Aircrete Dome Home, Yap, Micronesia, Domegaia method
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- Опубліковано 11 лют 2025
- We are using the Domegaia tools and methods to build our dome home on the island of Yap in Micronesia. Follow the Bergers as we build our home out of aircrete. This first dome is 20' diameter.
You’re lucky to find such good workers.
Great job.
Ohhh......
A concrete igloo! Pretty damn nice of you to take your time and assist people in need. The world could use more loving peoples like yourself!
Hello Dave. Thanks so much for the nice comments!
Super Dave from SLC, X Stone Mason?
Great to see this, thank you for the video, and I'm glad to see the dogs are assisting!
Great work...! I love aircrete, I think it is a great medium to work with..!
Nice hinge idea. I'm stealing that.
This is a great way to build a dome home. I’m sure there is some ground work to learn, process, products, procedures and so on. But, I’m really liking this product and process. Very interesting, looking forward to seeing your vlogs sir.
Hello from Yap island! Hey, thanks for the nice comment. I hope all is well with you...and thanks for the comment.
I played chess with a retired American man who married to a local lady in Tabaco Albay. He had been at sea for months alone and was towed into Tabaco port and married the first woman that talked to him. She was the waitdress at a small restaurant and ended up staying. He started making forever homes. He made forms of plywood then filled with concrete and river stones (which he got for the taking). This was about 1981and the walls were about 2 feet thick and did the ceiling about the same way. Which made a good roof. To me It was more like a bomb shelter above ground. Wow old memory LOL
An inspiration! Thanks.
Good question. One concern could be how to produce enough aircrete consistently so we don't end up with cold joints or areas where one pour ends and another begins.
Awesome job. Keep up the good work!
Nice to see you jon.
Watch our videos and you can see what we have been up to. I hope all is going well for you John.
Really cool. That's going to,be a good one.
Hello there! Thank you for the nice comments.
Really nice to see a work in progress from normal folk 🤗
I'm also in Polynesia and am wondering what the cost is like for building materials over here. other general details of the build would also be appreciated in future vids...
Hope to see more 🙏🙏
Nice Work ladies thanks
Hello John..Thanks for the nice comment!
Clever using the hindges
Dome home yay!!!
👍 Future is dome.
Hey Jon, I have a couple of questions. Like you don't have anything else to do. Lol.
First of all, thank you for taking the time to film you prigress.
1. I didn't see a video of you pouring the floor. Did you make one?
2. Did you take a class to learn the technique?
If so, did you take more than one?
3. Do you have plumbing in the floor for sinks, showers and toilet?
4 how do wire for electrical components?
Thank you Garry.
Owesome work bro. Cosmic blessings to you.
A hexagonal or octagonal house is just about as wind resistant as a round building. And a roof of slope 30 degrees, meeting in the middle, is also wind resistant. Then you wouldn't have to cut the aircrete into blocks. Just leave them as long boards.
dragonlaughing whole sections making the shuttering nice to be part of the finished build
Nice! I'm wondering why you need to keep the blocks damp after drying them?
Keeping cement wet helps the internal crystals to grow longer and "cure" the cement to full strength.
Oh I see, thank you, and congratulations on your impressive Dome.
Awesome! Not sure if the question has already been asked but how well will this construction hold up during typhoons? We live in the north of you in Saipan (CNMI). Very excited to see this kind of work done out here in this part of the world.
Hi Michael. I used this construction method because of the chance of a typhoon. I want my family to have a safe place. I can tell you...now that ours is finished...that it is very strong.
@@jonyap08 I have really enjoyed following your journey. My wife is originally from Saipan and we moved back in June 2018...just in time for Super Typhoon Yutu. It devasted Saipan. I bet the Air-crete is cooler than regular concrete concerning insulation value.
@@MichaelRodgers670 Glad you enjoyed the journey. It has been an adventure. My wife is from Yap, so we have that in common...island girls. Cooler? I am sure it is.
Thanks for sharing. Did you attend a domegaia workshop first to learn all you needed to do?
Hello, No...did not attend. Watched videos and got the instruction booklet from Domegaia. If we can do it...you can.
Are you talking about the eco dome masterclass by Alosha Lynov? Thanks
@@SmartEasyDIYer No...just any videos on UA-cam. He may have a good thing. Not sure.
Jon Berger oh ok. I was just looking on domegaias website and thT was one option to buy class so I thought maybe that’s what you did. So you just watched enough UA-cam videos and bout the foam generator from domegaia?
Beautiful music
I think it's cool that you've got 3 feet of straight wall before the dome curve. I was wondering if Domegaia does the extra curve at the bottom for any structural reason or if it is purely an aesthetic choice.
Hello, Pia and Happy New Year to you. I think the bottom curve is mostly aesthetic. The straight wall gives me plenty of head room next to the wall edge. I love it.
Can you tell me what materials are used? Until the cement became light plzzz
Or to come to Morocco and help me build it 🤩
Hello imran. We use Portland cement, water, and foam generated with Drexel foaming agent. I have a video on UA-cam showing how we mix the aircrete.
I wonder if I could add foam to make more mortar when I make these type of garden beds. Would they hold up? I'll put my video link in a reply...
Here it is. I make them with free curb cuts, but I mortar them together:
ua-cam.com/video/K3tCkRH2B1s/v-deo.html
I am sure you could. You should try it.
For the vertical section at the bottom, is there any reason not to cut some blocks to the same length as the vertical height and line them up vertically? It would require less labor. Or is there a structural reason to use smaller bricks?
Yes, you could do that. Great suggestion.
Common Brickwork pattern is 50% Staggered pattern, so using squares vs Long Rectangles, makes this easier.
Thank you sir
Are there any issues in using longer blocks for strainght connection tunnel like elements
@@richiekeane7730 No issues.
How fire resistant are they
what can burn? It is all cement.
Really looking forward to this being legal in the United States.
they had a few plants back in the 90's and now just one is left. there are too many issues that make the product more expensive then other methods of construction. even if there were more local plants manufacturing AAC the cladding required would still put you over standard stick construction, plus you can't go multi story, which is the vast majority of homes in the USA.
They tried and failed, it doesn't work in the USA and Canadian climates.
@@Ramdodge582 autoclaved cellular concrete made in industrial plants is totally different from the in situ D. I. Y. made Aircrete.
Aircrete is not the wondermaterial that people so much believe in.
I know it because I have >25 years professional experience with this material
It's been 4 years, now. Any updates? Good, bad, indifferent, things you like, things you wish you'd have changed?? Thank you.
This product look interesting I would like to know more about it
Very interesting, thanks for sharing. Can you note the mix ratio and what you use here. And about how much of materials (i.e concrete bags, etc) goes into making your aircrete form?
Hello Huko from Yap island. Thanks for the comment. Mix ratio - 1 bag cement, 5 gallons water, add foam till 43 gallons in drum. We use 2 bags of cement per 4' x 8' aircrete form for making blocks. Talofa
@@jonyap08 Thankyou, much appreciated.
They are working so slowly, are they paid hourly?
What is the maximum diameter and size of this house? Using blocks
Why would you wet the blocks? Also, why did that one block have a very hard coating on one face then a big gap on the other side. IOW, what's up with your quality control?
How long before you can't cut them anymore? Those are so light, I don't think they would even hurt if they fell on you!
Love the video. quick question...while they are curing, you mentioned keeping them wet. Do you have to keep them damp every day for 30 days while curing?
You need to wet the concrete to prevent cracking in the curing process. This needs to be done for approximately 2 to 3 weeks minimum.
@@hitsmike2046 thanks
You can have spacers, so that you do not have to saw them.
Unreinforced concrete, did you get a structural analysis?
Can you tell if the temperature will be cooler then the outside?
Hello Oscar, I can tell you that it is definitely cooler inside the dome than outside.
Jon thanks. Do you know if the air Crete retains water when it rains? What was the length of time after the mold was solid, when you started building with the blocks?
@@oscarcoreocontreras4127 Most blocks were laid after about 2 or 3 days of cure time. Yes, the aircrete holds water. It needs to be sealed with plaster and paint.
Using that much cement is still expensive - im wondering when making forms can mi put in plastic bottles or used cans to take up space? Is the aircrete strong enough? What percentage of cans is possible? Thanks
Well, here on the small island of Yap, I cat get about 5 cement blocks from the hardware store for $10. When I make my own aircrete blocks, I pay $10 for a bag of cement and I make about 16 blocks. So that saves me a lot of money there. Yes, I have seen videos of people putting glass bottles and such in the wall, but I am still a novice at this, so I can't really answer your question.
@@jonyap08 It''s around $3 for an 80lbs bag at home depot.
Hola soy colombiana y quisiera saber aser como es proceso de bloques del segmento ligero como se fabrica gracias
What about issues of aircrete cracks forming?
Hello Rapid, Yes, we did get cracks. We follow the Domegaia instructions and wrap the outside and plaster. This seems to make the whole structure like one unit.
@@jonyap08 personally I'm considering the same methods. But with epic bricks instead hopefully to avoid those cracks
Zig says looks like affordable labor!
Hi Jon. What fabric reinforcement will you use on your dome?tahnks
stainless steel mosquito netting is what was available on my tiny island. No roofing fabric available.
Does this work in super cold country? below freezing temperature?
You may already have answered this question but is the foundation and floor made form aircrete too?
Hello Smart Stuff, The foundation right where the dome meets the earth is concrete, but all the rest is aircrete. The shower room is all aircrete also.
Interesting ok. Thanks for the info. Thanks for sharing videos too.
Hi Jonberger
Where are you country?
Not to be mean, and excuse my english as i am not native.
but i can' t think seeing that video . An other "white man foreigner" filming the uname works of colors local from a 3rd world country... come on at list you could say the name of this too great girl who are working for you man, showing some respect... Start too be popular this new ecologic building, farming but its too mush : look i am doing this amazing new eco building ...white man filming african doing the job, nepalese, indonesian, indian... at list present the real hard workers give them some thanks than they deserve. I been in there basket, and its frustrating to work hard old day with concrete (who burn your skin by the way) on a 40degre celcius sun and have the owner who is look at the project "i am doing"... hope this two young girl get payed the fair price for there work...
I’ve only recently heard of aircrete so I have many questions (I’m considering this material for a home in Bali).
Do you have any links to websites that gives data on compression and shearing strengths of aircrete (compared to regular concrete, etc)?
Look up DomeGaia...or Aircrete Harry. Aircrete Harry did a lot of self research and experimentation. He realized that aircrete by its self is not really that good. Compression strength is great. Shear strength...not good. If you are building a simple one room structure, aircrete is OK. If you intend to build a larger multi-room home, go with ferro cement or some other material.
Man that song in the end about bubba was definitely different
Hello my friend I see your video and I live in in kombucha in 20 years and soon come to start to make my house with a concrete amount your mixet between Simone and elite shampoo please can you help me and tell how how you make thank you
I want to make those so bad I have to get one of these machines or make one
is that solid? :o
Are Eric and Valerie Sullivan still living on Yap? They used to be my neighbors in Texas.
Hello Todd, I do not know them. Maybe they are not in Yap anymore.
are ladies the carpenters in Micronesia?
If anyone watching this is a member of the dome Gaia forum, can you post a topic informing that the site no longer sends out confirmation emails? Frustrating, you can join but you can't post anything, even a question about why the confirmation emails don't get sent out!
Hello Bradley, I agree with your comment. I have tried to post a topic to the forum some time ago along with info on my dome build. But I was unsuccessful. I stopped going to the forum and mainly focus on UA-cam.
@@jonyap08 thanks Jon. Yes, these are my main source of info as well. For the same reason. Would be good to get in the forum though. I wonder how long it's been locking us out?
Inconsistent mixture, not level, zero reinforcement in foundation, letting animals screw up your concrete, not integrating your dome into the foundation with rebar or bolts or construction adhesive??? Forbthat size structure I would expect to see a thicker block. It’s super light and cheap to make after all. Why make such thin blocks??? Why not just make 1 foot tall circular forms, reinforced with steel mesh or something, and just build up, pouring one form every two days, should be WAY stronger, and probably easier. I’m just a noob moron who hasn’t built anything and even I see major issues with this build. Am I off base?
what is the reason for keeping them wet while they cure?
Slo cure strengthens concrete
Concrete forms more internal connections while it is moist.
Hello John. How about rubbing your hand wit gliserene or Vaselene befor working the cement? Use it as a barrier.
Instead of making blocks why not forms and just pour each level and why a dome?
Well, you could use forms, but that sure is a lot of wood work and materials. We are trying to keep the cost down. Why a dome? For strength and ease of building.
@@jonyap08 I'm a woodworker and you only make forms and jigs one time and they are good for a lifetime.
Typhoon proof???
I hope so. That is why I built it rather than local construction. Typhoons always destroy local construction, but this dome should be strong and good in high winds.
is the foundation aircrete as well?
Hello from Yap. There is concrete foundation where the dome is, but all the rest of the foundation is aircrete.
Not trying to rain on this guys parade but this shit is gonna collapse.
How much concrete do you use per batch?
Hello John. 1 bag gets me two rows of aircrete in my form. So I am using 2 bags of cement per 4 x 8 aircrete form. These two bags get me about 32 blocks. When making the foundation, we used 1 bag cement, 5 gallons water, and then filled the barrel up to the 32 gallon mark with foam.
@@jonyap08 thank you for the reply
@@jonyap08 60 or 80 pound bags? Thanks
@@Lisacee7 Hi there. We are using 80 lbs bags.
@@jonyap08 the foundation is 2" thick?
Dear it looks like you are having two problems #1 foaming collapse little bit and #2 mixing issue, mix it well to obtain density of 55 pound per cubic feet.
The dome is like an egg, look how thin it is. But if it was flat like a wall yes rebar would help
Hi sir How much kg cement in one bag?
Well...I think 40 kilos per bag.
Thanks sir
Why dont you use plywood form and pour the slurry directly unto your dome instead of installing them block by block. You can do it layer by layer to be certain of conforming with being a dome. Block by block installation is too laborious.
do you have a video for DIY aircrete?
Hello Bal, Yes. Here is the link:nnnua-cam.com/video/tbc5MuG5p-A/v-deo.html
Do you have a brother Josh in Saipan?
No I don't. Do I look like someone there?
@@jonyap08 Yes you do. I had a friend in Saipan named Josh Berger. He was a lawyer and a runner. I taught his son trumpet for a few years. You really look like you could be his brother...
I will like to know more about this
neat idea , 20 years to make'em and 2 hours to assemble them???
Any one here know how to do this in New Zealand? I would love a hand building one myself. I’ve been in construction most of my working life
G'day mate, N.Z. has plenty of perlite mix that with foam Crete is strong. Use reo bars to reinforce 10/12 mm smooth bar your openings and over archways. 🍻 steelfixer from Darwin n.t.
Most of us can't get our women to make us a sandwich, this guy's making his wife build him a house!
Monolithic Domes were of the opinion that Aircrete is not suitable for Domes that will be impacted by Hurricanes, Typhoons or Tornadic activity.
I am not sure about that. Ours is now complete, and I can tell you that it is extremely strong. I would rather ride out the storm in my dome home than in an island home with tin roofs!
"Monolithic domes is of the opinion"...... opinions are like assholes ,everyone has one , some stink more than others. After the hurricanes you evaluate a d compare (and smell the air)
I think that monolithic fines is probably thinking about resistance to penetration from wind-borne projectiles. To fight this a person can add San extra layer of protection by putting wire or rebar as cloth or grid around the dome and covering both with more concrete.
Roy Madison You’re one of those people.
What is cost? From what I'm seeing it costs the same as concrete. Only difference us air vs aggregate... is that correct?
Probably fairly similar cost...yes. However, on my remote tiny island way out in the Pacific ocean, aggregate is VERY expensive. So aircrete is a great choice. Next, aircrete is MUCH easier to work with. I can cut it and shape it with hand tools. We can easily lift and move it around. All construction materials have their advantages and disadvantages. Same with aircrete.
Would you happen to know the R value of these bricks? Thanks.
Sorry, I do not know. Check the Domegaia website.
adjustable curved from.
It's easy to work with when someone else is doing it. Lol
Are you guys trying to build a swimming pool?
What part of "dome home" did you fail to grasp???
You've never worked, have you?
Mr, get a tripod!
And not a Level in sight. I can see that causing pain in the future.
Island style Man!!!
Just need water and a clear tubing for the water to go in.
Yeah. Do not see one of them on his job site.
ed is genius?
@@michaelcee8348 nope, just laid brick without a level and I know the problems cutting corners cause. Been there, paid for that.
@@edwo6648 come on ed. not everyone does things the way you or the rest of the world does. not everyone has the same experiences that you do. i wonder if he really did not use a level. i wonder if his house well persist as long as the "usual" house. i wonder, but you don't. ok then
The fractured and failed pieces can easily be repurposed.
I recommend some DIY SODIUM SILICATE.
PERHAPS A FEW IDEAS CAN BE TOSSED AROUND.
AIRCRETE COULD BEMUCH STRONGER,... AND WATERPROOF, AND FIREPROOFED.
A FIREBRICK AIRCRETE RECIPE .... LOL !!
FOUNDRY, WATER BOILER... LARGE BATHTUB... AKA HOTTUB !!
Seems like you could make some cheap Rai stones with aircrete.
Who the hell recorded this video??? I really wanted to watch it till the end but this is impossibile, I still feel dizziness and seasick, on the edge to vomit all over...
there's a better method to cut. slice them with sheet metal attached to a wooden handle.
Hello Shooshstar, Thanks for the comment, but I do not have any sheet metal here on the island. It is a very small island with limited supplies. Gosh..yes...that would make it so much easier.
What type of concrete did you use ?
Hello Cat. Normal bag cement from the local hardware store. I think ours are 88lb bags of Portland cement.
I do not know where they get the Idea that these are strong when it crumbles in your hands
Gee, I don't know...maybe it has something to do with thousands of people experimenting with this building technique?
The aircrete cures and gets stronger every day for about a month
Would be more comfortable doing that at a table.
Oh I agree, but stuff is so expensive here....so extra things like a table here and there cost a lot of money.
The structural Integrity of a week-old loaf of sourdough bread
First palm tree that falls on that its toast
Yeah, poor palm tree.
Might work in Micronesia due absence of a building code, but in developed countries aircrete is not an accepted buildingmaterial
Should add pulverized styrofoam to the mix...
Will it crack curing in high heat say desert
Hello Michael, It is not so much the heat....as the water evaporates out of the blocks. they shrink. So wait a couple of days for the blocks to cure and dry and you should have no problems in a desert. We are on a tropical island and the blocks dry....and then get saturated in a heavy tropical rain...and then dry again....so I think it is this cycle that brings on our cracks. But the outside wrap with plaster stopped all of our cracks.
В Микронезии хорошо - тепло и толстые стены там не нужны.
Yes, you are right, but the blocks must be this thick for structural strength with aircrete.
So you video while the women build the house....
The camera operator has parkinsons disease. Either that or the camera is mounted on a spring.