Build CHEAP DIY!! I Built a Styrocrete Garden Shed! Pt. II
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- čas přidán 26. 07. 2024
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Welcome to the self-sufficiency revolution! Our channel is your go-to source for sustainable, eco-friendly building techniques using styro aircrete, a lightweight and versatile material made from a mixture of cement, water, and styrofoam. Our channel focuses on alternative building methods and natural building materials, including aircrete blocks and styrocrete. Our expert hosts share valuable tips and tricks for building with aircrete, whether you're looking to construct an aircrete home or incorporate aircrete walls into your renovation project. We also explore off-grid living and minimalist homes, highlighting the benefits of modular and prefabricated homes for energy-efficient and passive solar homes. Our content is perfect for DIY enthusiasts and those interested in alternative building materials, especially green building materials. Follow us for inspiration and advice on building your dream home with sustainable living in mind.
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The information provided in this video is for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or instruction. Viewers should always exercise caution and take appropriate safety measures when attempting to build or construct something. The creator of this video is not responsible for any injury or damage that may occur as a result of following the instructions or information presented in this video - Jak na to + styl
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Outstanding video series on building with styroaircrete. Really appreciate all of your work in development, experimenting and most of all in sharing your findings in the thoughtful and detailed manner that you are putting into these videos. I'm really interested in building a larger shop using this method here in Alaska, but living inside of city limits I'm going to have to get the blessing of the building inspector 😬...we'll see how that goes.
Tim, I am glad that are helping and inspiring folks. Building the wood trusses will come closer to getting this through. I will be talking to engineers when I finish this garden shed.
@@AbundanceBuild Very interested in hearing what comes of that.
Love your design and the whole project.
In 1982 I designed a Terra Dome home which we built in the foothills of the rocky Mountains at 8,000 feet. Our kids grew up there in the west side on a north south valley 8 feet underground.
So energy efficient too. Left on vacation for two weeks in the winter and would just turn off the heat and come home to 55 degrees when it was below zero outside.
Your project is so smart!
Thank you! Great job!
*GREAT JOB!!!!!* *_Suggestion_* : To extend the hardboards life.....the hardboard surface that will come in contact with the styrofoamaircrete place a layer of visqueen between the 2. (this may also eliminate the vegetable oil process?) The magnets were a great idea by the way. Also, attach a 2x4 /2x2 to the top of your ladder to prevent damage to the walls when leaning against.
*Great Info* from Don & ++!! & Lime....bonding agent...
Thank You again Kind Sir
Thank you!
Questions: About the Styroaircrete Mix: 1. How do you measure out 25 gallons of foam when it is being pumped directly into the mixer? 2. How many 5 gallon buckets of water/FM160 solution produces 25 gallons of foam? 3. How do you measure 3 1/2 gallons of Portland cement? 4. Is that DRY Portland cement that is then mixed with the 2 gallons of water? 5. What container do you use to measure out the 3 1/2 gallons of Portland cement? It would really help to watch you actually make a batch from start to finish. Thanks for sharing this information!!! 💚
Hi Carlson here are the answers to your questions: 1. I poured 25 gallons of water in the mixer and then mentally remember how full that was and try to fill it close to that with the foam. 2. It takes around 2 to 3 gallons of diluted foam mix to produce 25 gallons of foam. 3. I poured 3 1/2 gallons of water into a 5 gallon bucket and marked the level on the outside of the bucket all the way around. I fill it with cement up to this line. 4. Yes pour the 2 gallons of water into the mixer first then the cement. 5. A 5 gallon bucket marked at 3 1/2 gallons. Great questions and if you are asking several others probably want to know as well.
@@AbundanceBuild Thanks for clarifying! One more bit of clarification would be appreciate...when you add the 3 1/2 gallons of Portland cement and 2 gallons of water to the mixer, do you compensate for that being already in the mixer when you add the foam up to the 25 gallon mentally noted foam fill line? Does that 5 1/2 gallons of mixed cement at the bottom of the mixer instead of water make a difference?
@@RC206 q
Stephan...why and what I really like about your aircrete styrofoan building is that your trial and error technique becomes a vicarious experiential learning process for you and I. .and of course your viewing audience.
From the very begining this incremental passion to experiment was that of inventor and building architect.
We celebrate with you.
Thank you! We are all in this together! Subscribe to see new builds coming soon!
I wonder if an Archimedean screw/pump fed to a hose would work..? For example, you'd have your tank, and the mixture is fed by gravity to a screw at the bottom which is encased in a pipe beneath the tank. The screw turns, and pushes your mixture through a hose that's connected to the pipe.
Good idea! We have found pumps to be slower than our method
Thanks so much for these videos! I'm a construction worker in Oregon and I'm very interested in alternative building methods. Your channel and methods have perked my interest and have given me countless ideas. Thank you so much and keep making videos! I love them!!
Thanks for the feedback Daniel.
Stephan, have you considered holding a clinic to teach people what to purchase, how to mix and how to apply the styro aircrete? You have a wealth of experience and first hand knowledge in this field. Sort of like Habitat for Humanity. You teach, they learn as they create and build. Imagine how quickly you could build with an eager team. Then they can go off helping each other with their projects. Of course you'd be available as a consultant. Cha ching!
Working on it now!
Thank you very much for taking the time to make these videos
Glad they are helpful.
There is so much information in this video! I have been following several styro/air/crete channels and very much appreciate any knowledge and information that is passed on. Please don’t let the naysayers slow you down. Your tenacity in the face of failure is admirable!
Thank you! We have only just begun!
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC VIDEO
I have been in the construction business for 50+ years and this is definitely the most innovative idea that has come along, that I have seen.
Wish we had known about it 50 yrs ago.
I suppose my grandsons can carry it on.
This week I will be in West Texas visiting with 3 customers, Dairy, Hog farm, Egg facility.
Each will be introduced to the concept.
We are the company that builds everything with Plastics.
I did check in our warehouse for the clear plastic 20 ft. long ridge row to use along the top for a long skylight.
Yes, we have it.
It is 23 inches wide and flexible enough to accommodate any roof angle.
It cuts with a small hand saw.
The plastic arches are still in the development stage.
For those who are concerned about the wood rotting away, I see NO structural problems, even if the wood completely disappeared.
With all of the open spaces in the arches, the cement on each side will fill and form a bond around the wood. The outside and the inside are strongly bonded.
After the cement cures, the wood serves no necessary structural purpose, if I am looking at it correctly.
This is being considered for a 100 ft long greenhouse.
The insulation factor is the critical issue.
The over abundance of sunlight and heat is sometimes a problem. With the clear skylight and mirrors, light can increased, directed, and controlled. Grow lights are already used a lot.
Winter temperatures can be vicious for a greenhouse. Hopefully this concept will ease that temperature problem.
Steven thank you so much for your time and effort with this alternative building.
Thank you and You're Welcome!
@Abundance Building Concepts
Steven, a couple of weeks ago we poured a 26'x80' cement pad for an experiment with skyrocketed.
We are experimenting with a different recycled product.
A blacksmith shop, (we do have those shops in heavily agricultural areas) has been acquiring large spools of used oil field pipe (1½").
We produced a jig and started bending these 26' wide ribs.
It is peaked in the center at 15'.
We are putting gussets at the center and one on each side at the bends.
I would like to create an 8"-10" wall of styrocrete.
Of course, we are developing this as we go. - Glen
Great building to have a wedding ceremony in. Great shape for that kind of event. great viewing! enjoying it all. just the right size for many events and lighter weight to transport maybe.
Good idea!
This is the best building technology I've ever seen!
That is a strong compliment. Thank you but I did not invent styro aircrete. They build with it in India, Ukraine, and China. I am coming up with some unique ways of using it is all. The US is so slow about embracing alternative building strategies and make it so hard to get anything approved.
@@AbundanceBuild you need to improve the technology, switch to fixed formwork, I'm embarrassed by wooden structures in concrete! I want to wish you success and achieve recognition!
@@svadbanakipre Agreed.
@@svadbanakipre I have a company that does construction with plastics.
Steven has done extremely well with introducing this new idea.
I am using our plastic materials to try to develop the arch structure with plastic instead of wood. The concept is feasible.
Now we have to make it work.
R. Mena Guatemala:
You actually have to be there to understand that it really, and I mean REALLY WORKS. Time wise, it just didn't seam possible that one side (4' high +/- ) by 20' long was done in less than 2 1/2 hours. I didn't help much but did some of everything.
And you have to also touch it to see the strength it has. It's simply amazing.
Congratulations Stephen. And thank you for the T&G blocks that you made. It's clear your idea is faster, cheaper and very feasible.
Thank you!
So very impressed by all the advancements you have made from when I first experienced one of your videos about breaking up the Styrofoam!! Can't wait until the weather finally turns here in Northern Nevada to try a few of your techniques!
Thanks! You can do it!
Thanks for showing this. I really like what you are developing here.
You're welcome! New builds coming soon!
Great video, with lots of useful info ! Love that you share your trial and errors with us too...
Thank you!
ANOTHER FANTASTIC PRESENTATION.
Wish you were in North Texas, instead of a way over there in "Pretty Tree Country".
Your analytical approach is very commendable.
My company uses plastic only, in construction of pharmaceutical mfg facilities, food, hospital surgery area, etc
After your previous video, I have started working on various ways of using plastic for the arched wall studs, to eliminate the wood and to keep it dollar friendly.
For a waterproof interior surface, the Plas-tex plastic panel at Home Depot is extremely durable, smooth white, and only $26 per 4'x8' semi-rigid sheet.
These panels can be installed before the pour and left in place for a finished surface.
Being solid PVC, Plas-tex will last longer than the cement walls.
Just a thought - the peak could be left open and covered with a clear plastic roof ridge cap, to serve as a skylight.
You have really hit upon a great building design, both with the Styrofoam and especially with the arched A-frame.
Glen you have given several great ideas. I appreciate you sharing this. I would be interested to see how you built the trusses out of plastic.
@@AbundanceBuild I'd like to know about options for plastic trusses, too.
hmmm great idea thank you... will look into this also... God speed
Still loving following along. Super interesting build technique.
Thanks Grant!
I'm very inspired and excited about your research and results. Please continue with this work.
New builds coming soon!
I first saw this aircrete building about a year ago. I've watched numerous videos on the subject. In my opinion I will be using your method. You really explain it very well. What the mix is how much and what kind of materials your mixing. Very thorough and educational. Thanks so much.
Thanks Jeff. Glad the videos have been helpful. That was the goal.
More great info. Can't wait to see more.
Thank you! New builds coming soon! Subscribe to stay up to date!
Awesome Stephen - thankyou for sharing this method!
You're welcome!
SPOT ONN AND AGAIN, THANK YOU. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023. . . . . . . . .
Happy new year!
Looking forward to the next video and possibly seeing this in-person in a couple weeks (I'll email you our travel plans to see if we can work out a visit). Thank you for sharing your insights and creative building concepts, Stephen!
You're welcome!
wow this is genious thanks for sharing!!!
You're welcome!
Looking awesome 👍
Thank you!
Fantastic!
Thank you!
Love it bro! I am doing my build all alone as well
You can do it!
Ty for all the detailed information!
You're welcome!
@@AbundanceBuild when is your next video?
Looks awesome
Thanks!
Excellent product
Thank you!
Love your videos .
Thank you!
Great job mate 👌
Thank you!
Great video Stephen.
Thanks! New builds coming soon!
Thank you so much.
You're welcome!
Would be really interested to see the strength of this material after going through a furnace (simulated bad fire). Theoretically the styro would all shrink and leave a aircrete mesh. Also would like to see more crushing/breaking tests for the styroaircrete with and without the stucco to see its relative strength vs a 2x4 or 2x6 (I have watched all videos about Styro aircrete so far)
New tests coming soon! Stay tuned!
This is really creative, I like the willingness to experiment and try things. I also like that you placed items in the video that didn't work so well.
I think there's a better way that would not be so much work, like a seismic friendly modified panel approach, but I applaud your gumption.
-MG
New builds coming soon!
Excelent!!!!!
Thank you!
As for pumping styroaircrete I would say that an auger driven system would probably work.
Can you give some examples/manufactures of this? Thanks.
@@RC206 I've seen them out there, but if I were to build one I'd get an auger from harbor freight, a 50 gallon drum, cut a top access to pour in the mix, a motor to drive the auger. You could probably use it to mix the styroaircrete as well. Just spit balling an idea.
@@HergerTheJoyous Thanks! 💚
@@HergerTheJoyous Hello! I think the mix would need to be wetter - more aircrete maybe. That auger would probably just mostly mix it better. I have an auger pump, it can be finiky to get the pressure line moving if the mix is not right.
Yes but it is slower than our current method
I've been on a marathon watching your videos, and am taking a break to send a comment; Thank you very much for your work in sharing all this wonderful information with us all. I'm planning a project based on what I've learned from you, and others, mostly you, You do a great job conveying information, and I have no question that your system is the best I've come across in my 40+ years of seaching for the perfect, low cost. alternative building process. Thanks again.
P.S.. Would you possibly have time take a look at my design, I'd love your feedback,
Brett J.
Thank you! abc@abundance.build
Hello Stephen i made styrofoam mixer out of you project and it working very well 👌:) I’m originally from Poland 🇵🇱 I will use styrocrete to build a wall under the concrete terrace and maybe for some styrocrete huge square garden flower pots for vegetables 🥕 :)
Great job!
pretty cool, so you could pretty much make any shape
Any shape you can mold
Hey Stephen, great job on these videos! Very interesting. I just accidentally ran across them one day while looking for something else and thought "that looks like Stephen Williams." Lol
Thank you!
Thanks for trying the precast form experiment, the panel weight was surprising. I’ll bet with some practice one could get a great final finish with a lot of mud and just a trowel. I keep thinking about the smooth finishes achieved on swimming pools and Santa Barbara style smooth stucco. People who do that work are true artisans but use primitive tools and techniques.
like anything it takes practice....God speed
New builds coming soon! Subscribe to see more
In south america, where almost every building is brick and mortar we use sika-1 in a waterproofing layer which is then covered with stucco.
Thanks for the tip!
good video
Thank you!
I don't know if you have thought of, heard
about or already tried this, but I think you
could extrude the Styrocrete instead of
trying to pump the slurry. If you use an
auger something like a post hole auger from
a pto inside the right size pvc pipe. You can
experiment with different size discharge
holes that would effect the density of the
slurry. To get the slurry compressed before
it enters the form so the consistency of the
wall would be the same. A hopper and a
Extruder with a hose and you could pump
the slurry into a hole in the bottom of the
form until it comes out a hole in the
opposite side at the top of the form.
Good idea!
I've been thinking about SIPs for my project. My instinct was to pour them sideways instead of flat and make my form to pour multiple side by side how blocks are cast. Pour a layer, tamp and drop in reinforcement, pour again. The chicken wire would add some difficulty over something like rebar but even that could be figured out. Aside from that the two sides of the SIP could be L shaped instead of male/female (I was a little surprised by how easily the corner damaged). My last thought was that the outer layer of concrete be added in place to truly make it monolithic but now I wonder if the panels in my brain are supporting a worker and all his wet concrete.
I don't normally post because you keep reading my mind anyways 😉.
Damodar it is alot more work and won't be as strong as forming it in place.
Good video, for some reason I couldn't give a thumbs up and I pressed it 20 times.
Haha comments work too! Subscribe for new builds coming soon!
Great work, I have an arched workshop like what you are making that is enclosed with plastic. It really is a great design in terms of construction cost and strength. I like the idea of using styroaircrete to make the panels I might have to try it sometime
When you say enclosed in plastic, what do you mean? Pallet wrap, like someone else mentioned? Some sort of 4' x 8' plastic paneling sheet? Something else?
@@RC206 I used 4 mil plastic that was leftover from an ice rink my dad made.
Go for it!
Workshop July 25 - 28th!
Awesome! I guess it is much better than just aircrete, right? Never try! But I love the idea and design!
It is better and recycled! Thank you!
Love your videos - keep up the great work! One question: Could you make the mix "soupier" so that you could pump it to the forms from where you are mixing it and then use a concrete vibrator, thus saving the hauling and packing of your current dry mix that you are using? Thx....
Thanks! We have found pumps to be slower than our method not justifying the cost
What about putting rebar in the walls? Maybe just one 1/4" or 1/2" rebar vertically in between the trusses and maybe every 2' horizontally. This would make it even stronger.
Good idea!
Appreciate your projects! Who is "Don"? Link would be great! Thx
NonameNoorg, Don has a channel called Prana -Tech. Just Google that and he has about 7 videos up now. He is wanting to build an aircrete house soon.
4:00
StyroAirCrete
The mix is:
2 gallons water
3_1/2 gallons portland cement
25 gallons foam
45 gallons shredded styrofoam
Ya but does that how how many surface sq ft and how thick
New recipe that doesn't require foam coming soon! Stay tuned
Lifting higher- See Ken's Karpentry videos from a few mouths ago Ladder with a home made electric lift. This will get the buckets up to your scafolding.
Thanks for the tip!
cool
Thanks!
Make the forms vertically. The groove can be cut after the panel is cured. Do the stucco n fiber mesh at building site.
Ralph the panels are weak without the fibermesh and stucco and will damage easily in transit.
Great video.. Im pouring my slab today for my house using Styro Aircrete. Using similar design from an earlier video of yours with wall/roof trusses with a gable roof. I'll let you know how it works out. Thanks
Is your slab being used to support the structure? Im curious how that would work. I want to make footers for the wall and possibly styocrete the floor but it wont support any walls.
Not sure I would use styrocrete for the slab??!!
Great job!
what do you think about putting up a clear polycarbonate rigid walled sheet built double thickness with wooden sides on top of some temporary supports and instead of your 2 arches touching each other you but the top of them to the edges of the polycarbonate so that it forms a roof to let the light in, you also get a bit more width for the structure.
( I don't think I have done a good job of explaining this! )
You could potentially create "windows" anywhere in between the trusses along the sides, too. I would reinforce them by solidly attach 2" X 4"'s horizontally above and below the "window" sectons. I don't know enough about building material options to seal these "window" sections, but I'm sure there's a viable way to do it.
You did a good job of describing it.
I have a construction company that builds with plastic.
Somewhere around 17:23 on Steven's video, we can look up to the top (ridge row) of the building. The light comes through for the full length of the building.
We use a preformed ^ shaped clear plastic 20 ft. long, 23 in. wide panel.
The clear plastic panel is flexible enough for any roof angle.
It is polycarbonate (UV inhibited).
Thanks for the tip!
Thank you so much. I'm building a geodesic dome this summer with styro aircrete and was going to do triangle panels then set them in place
I have been experimenting using aircrete only panels and with a good cure they hold up well to moving around other then the outside corners which is fixable before stucco
Do you think if I used stro Crete they are strong enough if the interior and 3 sides were pre meshed leving exterior for after building is up?
Also have you looked into Basalt fiber for reinforcing mesh?
Our goal here is to end homelessness with super efficient homes!
We are also working on underground structures for root cellars and shelters
Thanks for all you are doing
Представленное на видео не подойдет для ваших целей. Для массового строительства домов для бездомных, особенно попавших в трудное положение, благодаря катастрофам, нужна скорость строительства. Здесь она максимальна. Даже делая такой дом из кирпичей, ушло бы меньше времени на строительство. Сама идея арочного строительства, без кровли верная. Но материал не несущий. А следовательно сам процесс не технологичный. Дополнительная отделка и защита занимает много времени. Используя обычный полистиролбетон, без пены, можно добиться лучших результатов.
Great job! We have the same vision!
Could you try using pumice agregate, foam polystyrene and cement as a new mixture for testing
Good idea!
Totally appreciate all this wisdom! We are working on using it. I do have a question, we have a room we started to remodel prior to finding your video. It was an existing room with a roof so exterior sheer walled and trying to figure how to now insulate with styrocrete. Thoughts? Thinking need to do panels and shave to fit in between studs.
Aircrete panels are difficult. We use molds to pack in tightly. Good luck!
follow your channel and your excellent ideas..very interesting. I have a question if you please answer. Will wooden gig boards not absorb moisture and deteriorate inside the wall over the years?
The shed will last for a long time. Our new builds will have no wood inside - stay tuned!
Respectfully, I am concerned about timber embedded within any kind of concrete or cementitious material because there is no way to tell if it has rotted. May I ask how you will know that the structure is safe after a few years, and also, have you considered a method which uses the timber A-frames as a structural support for styroaircrete that you apply on top of the A-frame without embedding somehow?
If I may suggest - and I know how strange this may sound - perhaps next time you might erect the A-frames and then use pallet film wrap to create a membrane around the A-frames both inside and out. Pallet wrap is cheap, very strong, resists water, and is well suited to being pulled tight in the way you are pulling your mesh tight. Videos of it being used as temporary wall material are all over CZcams.
Once applied you can use the pallet wrap membrane in many different ways as an in-situ sacrificial form, which allows you to use the strength of the timber A-frames during construction while avoiding the possibility of rotting since you would avoid embedding timber in the aircrete.
Your videos are really great and interesting by the way.
I could be wrong, but to my way of thinking, the frame could almost be considered sacrificial in this structure. Once the monolithic, mesh reinforced wall is hardened up, the frame has already done it's job and it wouldn't matter if it did rot.
@@timstenros6234 you could be right, since I do not have information about the properties of mesh bonded to styroaircrete with stucco, and have no experience with it.
Since I have reasonable experience in building and because I live in an area that is subject to cyclonic conditions, my general attitude is never rely on an unknown building element to provide structural strength, and to treat anything like that as if it were a thick non-structural membrane that had a mass to be supported, that also subjected the actual load bearing structure to different kinds of loading etc.
If I had to build a structure like that, I would feel much more comfortable wrapping the A-frames in pallet wrap, laying mesh over the top from the outside, stapling it, screwing on some 6 inch spacers of some kind, apply one-eighth inch mortar from the outside with a mortar sprayer that would bond the mesh and make everything stiff, attach sheet material to spacers to create a cavity, then fill with styroaircrete. Last, remove outside panels and apply a one-eighth inch layer of mortar from the outside on the outside surface.
That way, all mortar spraying is from the outside only which keeps the concrete clean, while less effort is required to apply stucco overall, and the timber ribs remain completely free of concrete of any kind. Then you never have to worry about rot, and know exactly how each part of the building will behave in different conditions.
Of course I understand that the way I learned to build is complete and total overkill compared to most of the world, and so am in no way diminishing the way anyone else builds.
I thought about this problem as well. I appreciate your thoughts and your solution seems reasonable. On other videos it seems that the mix isn't generally structural but needs reinforcement. This may be overkill, but I live in the Pacific Northwest so we have to worry about water all the time. Some sort of additional vapor barrier that's not temporary, maybe such as a thin layer of shingle or house wrap could be a more viable and possibly long-term solution, though at that time you're increasing the budget substantially.
Just brainstorming😅
@@Daniel-vp2on Not overkill at all, since we have the same problem with water. The reason I mentioned pallet wrap is because it is very cheap compared to house wrap where I live. Since we mostly build everything with concrete of some kind, house wrap is practically a specialty item.
Your idea to use house wrap is obviously much better than pallet wrap, but probably difficult to pull tight. So, you might think about using some kind of cheap lath or something. Maybe some scrap lumber ripped into thin strips stapled between A-frames before laying the house wrap would be an easy way to accomplish it while making everything stronger as well.
I like your idea of shingles and would certainly do it if the price was right, or if I had enough time to cast my own using concrete. Silicone molds are inexpensive, and downright cheap if you buy a single master mold and copy it so that you can cast many per day.
He mentions treating the trusses with an oil/diesel mixture at 18:00 in the truss video.
czcams.com/video/c-oJIV07r_U/video.html
I'm looking forward to seeing how it gets finished off to prevent the weather from getting in. My sensibilities are saying you'd need a physical membrane and roofing panels but maybe I'm not trusting the eventual waterproofing/sealing chemical.
Hi Stephen, Thank you for your interesting and informative Video's, I would love to see what you have to say about adding Helix ( Steel in Concrete) to add strength to your Styro Aircrete I have a large building that is caving in, I was thinking of using your Styro Aircrete idea and add Helix to make it very strong! Please do one on it soon! Eddie
Hi Eddie. The styro aircrete is primarily for insulation but also adds rigidity to the wall. The fibermesh and stucco are what is giving the structure most of it's strength. Adding the steel in the mix would probably reduce it's R value some.
Aircrete does not have nearly the same strength as cement, so i know using rebar is not effective, and i imagine helix wouldn't be that effective either.
Thank you for going over all the different aspects. what are the attachments to the ladders that you put your scaffolding on called?
Palarius, Home Depot sells them. Werner short body ladder jack. $87.
@@AbundanceBuild Thank you!
I love this kind of building, you are a very inspiring person. Do you mind sharing Roberto Mena's contact information, I am from Guatemala also and would love to get in touch with him to learn and build this way. Thank you and keep up the great work you are doing!!
czcams.com/channels/DJSRvG5vGH9kHXjSVnJjuQ.html
Hello thanks for your time in showing to us, can you point me to your new generator I c'ant find it on internet , again thanks
We are filiming an e-course that will list out all of the needed equiptment and where to buy it! Subscribe to be notified when it becomes available soon!
I wonder if you can do this pouring technique with a concrete sprayer
Needs a mold to pack tightly. Also the pumps are slower than our method.
Hi Stephen, what a wonderful and educational channel you run and very easy to understand. I have a problem and I wonder if you can help me? I want to fill leaking pontoon steel pipes with aircrete which is as light as possible so as to maintain bouyancy. I also want light as possible aircrete mix for filling 50 gallon plastic barrels to stop them squashing/bending in the middle as the water pressure increases on them as they sink! I was wondering if I could make aircrete from just foam and cement, but would it retain its volume in the steel pipes preventing water ingress and it’s volume in the barrels to stop them being squashed? I cannot afford to repair the steel pipes or fill them or the barrels with expandable foam which is very expensive here!I would be very greatfull for any assistance that you or any other experts you know could provide! Ray in Ireland.
Yes you can use styrofoam with cement no foam needed! In fact we are coming out with a new recipe video soon! Stay tuned
My only wish is that this had come out sooner! I built a similar structure but didn't have this level of ingenuity, and the end result was nowhere near as good. This would have performed much better in Maine winters. Awesome job, Stephen!
Thank you! Congrats on your project anyway- I'm sure it is great!
Hi mate, I think the correct way to put the fibre mesh is first to put a thin layer of your plastering mix then put the mesh and then another layer of your plastering mix. Here in Europe I have never seen any one to do a fibre mesh like you. You need to put the mesh between two layers!
Thanks for the tip!
seems like you could use vibration to settle the aircrete in between buckets
Good idea!
a drill with a big disc sander on it works fine for foam production
cost $7...+ a $15 mixer and $120 drill
same drill for concrete slurry, and adding foam....may work for adding styro too
Good idea!
Hello from Estonia! Great work Mr Williams! i was thinking, about the mixture and had a question. Does the 2 gallons of cement means it is pure powder or in a liquid mix form ? thnx!
Thanks! New recipe video coming soon! Stay tuned
Stephen, Thanks so much for this. I'm planning on building a stand alone garage/shop in a few years and this is the technique I'm hoping for. Do you have any ideas for windows on the sides to let light in?
Block out the openings like in a normal concrete pour, and make sure you get plenty of ?crete around the blockout, make sure its good and packed in tight. If not this will leave a void that you will have to fix later... Good luck God speed
Hi Ray, Home Depot carries some economical vinyl windows that fit nicely into openings. Frame your opening with treated lumber and cover it with stucco. Then install the window using silicone to seal it. You have the wood all the way around to nail into.
So i was just thinking the addition of a sheet sander with out sand paper would maybe vibrate the mix down more
Good idea!
It's looking awesome! Great information about the pros and cons of pouring a flat wall and trying to stand it up! Curious to know the total build time, including gathering and processing materials, also have you noticed any shrinkage from styrocrete after a few months? 😎
Pretty sure it has to be a labor of love. Good question: Maybe commercial aircrete uses aluminum powder aeration because it expands - maybe even subsequently?
@@nobreighner Не пойдет. Он очень капризен.
Hi Red & April, Thankyou for your feedback. I have had very little shrinkage especially if you pack it well. I will try to discuss time of building in later videos.
Hi Stephen, what mesh do you use?? Thank you in advance.
New recipe videos coming soon! Stay tuned
I have question - have you tried test second floor build to test on Stand and sleep and walking around? I was thinking about building house with second floor in woods.
(Im apology not good grammar)
Alexy I am working on a design for a friend in Guatamala that wants to build 8x10 houses with a flat roof that later you could build a second floor on. You need deep trusses of at least 10 inches and on 16 inch on center to handle the loads. Then cover the bottom and sides with fiber mesh, then box it in with OSB or other sheathing, pour and pack the styro aircrete, then fiber mesh the top and stucco it with 2 coats and paint. The combination of all of that increases the strength tremendously from just the wood strength.
I would love to come out to your place and see what you've done (I live in New Hope), but I totally understand if you were apprehensive to having people you don't know out to your place.
Send me an email and lets talk. stephen.williams64@yahoo.com
If you wanted to you could do workshops, while building these sheds for folk. 2 income streams there.
Workshop July 25 - 28th!
Could you put wet location sheet rock on the inside and leave it in place? It's cheaper than your hardboard and easy to finish. I've left it outside in the rain, and seen the paper still adhered after months. It wouldn't be wet for long as the cement cures.
cement board, tile backer board?
I'm not a construction person, but I want to understand what is "wet location sheet rock". Can you give me a link to it or brand/manufacturer info on it so that I can find it, please? Thanks!
Nick w - check out the new type of ultralight foam tile backer board (GoBoard, schluter, wedi). They would work well but are super pricey thus defeating the purpose of using recycled materials.
AW I used regular sheetrock in the ceiling of my shop and poured and packed the styro aircrete. It was dripping water from the ceiling and the sheetrock got wet in places. It dried and was fine but it got a light coating of surface mold. It stays wet a long time. So yes this will work but the sheetrock needs some kind of coating to prevent it from molding. Potentially painting the inside surface with cheap $3/gallon Habitat for Humanity latex paint. Or buy Lowes and Home depot mixed paint that has been returned and goes on the deep discount rack.
@@chaosplan yes I have used those lightweight tile backer boards, fibre glass mesh with dense insulation foam between, I was thinking of building a dome with such a system, making my own panels with spray foam sandwiched between fibre glass mesh. Too expensive though, hence why I am looking at Stephens method
how did you "crete" in the most top part of the arch? Did you have a designated form for that?
Subscribe for new builds coming soon!
I use a peristaltic pump to pump Aircrete 15 feet up and the foam doesn’t collapse
Great job! We looked into pumps and found we could do it faster without the pump
In your second coat of stucco, you could add color(s).
Kevin you can but you need to make sure your final coat is water resistant.
@@AbundanceBuild white thinset, colorizer, fine sand.
Is it possible to rent concrete pumps? Seems as though the additional cost would be worth it in labour savings.
We have found the pumps to be much slower than our method. But yes I believe they can be rented
I like this design. I would maybe have done thicker spacer blocks in the trusses so you'd end up with thicker walls. Or I would have used a catenary arch instead of a gothic arch. Basically if you want masonry to be self-supporting (100% compressive, no reliance on tensile) the catenary arch (the flipped shape formed by a hanging chain) should fall within the wall, whatever curve you use. (Not saying this won't work though. Just saying the catenary shape is the strongest for masonry. The trusses and fiber mesh hopefully add the needed tensile strength to make up for it.) I would have done vertical runs with the fiber mesh (even over the ridge and down the other side) instead of horizontal, since that's the direction it'll be taking the load.
Btw, for people who can't get hyrdated lime, I'm pretty sure pre-mixed mortar mixes like Type N or whatever are already a mix of sand, portland, and lime.
Interesting. How would you actually build the top part of catenary arch? Build it on the ground in sectons and hoist them up into place? How would you attach them to each side? Would doing a layer of fibersheeting both vertically and horizontally be overkill? Thanks
@@RC206 Very good question... I think you would just do it the same way. I think you'd still do it in two parts that meet at the ridge. The difference would be when you do fabricate the trusses you'd bend them according the the catenary curve instead of simple semi-circles -- so straighter at the bottom and more curved at the top. The increased curve at the top might be a problem when bending the wood -- I'm not sure -- but I guess you could add cuts to the boards lengthwise where the curve is the most so that you have more, thinner laminations towards the tip. Or wet/steam it. I also believe it's possible to do a hybrid arch shape, keeping the point at the top while still retaining the compressive strength benefits of the catenary geometry. Another benefit of the catenary is you have more flexibility in how tall vs wide you want the structure.
I'm just little paranoid about these gothic arch sheds after seeing the "$500 shed" series here on CZcams where it only lasted a couple years before one of the sides blew out in a storm and the whole thing collapsed on his car and boat. Though, that guy's build quality was really sub-par. This thing should be a lot more stiff.
It's very interesting to read about the history of arches and architecture, since in the olden days they had to depend entirely 100% on the compressive strength of the masonry designs, so they came up with all sorts of clever solutions.
Most gothic arches you see in stone architecture, it's used for an opening, like a window -- So it's not self-supporting -- it's got all the surrounding stone around it adding compressive strength so there's no risk it blows out on the sides. On traditional structures where they do have a a gothic arch roof, they'll have considerable buttressing to prevent it from blowing out. Were this my shed and too late to make it a catenary curve, I would add some buttresses. You could do it in a way that looks nice, like a waist-high flower bed on the exterior walls. Or even just some wire collar ties. Because it's the middle of that curve that is going to want to push outwards, and if it starts to, it could all come down very quickly.
As for the fibermesh -- You could do horizontal on the inside and vertical on the outside if you wanted to diversify. The outside being vertical would give me the most peace of mind.
Thanks for the tips!
I'm sorry the mortar sprayer didn't work for you. It didn't look right, I don't think there was enough air. I use a 14 cfm 220 volt compressor and had to get 1/2" hose, larger connector fittings and it runs a lot when I use it. When it works correct it's really nice. It goes on very even with minimal overspray and is very fast. Very informative videos.
Rowgler thanks for the feedback. My sprayer nozzles are starting to clog and I can't fully clean them out. That may have something to do with it.
@@AbundanceBuild It helps to spray the entire surface of the tool with an anti stick agent like silicone, WD-40 or Fluid Film before beginning, and never loan the tool out, because it has to be rigorously cleaned after every use. The nozzles on mine can be removed for cleaning and it came with two size choices. I hope you get a chance to try it with more air capacity.
I wont use foam because of many issues, but mainly because insects love tunneling in it.. Does the portland used as the binder prevent insects from tunneling in styro aircrete? Good idea using traditional stucco to allow the wall to breath and prevent wood rot..
Maybe add boric acid to the mixture to deter insects.
The cement reduces the pests ability to access the isolated styrofoam
Mr Williams, have you ever tried doing concrete floor with aircrete or styro-aircrete?
I have worked with aircrete a bit and as a surface, it is very fragile.
I have wondered if having the bulk of the volume of a slab be aircrete/styro-aircrete, and then pouring an inch or so of high strength, fiber reinforced cement on top would work.
Not yet! Coming soon!
Can you just make blocks the size of cinder blocks, dry stack then surface bond with the mesh? I think making a block mold would be a lot easier than making the forms on site.
We like the strength of the homogenous pour. New simplified molds will be unveiled in our next build soon!
Any links for that foam generator, that thing looks awesome..
Seartch air creat foam generator and you will finde a whole new world out there 😉
Prana-tech
New recipe that requires no foam coming soon! Stay tuned
This is awesome. How much for a building like that.
Cost breakdowns coming soon!
An auger or conveyor belt would be the best feed methods I think.
auger tube used for grain feeder would work great in think.
@@walkingthruyourdata-6019 Can you give me an example of a model and brand? I tried to post a link to something from Tractor supply that I wanted to know if it's the kind of thing you had in mind, but CZcams removed my post. Why? I don't know why. I'm guessing it was because it was a direct link to Tractor Supply. So, because I'm not familiar with farming, can you give me more specific info, so that I can find it, please? Thanks!
The grain feeders I’ve seen are rigid. Look into “flexible screw conveyors”. They are amazing. They uses a flexible tube with a spinning auger inside. The problem is cost, they are pricy since they’re mostly used in industrial and manufacturing.
@@chaosplan Thanks! 💚
@@chaosplan Oh my never thought of this before... Thank you... I think it would be easy to design a make a makeshift device but to make it work properly is another story..lol . I am going to look into this...God speed...
even regular concrete sometimes seems to crumble up and flake away, here's hoping your stuff lasts you a long time
Holding up nicely!
I still believe you could layer wood sheets on top of each other as both a mold and a permanent rustic exterior wall. The spaces in between them should be big enough for the aircrete to get inside.
That takes more money and materials. It defeats the purpose of the true beauty of the process
@@jerbear7952 Actually I will try using waste wood which is dirt cheap.
And I would also use waste wood on the inside with spaces inbetween and after that glue directly PVC paneling. The styrofoam should easily stick to the wood.
Go for it!
Question: How much did the panels weigh without the stucco layers? Could the stucco layers be added once the panels were in place?
Carlson 100 lbs and they are fragile and will break on you without the stucco skin on them.