AirCrete Construction at Tiny Giant Life school in Terlingua, Texas. Aircrete insulation w/o sand

Discover aircrete construction as a low-cost means to build the house of your dreams without a mortgage! Join author Thomas J. Elpel for this visit with Daniel Allen at the Tiny Giant Life school in Terlingua, Texas, where Daniel discusses and demonstrates how to mix and pour slipform aircrete walls to quickly build structures that are strong and well insulated without breaking the bank. Daniel prefers an aircrete formula without sand to maximize R-value (insulation). A thin coat of surface bonding is applied inside and outside the structure to bring the walls to full strength. Learn more about the promise and potential of aircrete!

[@TheGrilledCheeseSandwich]

Awesome video!
Thanks for sharing.

[@thomasjelpel]

Thanks for watching! Here's a tour of my house you might enjoy too: czcams.com/video/QWKPisywxvY/video.html

[@kendclife7913]

We have so many creative and ingenious people in our country who have solutions to make our lives better and extract us from the slavery of mortgages and banks, but building regulations are often designed by big industries to protect their monopolies and profits, rather than for the safety of home buyers. I would totally feel safe in one of these structures. Thank you for sharing.

[@thomasjelpel]

True, true. But nobody has to be stuck in the Machine. It is actually quite easy to walk away from the 9 to 5 job and mortgage, as many of my students at Green University have learned. Here's a tour of my home in Montana you might also enjoy: czcams.com/video/QWKPisywxvY/video.html

[@ridewithdanusa]

Super interesting! I got to come visit you again Tom.

[@thomasjelpel]

Please do Dan! You know where to find me. Here are our newest accommodations at River Camp: czcams.com/video/wAGhxALvH18/video.html

[@joancandalino8742]

Have you considered fibre mesh fibers added to the aircrete? Would that improve the strength?

[@thomasjelpel]

I was wondering about that too, but strength is largely irrelevant for insulation, and the surface bonding provides the strength where needed. Here is a tour of my home in Montana you might also enjoy: czcams.com/video/QWKPisywxvY/video.html

[@ANXIETOR]

I had never heard of aircrete, so this was really interesting. I wonder how this would hold up in a more humid locale like my state of Ohio. Plus, I’ve never seen solar panels used as porch roofing. That makes perfect sense. Good video.

[@thomasjelpel]

The cement should be perfectly stable in a humid environment. Here's a tour of my stone and log home in Montana you might enjoy: czcams.com/video/QWKPisywxvY/video.html

[@ivancresswell5726]

Great info for all of humanity to escape the rat race.

[@thomasjelpel]

Thanks so much! Here's a tour of my own home you might enjoy: czcams.com/video/QWKPisywxvY/video.html

[@tomjeffersonwasright2288]

Can you make tip-ups using aircrete? How thick are the walls of the buildings you showed?

[@thomasjelpel]

I believe those walls were about eight inches thick (I'm guessing). You should be able to make tilt-up panels if you pour a 1/4" layer of sand-cement mortar, lay the fiberglass mesh into it, cover that with a thin layer of mortar, then pour the aircrete, let that set for a few hours or overnight, then apply the sand/cement layer and fiberglass mesh again to make a complete sandwich. Then let it cure for 30 days before attempting to move it. :) Here's a tour of my house in Montana you might also enjoy: czcams.com/video/QWKPisywxvY/video.html