Construction Techniques

I waited to do my excavation for Plumbing and Electrical, mostly because I wasn’t sure how to do it. I watched my neighbors and other builders put it in and then rented a Kubota for a week. A neighbor helped with the excavation putting about 13 hours on the machine. I put in 27. Did […]
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Roof was insulated with 8 inches of 40 PSI insulation. R40 at 0 degrees Celsius. Insulation was then covered with EPDM rubber.
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Installing the vapor barrier for the roof was problematic. My first attempt using plastic failed. Condensation appeared overnight and after a week, a slimy scum arose. I couldn’t believe this building technique is usually recommended for Green Roofs. I switched to a more expensive paintable rubberized blue product – Blue like the Sky.
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Twenty-two pillars were constructed to support beams for roof. Pillars were made out of 5/8″ rebar and 6000 psi concrete mix. Each pillar poured by hand and topped with a beam seat. Lots of fun climbing up ladder with half a pail of concrete.
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The bond beam was made with 6000 PSI concrete mix and 5/8″ rebar. It was poured in four main sections strengthening the bond between walls.
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After completing the walls, I roughed in the interior plumbing using plumbing channels and then covered it all with 3/4 drain rock. The following Spring, I finished off some rammed earth walls for windows and a sliding door.
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Took me a whole Spring, Summer, and Autumn to build my Rammed Earth Walls. Shoveling 600 tons of sand and gravel and man-handling 40 KG bags of cement ain’t for the weak of spirit. I had good weather though, despite being unbearably hot at times. I drank three or four liters of liquid a day. […]
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The footings were very unique for this project. Over 30 cubic yards of concrete, three times what most houses use to create a snowshoe imprint to handle the weight of the Rammed Earth Walls.      
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Preparing building site with 1000 lb plate compactor to keep my GeoTec happy.
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