Sherri and I worked together to install the electrical and passed our inspection... Then it was on to rebar for the rest of the day... All just steps as we prep for the shotcrete day coming up. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGvWna9O5KA
We have made a lot of progress since the last walkthru, so we were overdue for another. As you can probably tell, the thing I am most excited about is the earth tubes which appear to be working well.
To learn more about this project, check out our website at www.homeintheearth.com.
For more specifically about the design of earth tubes... https://www.homeintheearth.com/tech_notes/earth-tubes/earth-tube-design-for-earth-sheltered-homes/
For more up to date pics of our progress, check us out on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HomeintheEarth/
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNEDMDiqYRA
This week, my wife and I tried to prep our basement for backfilling. We had a lot of cleanup, waterproofing and drain tile to take care of.
We didn't quite make it...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7iGLuxTRbo
In this segment, we erect the structural steel tube posts that form the bones of our tower structure at the core of our earth sheltered home.
More details can be found on www.homeintheearth.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY2SwW00n2k
With winter setting in, it was too cold to work outside, but the temp was quite moderate inside, so we started working on the stucco.
This is the shorter version of the Stucco timelapse. Try this link if you want the longer version with all the footage... https://youtu.be/JWv2PUU_biU Don't worry, I still sped it up so it is only half as long as it would have been.
For more info, check out our Web page at www.HomeInTheEarth.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6_emf2xFJI
Well, I got the first batch done... I only used about half the syrup I collected, and I actually still have about a gallon of half reduced (so it throws off the math) before I ran out of charcoal.
Next year, I'll do it properly with steel pans over a brick oven burning cheap wood. But for now, it was an interesting psudo-success.
I had used charcoal this time because I didn't have enough wood or the time to chop more or the time to build the oven or keep it fed. Charcoal was something i could just top up ever couple hours while I worked on more important tasks. The three 16lb bags of charcoal cost 8 dollars each.
After getting the many gallons down to a small enough amount to fit in a pot, I finished up in my kitchen.
The time between the first hydrometer test and the second was less than 20 min, so I was glad I was watching it closely.
The final syrup had a very dark color and I wonder if that came from the charcoal? Maybe it was a terrible idea.
The final flavor is smokey sweet. I have tasted it on a spoon, but not had a chance for pancakes yet.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvJWaBtkeVY
We setup the shotcrete formwork for the tower and mezzanine structure of our earth sheltered home project.
For more information, see our website, http://www.homeintheearth.com/2017/04/01/preparing-mezzanine-tower-forms-shotcrete/
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAesLQybTXw
Our earth sheltered home relies on thin shell concrete to support the earth loads. I do know of large earth sheltered homes made of concrete domes that are less than an inch thick, but that sort of precision is difficult. My vaults are relatively small, but will be 6 to 8 inches thick of very strong shotcrete. Once that shotcrete has set, it will be very strong, but before it sets, it is very heavy and needs to be supported.
Rather than build a separate frame to support the structure which will later need to be removed, I am embedding a rebar skeleton within the structure that will support it while it cures and then reinforce it for the next few hundred years until its final job is making it very difficult for someone to tear down.
The #4 rebar is spaced 12 inches apart, tied and then welded. We then use metal lath on the inside, tied to the rebar, to catch the externally applied shotcrete.
We have decided to add an additional layer of fine fiberglass screening to the bedroom. The fiberglass still needs to be backed by the stronger metal lath, but it should prevent the shotcrete from passing thru.
More details can be found on the website. http://www.homeintheearth.com/2015/08/15/rebar-and-lath-on-the-bedrooms/
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5GoClVi81c
This week, I attended a training for "Fox Blocks" ICFs. The training was given by Ken Williams who had been doing this for a long time and clearly knew what he was talking about.
Full story here http://www.homeintheearth.com/2015/02/12/fox-blocks-training/
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XAuKpYxJoY
This is a short video showing how we finished up the Quonset hut steel structure. Thanks to all those who came to help out.
For more information, check out our web page at http://www.homeintheearth.com/2015/10/24/finishing-the-quonset-hut/
For the more detailed version of the first part of the Quonset hut... https://youtu.be/R4AVARi2LAk
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8OVZSyY_Jc