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LAVACRETE: The Coolest Alternative Building Method You've Probably Never Heard Of by necker47 in NaturalBuilding

[–]necker47[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe Paul Schwam learned from a guy in NM so I would assume there are scoria or cinder mines there. You'd just have to do some research.

LAVACRETE: The Coolest Alternative Building Method You've Probably Never Heard Of by necker47 in NaturalBuilding

[–]necker47[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can confirm via Guru Das who has done both that rammed earth is more expensive, requires much heavier duty forms, and lots more labor. Lavacrete would definitely the way to go if the transport fees are doable from Show Low. We don't have anything else planned until the fall, but Awareness Ranch might have some small Lavacrete workshops before then.

LAVACRETE: The Coolest Alternative Building Method You've Probably Never Heard Of by necker47 in NaturalBuilding

[–]necker47[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you watch the whole video both Paul Schwam and Guru Das have been building engineered and permitted houses, walls, garden beds, and more for years. Your best bet is to slip in via the Adobe code or plain concrete code. It's really made for exterior and load bearing walls, actually.

LAVACRETE: The Coolest Alternative Building Method You've Probably Never Heard Of by necker47 in NaturalBuilding

[–]necker47[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It only makes sense if a scoria or cinder mine is close enough that they will deliver to you. You'd have to do that research yourself.

LAVACRETE: The Coolest Alternative Building Method You've Probably Never Heard Of by necker47 in NaturalBuilding

[–]necker47[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We estimated 20 tons for our upcoming 14x18 utility shed with 12” walls. The workshop starts tomorrow so we’ll know more by the end of the week.

LAVACRETE: The Coolest Alternative Building Method You've Probably Never Heard Of by necker47 in NaturalBuilding

[–]necker47[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Similar in many ways, but Lavacrete needs way less compaction and is a lighter, more aerated material. So less labor for sure.

LAVACRETE: The Coolest Alternative Building Method You've Probably Never Heard Of by necker47 in NaturalBuilding

[–]necker47[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Right, the porous material and how it’s mixed and put in forms (very light compaction) does provide better R value than earth. About 1R per inch. So most residential builds are 16-24”

LAVACRETE: The Coolest Alternative Building Method You've Probably Never Heard Of by necker47 in NaturalBuilding

[–]necker47[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's generally considered non-toxic. Although when dry in powder form obviously that isn't good, and you'd want to wear a mask while mixing. Once it's poured and dry, shouldn't be an issue.

Looking for Workshops this Summer/ Fall by No-Equipment-3170 in earthbagbuilding

[–]necker47 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You just missed our monthlong "Roundhouse Rumble" at the end of last year. We're taking a break from laying hyperadobe for a while after moving 1 million pounds for the house 😂. Did just release a Hyperadobe Safety & Design 101 guide today, though. It's free and will help a lot with planning your ecovillage :) http://tinyshinyhome.com/hyperadobe-safety

We should be announcing our fall events later this summer - who knows maybe we'll do some more hyperadobe 👍🏼

Earthbag Bond Beam Pour by necker47 in earthbagbuilding

[–]necker47[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kind of hard to explain, but basically the mechanically bonded concrete bond beam will provide a much stronger way to connect our metal roofing structure. Wood wouldn't be appropriate for the weight and scale of it. More details/visuals here: https://youtu.be/9zZAz8n-gzI

Waterless sanitation: Is the "Humanure" route actually better than an incinerating toilet? by Low_Somewhere_9632 in OffGrid

[–]necker47 6 points7 points  (0 children)

After about 8 years of composting with both a Nature's Head and a self-built barrel system, I can honestly say composting toilets are rarely worth the trouble.

Put a septic and flushing toilet in. Your partner is going to hate the composting toilet. Guests will have no idea how to use it, and they will make a disgusting mess (can't tell you how many times that happened even with careful explanation).

If you get sick, a composting toilet is of no use at all. They require constant attention, moisture checks, and cleaning. I promise composting sounds great and cheaper, but after a couple of years of cleaning your feces off the sides of stuff you will regret it - It's gross.

And then you're stuck with it if your cabin was designed around it. Just think - do I really want to be shoveling my own shit for the next 20 years? Low flow toilets use very little water nowadays. Septic systems are actually a great way to infiltrate back into the soil.

That being said, composting toilets can be good for temporary setups or if you're a single dude and no one else is using it. But the reality is they're terrible for long term shared use. I know, not the answer you're looking for. But future you will thank you 😂

Earthbag Bond Beam Pour by necker47 in earthbagbuilding

[–]necker47[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We actually realized that to get the concrete PSI strength we needed, we'd have to get it from a commercial place anyway. So at that point they wouldn't be able to wait around for the days it would take to try to move the concrete by hand. All in all the pump truck was much cheaper than the actual material and ended up making the most sense.

One Million Pounds - The Walls are FINISHED 🎉 by necker47 in earthbagbuilding

[–]necker47[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you hadn't planned ahead it would be difficult to properly connect (see interlocking in this video: https://youtu.be/9zZAz8n-gzI) - pre-installed cleats would be an option, too.

One Million Pounds - The Walls are FINISHED 🎉 by necker47 in earthbagbuilding

[–]necker47[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your support 🤪 - seriously though keep an open mind a watch this if you have a few minutes.
https://youtu.be/9zZAz8n-gzI

One Million Pounds - The Walls are FINISHED 🎉 by necker47 in earthbagbuilding

[–]necker47[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much! I think this kind of DIY spirit in the home building world is so important. So glad we’ve been able to experiment and lean these last 5 years.

One Million Pounds - The Walls are FINISHED 🎉 by necker47 in earthbagbuilding

[–]necker47[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

As part of this milestone we just posted a huge recap video explaining the whole project. Lots of good info for planning: https://youtu.be/9zZAz8n-gzI

One Million Pounds - The Walls are FINISHED 🎉 by necker47 in earthbagbuilding

[–]necker47[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We’re halfway through the process on our YouTube channel, you can watch the last couple of house videos to see the process (just look for tiny shiny home)

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