60 or more. On the north walls, there is something like 20 ft between the surface of the wall and the air, so Rvalue would go up to 130. You average all that out and you have a pretty cozy Rvalue, plus zero infiltration and a lot of thermal mass.
Thanks for your time, one heck of a project, but, your set for the rest of your life in a great hand built house.
Respirators?
Only losers wear respirators
Ashton S it's wet concrete lol
Its also being sprayed though so its in the air. Deffo should have worn respirators.
@@viktorask said the guy in the hospital with oozing lime wounds between the hardened concrete areas in his lungs. Oops!
There is definitely over spray fog from it as the help has to keep his head tilted down. Could you imagine that crap clustering up and drying on your eyebrows?
there a guy in uk i think that used a air lift ball to make dome huts cool to see
Yup, that is another way to do it, but it costs quite a bit more and limits your design options considerably.
have you considered air crete?
yes, and plan to use it elsewhere in the build, mostly as insulating filler material... But this shotcrete has more than 10 times the strength of aircrete and could not be substituted with aircrete.
interesting... there is a guy with a youtube channel that has 'discovered' aircrete and taken to it like a duck to water - he's planning on building a house with it... check out honeydocarpenter... he's made a dog house out of precast panels, but i have to say i'm skeptical about the tensile strength of it also. i am probably doing to use it to spray over forms to make 'fake' rocks for a waterfall.
Yes, I have seen his stuff. He has mentioned wanting to buy something to test the compressive strength (it has just about zero tensile strength). But even then, he is using it to make a patio (100 psi is enough) and a shed made out of aircrete panels, again, not much load. When other companies test the compressive strength of aircrete, they find it is between 300 and 700 psi, depending on the bubble ratio. Ordinary concrete is about 2500 psi, but my shotcrete is closer to 8500 psi. So not the same ballpark at all. ;)
Should use basalt rebar. It won't destroy the concrete like steel rebar WILL eventually. Where is the foundation? You could have saved A LOT of time & money by building a monolithic dome and ended up with a much stronger and better insulated house.
I have researched monolithic domes and they are certainly not cheaper, at least 3 times more expensive than what I did, and I probably have not factored in many of the hidden costs. I don't see why they would be much quicker either. I did buy some Basalt rebar, just to try it out. It costs quite a bit more than regular rebar in my area, even if I am comparing 3/8ths basalt with 1/2 inch steel. I did like it because it was easy to move and curve, but it did not have near the stiffness of this rebar. I imagine basalt would work well in a form (such as a pool dug into the ground or a monolithic dome form), but it is not nearly stiff enough to hold up the form (as I needed in these bedrooms). The footings are 2 or 3 ft wide (depending on where) and at least 1 ft deep. They are under the center of these walls. There is a video about pouring those somewhere in my video list.
why was this not just a form construction build... would have saved alot of money on concrete.. and would have been alot less of a mess and you could have done it yourself.. with almost no tools at all. just some wood and some time. Also having cold joints in your crete is a hell of a structural issue.
Shotcrete is not the same as concrete. The impact forces and very low water make it very strong, 3 to 4 times as strong as poured concrete (partially due to the fly ash in the mixture). They told me my shotcrete was rated at 8500 psi. It also doesn't have cold joints. You can google "shotcrete cold joint" to read more about that. As for the formwork... With shotcrete, the form doesn't need to hold any pressure, so not only did I save time/money by only building half the form, I didn't have to build it nearly as strong. Also, building a two-sided form for a curved vault shape would be very difficult and if I used a flat roof instead of a curved vault, I would have needed to make it much much thicker and used much more reinforcement, so it would have cost much more. Also, for poured concrete on this scale, I would either need to mix it myself (actually I could have done pseudo-shotcrete that way and thrown it on ferro-cement-hippy style) or use a concrete pump truck to get it from the mix trucks up into the tops of the forms, and that is also an expensive piece of equipment to rent for the day. The main benefit of poured concrete is that it such a common task that there were many more companies providing it and they are usually willing to quote you a fixed bid price. In short, poured walls are great if they are just simple vertical walls. Mine were not.
Nice
Super
Useless shotcreters bro ,mix is to wet ,did they have to pump from far away?
The truck was right outside... I guess "far" is a relative term. Anyway, I wouldn't be too hard on them. As you probably know it is pretty hard work and they were the only ones willing to even take on the project. Everyone else would rather just stick with their pools. I have done a lot of this project myself, but I know I wouldn't want to take this on. Too much skill and stamina required.
Must cost thousands and thousands
Yes, including the cost of concrete and the equipment and guys to do the work, it is a few hundred dollars per cubic yard. And since my walls were between 4 and 6 inches thick, I could get something between 81 and 54 sqft of wall per cubic yard, minus some waste.
No blow pipe means alot of rock pockets aka voids
Tradutor em brasileiro existe?
Sure, my father is from Rio and I have been to Brazil and Portugal... And if I couldn't translate it myself, there is always google translate...
idia nt bad ,it depend on cost,location,whether
Why didn't you use Gunite? Better yet why not a Monolithic Dome you would have been done ages ago.
Gunite (for anyone else reading this) is also known as "dry gun" shotcrete, similar to the "wet gun" shotcrete that I used except the cement mix starts dry on the site and the water is mixed at the gun. It has advantages and disadvantages. The primary advantage is that you can stop and start whenever you want without concern that a mix truck is waiting. It can also be a little stronger (still way more than you may need). The primary advantage of the wet method is that your concrete gets mixed by a proper mix truck, so you know it is done well. They can also handle larger volumes that way, etc. I chose shotcrete because that is what they had in my area... If you know of a gunite guy in SE Michigan, let me know, but I couldn't find one willing to look at my project. Actually, my shotcrete guy also had a gunite rig, but he never used it on my project because the volumes were large enough that shotcrete made more sense.
As for the monolithic dome... I just wanted something more interesting. I could also have built a wooden box more quickly, so ease of construction is not something I focus on... Also, it was listed as the only type of home that would flat out be refused in my area... Apparently, the neighbors don't like them either.
Almost seems like just troweling it on would have been easier. 4 Dudes troweling could probably beat the pump. Except the roof probably. Awesome though, looks really pro!
Look for UA-cam videos on "ferro-cement". Those guys only go an inch thick and it still takes a very long time. I have heard people refer to it as a "Mexican shotcrete pump", but it is certainly not faster or easier than the shotcrete equipment. I did look into it, hoping it would at least be cheaper, but even that didn't pan out. It is similar to saying that I should have just hired 4 guys to dig the basement with shovels instead of using an excavator. ;)
You can't see through it any more; now you have to check daily for squatters. ;^) Seriously it's really coming together well.
We do get squatters, especially this time of year. Our policy is to check for mud swallow nests regularly and pull them down unless we find an egg. If they get an egg in there, they can stay ;^)
Dinos dwelling in your bedroom. It's nice you let them rear their young.
Didn't you think about an accelerator?
The shotcrete guys worry about the mix. As I recall, they were more talking about retarders to keep things from setting up to quickly, but it was a long time ago, so I don't recall exactly. There were a number of additives used and it differed each day depending on the conditions, etc.
Simon HomeintheEarth ha ha more talking like my guys !
You do shotcrete?
Simon HomeintheEarth yes but not much hand spraying anymore very rare mostly robot now ....
Well that sounds interesting...
These houses are hurricane proof
I have 1 question, Why in the world are you building something like this ?!? Is it because of the looks? Reminds me starwars where lukes aunt and uncle are killed and he leaves. Why not build a regular block house or poured concrete walls if you wanted a concrete house. I would think that your dome house is much much more expensive to design, engineer, and build vs some of the other building options. The half dome garage i get but the house i do not. The amount of money for finishing troweling has got to be astronomical. Form poured concrete would have come out with a butter like finish and way cheaper and also strong enough to withstand any storm
Why don't we all just live in identical cube homes? Why don't we all just hum the same tune? Why does art or architecture exist? Why do athletes try so hard?
It started as a sustainable house idea, but I wanted it to be interesting and functional and I wanted to try a variety of building styles and combine them in a unique way... This is just where my design process took me. If my goal was to build the simplest structure I could have in the least amount of time/cost possible, I am sure I would have ended up with something much more to your taste.
Yes, it has been much more time than I expected and I still have a lot of troweling ahead of me, but cost has actually been moderate because concrete is cheap and I am doing the work myself. I am enjoying the process, even if I do admit I wish each step were easier and quicker.
My original post came off brash and that was not my intent, rather uninformed on your thought process. I do appreciate your response and you've answered my questions. I think the design is unique and quite cool, once again reminds me of starwars or movies like the hobit in a good way, I believe my explanation of star wars was more of discripition of the scene and didn't mean it as negative connotation.
Having done numerous remodel jobs / framing I know and see the massive amount of work you've had to undertake to get where you are and also the amount needed to finish and maybe that skews my opinion on what I would consider my dream home or something I would build myself. However that obviously changes from person to person. I applaud you for going after your vision and look forward to seeing it come together.
My dream home is a white cottage style house with vaulted ceiling and exposed wood beams and lots of windows to let nature in.
A commenter with a conscience. Willow, I give you a gold star for coming back to clarify.
¿Qué alergia le tienen los yankies a los ladrillos? O.oU
Actually, if I were a real Yankee, I would be using wood. Maybe I would cover it in fake bricks (brick veneer). ;^) This sort of shotcrete and stucco construction is much more common in Spanish areas such as South America or Mexico... It is also common in Germany, etc., but my methods are more spanish style. Personally, I am a world traveling triple emigrant and only arrived in the USA 17 years ago.
This looks very stupid. Also insulation between walls are not needed?
Improper nozzle technique
These are like dome houses.
Technically, these are vaults rather than domes, but yes, similar idea.
No Le veo ventajas. Es muy entretenido.
The mass of the concrete and earth above will keep the home cool in summer and warm in winter.
More glue in the crete
Wouldn't it have made more sense to use "air crete" bc it needs less resources, is lightweight, has top insulation values etc pp. ???
Aircrete is interesting for certain applications, but has a tiny fraction of the strength. I don't know of anyone that uses aircrete and then buries the structure. I doubt the building inspector or engineer would even have approved aircrete for structural use without burial. Same goes for hempcrete or other similar comments. I did use aircrete to fill some voids between structures (flowable fill). I heard one guy say that Aircrete is supposed to combine the strength of concrete with the insulation of air, but instead, you get something closer to the strength of air and the insulation of concrete ;) Clearly he is exaggerating, but you will get a much stronger and better insulated wall if you just use regular concrete and insulate it.
WHY???!!!!
it's even funnier next to your icon... Is this a comment you make so often you decided to make your icon match? ;)
Nooooooo!!!!!!!!!!
I appreciate your sense of humor. If you actually want an answer, just check below. Lots of people have already asked.
Thanks. I did check the comments out. Thanks for taking the time to respond.
I would advise the use of PPE mask and goggles when blasting shotcrete geez your asking for health issues
Yea, Googles don't work for very long before you can't see thru them clearly and you need to take them off anyway. I have seen some other crews (in video, not live) with rolls of cling wrap mounted to their helmets so they can pull them down and keep the shotcrete off their googles. When the cling wrap gets dirty, they just pull to dispense some more. As for the masks, it didn't seem to be a problem with concrete getting in our nose or lungs. Just steam.
This house will be last for a long long time.
you just said you hire the main guy thats still your worker cause you hire him it still falls back on you
No, I looked it up. OSHA says employers are responsible for their employees. They might challenge my contractor's assertion that the guys who usually work for him are not his employees, but certainly, homeowners are not responsible to know all the rules of regulations that apply to every contractor they hire. They are also not responsible for managing the processes and activities of the contractor or his employees or sub-contractors. How they get the job done is their business.
Actually, some of the OSHA rules are downright silly. Did you see the video where I climbed an 8ft ladder and put light bulbs in the front lights? The electrical inspector told me that if I were under OSHA (homeowners are not), I would have needed a lift and a harness for that silly job. It would cost thousands of dollars in lift rentals every time I had to change a bulb. He said this is why you often see commercial buildings with downward facing bulbs that can be changed with an extension pole tool.
why build like that looks like hard work and takes far to long
Yup, it was hard work and it took too long. But the structure has a huge thermal mass (requires no cooling and very little heating) and will last pretty much forever. The cost was also lower than stick framing.
MUSTLE TO HOLD THE TUBE AS IF A GAL PROBABLY COULD NOT DO IT, OR AT THE LEAST NOT VERY LONG!!?? JUST SAYING, OLD ONE LEGGED JOSEPH T.
If a gal has muscles she could... I honestly have never seen a "gal" try. I don't think most guys could do it for very long. What is your point?
And actually, I regretted saying that way, because although it does take muscle and stamina, I wish I had also mentioned "experience" to know where to put the concrete correctly.
I came too see the shirt less guy in the clip
So why is this better than regular construction?
Much stronger, a bit cheaper (because I am doing it myself), but primarily the mass of the concrete and earth (the house will be buried) means it won't need much heating or cooling. You can find out more at www.homeintheearth.com
Simon HomeintheEarth hold up. It will be buried? Now I'm interested
Simon HomeintheEarth your website seems pretty developed. Do you own a company that provides the service for clients? Or you just put an insane amount of time into this project?
Also, are you keeping track of costs and if so, do you plan on sharing that with others? I'm very interested and curious in this project now
When taking on a project like this, it is important to read everything. I have literally read every book on earth-sheltered building available on amazon, as well as a number of other books on construction-related topics. While reading you need to keep notes, both on the books and your ideas as they form. Often the best way to vet your ideas is to write them out and see if they hold up. I put much of that on the web and have had many interesting discussions since. Along the way, I found a lot of my content gets stolen and used on other sites (cut and paste word for word), so some of the notes I am saving for a book. The last few books published on the subject were rubbish and I think I can do better. Before I can publish the book, I need to finish this house (for street cred).
I do get calls every month or so from people looking for a project manager or consultant so they can build a home. I am up for an email exchange or phone call, but I already have great job at ANSYS inc.
I am keeping track of costs and, sad to say, I am already over budget. I had budgeted in the $70/sqft range, but, assuming things continue on their current trajectory, I will end up in the $90 range. Still, the average house in my neighborhood cost about $200/sqft and the house across the street is currently for sale for ~$300/sqft, so I guess I am doing alright.
That won't be getting blown over in a storm like all those timber houses
I have joked that it would almost require a storm or a fire leveling the rest of the neighborhood to justify the extra effort. ;) Of course, the primary purpose of the mass is actually to help with heating and cooling costs. I also like the idea of being very sound proof.
LOL, so much concrete being wasted.
Wasted suggests no purpose. I plan to live in this and it will last for a very long time. It was also cheaper than wood, so what wasted materials do you live in?
It looks like they made a sidewalk from the material on the ground,good thinking.