I’ve been watching your channel for several yrs now and I’ve finally have EVERYTHING (shredder, foam gun, etc etc) but the FORMULA. Would you please share? I promise to pay when I build something and make $$. Thanks 🙏
Very generous of you to share the results of your experiments and final conclusions! I certainly appreciate the value of all the hard work you've done! Thank you so much. Looking forward
i did this same thing 17 years ago.. i found that using Styrofoam that was broke down by sanding .that the mix will be stronger because the gloss on the balls of Styrofoam is broken and sticks together far better ..
@@AbundanceBuild you will find the mix is easy to mix and sticks together better and makes it stronger without the glossy coating on the none sanded method
Stephen you are a superstar in your presentations, you are a great instructor and instill confidence in those who may be pursuing this revolutionary idea. Thanks Stephen
Fantastic job! I'm sure I speak for many others when I say thank you for such a detailed and informative video. Good luck and best wishes to you and your family in your new home!
Steve; I would buy your technology to build an affordable home. Some manufacturers produce styrocrete like a Perfect Block but their prices as far away from cheap - actually more expensive than full concrete block construction; I asked them why their product is so expensive for the little binding cement they use and supposedly free styrofoam and they have answered premium product costs premium price
That's a good idea! If you see the workshop in our videos, it is multistory with no framing. We do recommend you add more support like columns, but it goes to show how strong the compressive strength of the styrofoam is and how strong the fiberglass mesh is!
It is a pleasure to greet you. I am Gustavo Moreno López from Colombia. I am really grateful for your ideas and the way of transmitting them very clearly and completely. It is a pleasure to meet enterprises like this
I did the workshop with Domegaia for building domes with aircrete, and their foam generator is great. The trick according with their recipe is that you have to weigh the foam until it has the right weight and once you do you set at that number and the foam generator will produce a consistent thickness of the foam. But I do have to say the bricks we were making from the mixes didn't always come out great and oftentimes was dependent on the weather where we were. On a couple of wet cold days it was not great. This technique looks promising and would need to make bricks to build the domes from.this mix instead of regular aircrete. They also used a reinforcing fiber sheet you are using.
Some on our team also completed Domegaia training. We actually now have a new recipe of styrocrete that doesnt require the tricky foam generator! New builds coming soon - stay tuned!
There is so much information in this video. Ive been a carpenter and mason for forty years and this is inspiring. I can't get past-Why the foam? In cordwood construction (Rob Roy wrote several books) they use sawdust in the mortar to get to coefficient of expansion and contraction similar to the soft wood log lengths. I wonder if wood shavings or sawdust or even polysorb could be substituted for the foam? I feel like the foam is the technological sticking point that makes this beyond the reach of a lot of people. Most of those bubbles must pop any way. Shredded leaves or straw? There must be a low tech substitute for the foam. I love Portland cement. It is so versatile.
I love your content, friend. Thanks for innovating. Have done cob houses. Thinking seriously about aircrete; your insulative aspect is a welcome development.
I have looked at many different alternative ways to build, aircrete, dustcrete, using regular cement blocks, working with stones and concrete, but styrocrete looks like a great alternative.
We tried them all and are convinced our methods are the lowest cost and best performance! If you'd like to learn step by step how we do it check out our online class at abundancebuild.com (Use code SPRING40 for 40% off!)
Stephen, great channel, I love your simple approach to everything. Here are a couple of possible solutions to some of your challenges: 1. Foam solution issues: Add foam solution to the air using an eductor (aka ejector), so you can use an atmospheric plastic barrel as the reservoir. This is what is done to create fire fighting foam. Simplest eductor is a tee fitting with the air blowing through it, and the solution sucked through the "tee" leg. That is also inefficient, but more efficient eductors can be purchased that would have greater suction with less air use. Tee should work, so long as you don't have much pressure in your foam generator (hose with scrubbies in it- that is genius btw). Next step would be to use a "well tank" or "pressure tank" for the foam solution. They have a bladder in them that would prevent the corrosion issues, and the internal pressure would store the solution in advance even if your pump died to prevent loss of a batch. 2. Overflowing of the styrofoam bag bucket- Use a vortex to separate out the beads from the air- this is what is done in dust collecting systems. if you have room, use one barrel to capture the beads, and another to filter the air. I would shove the hose into your octagon device and screw it to the side so that it shapes the incoming air into a vortex- foam laden air goes around the outside, clean incoming air goes up through the middle, exiting through a new pipe coming out of the center of the octagon. The new pipe goes into the top of another barrel filter, this one with larger openings, so you can see when the styrofoam is overflowing from the first barrel. I would suggest to make it square with a round opening on the bottom to make it easier to build. Second barrel can be overflowed into several times before it needs emptied, or just swap the barrels. If you don't have room for two barrels, shove the hose further into the octagon so it dangles down into the barrel, and build a new larger screen filter house on top of the existing one. The dangling hose should stir up enough beads to allow you to see it is full and stop, and still fit the beads into the bag. 3. Lawnmower barrel & size of incoming pieces- I would recommend putting a flat plate on the bottom of the lawnmower, with a smaller rectangular chute for the incoming styrofoam. The chute needs to be big enough to allow required airflow. The shape of it should prevent clogging and larger pieces from just swirling around instead of getting chopped up. The suction from the mower should pull the pieces into the blades making things simpler and allowing for longer rectangular incoming shapes.
Your video really helps. I have seen several other videos where people are failing trying to use aircrete. I have seen styrofoam used with more success but did not have a good source where to send people forva good example. I will be sending people to this video from now on
Thanks for your informative videos. I will be starting my first aircrete project in spring. I will be using the polyester beads from some recycled beanbag chairs for my mix but if I need any extra I will use a cheese grater on some solid blocks of styrofoam. I will also be experimenting with a concrete canvas made with a mix of concrete and elastomeric paint.
Hey AlbertaPrepper, I noticed your comment about using a cheese grater on styro blocks. I've done this as a test. It worked well, but is very difficult and slow. It also creates quite a bit of static. I made the little video below to show my brothers some destructive testing I was doing. Maybe you will find it interesting. Good luck and I would encourage you to get testing as soon as possible. You can learn a lot just by messing around. th-cam.com/video/iV5GxkL46oE/w-d-xo.html
I just love your channel i just wait one day i could build something with this material. I really want to learn how to make it a viable solution for my construction project.
Thank you for the detailed overview. Looking forward to experimenting with this stuff. There are relatively cheap compressor driven stucco guns that might make the skim coat and the stucco coat go on quicker. One question - as I have done a lot of work with mixing my own concrete from base materials, I have learned that the order you add things in is very important to 1) how quickly the mix stirs up and 2) how well mixed the final product is. The order of when the cement and water go in in relation to aggregates is especially critical. My experience of adding water directly after adding the cement is that the cement will form lumps that are difficult to get mixed out. Was this really the best order of adding materials that you found?
Thanks Red & April. I got lax with my screws and clamps. If that had been aircrete I probably would have had to throw it away. I was able to throw it all back into the wall.
I'm acutely interested to see how the building/s you put up in this manner hold up. I watched your video about using fiber lath reinforcement on a styro-aircrete garage and found it quite interesting. I've seen a lot of videos and done as much reading as I can on aircrete and the main takeaway I have is that if you're a mason building with aircrete blocks there's clear guidelines on how to do it, but otherwise it's kind of a wild west. I've also never seen anything that would suggest mixing styrofoam in does anything for the strength. If it can be safely incorporated into buildings it would be pretty fantastic but I keep coming back to that strength concern.
Cost on this wall: $6 for 35 gallons 7.48 gallons in 1 cu ft. 35 gallons/7.5 = $1.29 per cu. ft. If you do a 6" thick wall then you have 2 sq ft of wall space for each cubit ft of material. Example: 30'x40' structure with 8' walls (Not subtracting for windows or doors) = 140 linear feet of wall x 8' = 1120 sq ft of wall 1120 sq ft of wall/2 (coverage of 1 cu ft) = 560 cu ft 560 cu ft = (4200 gallons or 120 batches at 35 gallons per batch) 560 x $1.29 = $722.40 in material costs to build a 30x40 8' wall. You will have voids from windows/doors that don't need any material. So, Just figure out your square footage of total walls and then divide by two and multiply by $1.30. Now, the equipment, labor, panels, rebar, mesh, adhesive, stucco, etc. has to be added to the cost, but if you were to calculate studs, insulation, sheathing, house flashing and siding, I think you would still come out on top, but it would be more difficult to wire, plumb, etc. For a shed or studio this is a great idea, especially as an alternative building method. More research should be put into this method so I hope others are paying attention. I subscribed and appreciate the detailed info on everything.
I don't know after looking at all that's involved in making this system work I'm just thinking get down with your two by fours throw up your walls and you're done pretty simple if you need insulation you got to add insulation but it just seems a lot less involved at first it seemed like a good situation but it sure is labor-intensive with all that foam and cement I don't know
@@arlenmargolin4868 Yes, this would be for someone who wants to build a lot of walls like this. If you're just building a shed then the learning curve, and time to set up the equipment, wouldn't be worth it. Still, if this idea became more mainstream then some of the jerry-rigging could be done away with in favor of more stable means of construction.
@@arlenmargolin4868 still stick built is not in the same league as using concrete type blocks. You can build a monolithic structure (entire structure framing is one structure stronger than rock).
I am very enthusiastic about developing this idea in a tourist area of my country, cabins with direct access to the beach, I also want to teach many low-income families to do their
I think this mix might be a good process for building using the inflatable bag/rebar process to eliminate the possibility of chunks of heavy concrete dislodging in earthquake-prone areas of the world.
@@joel6427 Yes it would be compatible with that method. We have our own new building method that accomplishes the same resistance at a lower cost - check it out at abundancebuild.com!
Hi Stephen, Thank you for all the great content! Do you plan on trying to build with just regular concrete (no foam) and styrofoam mix? The foam maker seems really difficult to build and troubleshoot.
Hi. Thank you for all the videos you posted. Great source of knowledge. My question is: Why bother with aircrate? Why not just add styro instead of aggregate to your standard concrete mix? My brother is currently building a house out of shipping containers. We needed to fill some space before final coating. Nothing structural. We mixed water, portland cement and shredded styro. We also added some glass fiber leftovers. The final mixture is "wetter" than what you are getting so it's definitely better for molding. We didn't do any more research, because what we produced was good enough for our purposes. Take care. Great content.
Might be able to use a reciprocating saw to vibrate the concrete in the forms. Could you drill a hole in the bottom of that trough and have a valve with a hose and just pour in the mix? Maybe a 3 or 4 inch hose that went to 2 inch pipe.. That would depend on how wide wall was. I wonder if you could just use fiber mesh? No plywood form.
A few words of advice that may help others: 1. When you build an extension cord for 220V, you don't have to use such thick wire diameter as with 110V, as literally you are running at half the amperage for the same power. In Europe we use 3.5mm wire (12 awg) for pretty almost all use-cases, it should hold at least 4kW continuously without problems. 2. The concrete mixer you got is extremely fancy. In europe we have these round drums (if you watched videos with guys from Ukraine you saw them 100%) mixers. They will set you 150$ and do exactly the same function yours does, with the addition that they are so simple that literally nothing can break in them.
Stephen, great video! and just a quick share.. We just acquired the same mortar mixer. Unfortunately, prices are climbing. Multiquip had 4 price increases over a year. We paid roughly 3600 for the EM90ES, which included the optional tow hitch. Folks, get your mixer sooner than later! Honda engine parts are scarce thanks to the pandemic, and the electric models are moving pretty quick, likely just because there are so few parts for the gas models!
Awesome content. You are very thorough and your content is well presented. THANK YOU for sharing failures (Wall form blow out etc.) That is how we learn.
I feel like this would be amazing with a 8x8 wood beam construction and rebar staggered down the center Doing a 6" styrocrete pour you could use 4x8 sheets of Typar housewraped plywood, doing large panels. Then. Fill pour spot or pour through the 8 in beam using a 2 in bore hole. Just a thought . As thatd give more structural integrity also and give the building a really sweet look ..
@@meh8099 Who are you? Where is your channel showing your work? What data do you have to support your comments? I don't see any links to your efforts, its typical to have people make disparaging comments, like this without solid data, or at least an attempt at the construction process. Sad that people like Stephan have to be subjected to ones like "M eh" who have no idea of what they are commenting on. Stephen, those of us that appreciate your efforts, hope negative commenters like this wont stifle your curiosity, please keep up the good work.
I would consider a lime based render to stucco the wall rather than Portland mortar. The lime render will pass vapor and also become harder as it cures. It's also carbon neutral if you care about such things.
@wischmopps293 Every part. We take styrofoam headed for the landfill and directly divert into long lasting cement buildings. Reducing the cement needed for the job by 90%, making the build carbon negative, and removing the number one space eater in the landfill that takes over 100 years to break down. In the very distant end of life of a cement building like this, one can grind it down and reuse it in the next building as an insulation product again
@@AbundanceBuild you're welcome. It"s a major scandal in the UK at the moment. There is a lot of information available. According to "experts" here it has a shelf life of about 30 years before it starts degrading through water ingress.
Edit: never mind, I found the answer in part 2 :) thanks so much for spreading this great information How much difference is there in using the foam/airCrete and Styrofoam. Compared to just using the Styrofoam and regular concrete? Seems like if you’re packing it down that much a lot of the air you’re introducing with the foam gets squeezed out
Coz yes an engineer is needed for this. I am in the county and we have no building inspections so not an issue for me. After I build the garden shed with wood trusses I want to talk to engineers.
Styrocrete cannot be sprayed. But we did make an online class to cover our best research and step by step guide to building with it at the lowest cost! Check it out at abundancebuild.com
Stephen, you have some of the best info I've ever seen on this alternative building material. Something I'm very curious about; ---- does this "styro aircrete" crack over time like regular concrete or cement? --- It seems like the styrofoam beads would allow for expansion and contraction enough to stop cracking, but since I have no experience with it, I'll defer to your expertise.
I'm very inspired by your video and research of the engineering. But what about the shredded Styrofoam /styrene exposure and off-gassing hazards from within the wall? Can it still off-gass through the interior?
Thank you! Styrofoam is not a significant off-gasser being 98% air; it is considered safe enough for food and drink packaging. When locked behind the stucco finish there is virtually zero off- gassing
Great info thanks for taking the time and effort to share. Your sharing can change the world for the better by making housing affordable to everyone. I live in Florida and would like to build a similar structure. How did you get your permit? What challenges did you have going through the permitting process?
Lance I am in the county and don't need a permit to build with an alternative building process. I would ask the inspectors if they will approve building with the trusses without an engineer. If they don't approve that then you will have to hire an engineer to approve it. Not fun.
@@lancealot4065 That is correct, there are still some free places in the United States. I live in Idaho, and we don't have to have permits for our buildings. We do need state electrical and plumbing permits, and can get building permits should you want it inspected. But if you want to build your own home and take on the risks, you're able to do that, and to me that's what freedom is about, risk vs reward. This has nothing to do with politics either, this is just about personal freedoms. We don't need big daddy government in every aspect of our lives. Think about homes that are 100 years old, and how well they're built, much stronger than current homes, and they had zero building inspectors. Just something to consider, and obviously I'm pro personal freedom, but that also means I am willing to accept the risk that comes along with that, and don't expect anyone to bail me out should I make a mistake. Some folks don't like that risk, and that's ok, we're not all the same and that's one of the things that makes freedom wonderful. Take care, and have a wonderful night.
@@zukgod Could not agree with you more. We should all be free to take risk. Unfortunately I believe the banks and the insurance companies are behind the the regulation. I will suffer the consequences of my decisions, just let me be free to make those decisions.
Always great to watch, I would like to see how you made your air only generator. Less moving parts the better! Does it provide quality foam? Is the only draw back rusting? I noticed Drexel is super corrosive.
Kevin, I would recommend on more variable valve to shut everything off. Having 2 manual valves one on the solution and one for the air I have to adjust the mix every time. It has been very reliable and the rusting of the tank and the hassle of cleaning it are the only two negatives.
Very neat. If you get a way to pump it in let me know. I have an 1886 Victorian that had holes bored in the siding with urea formaldehyde foam put in back in the 1979s. While it’s good, it’s very unstable collapses with any disturbance. I’d love to pull the plugs and pump this stuff in.
Sure seems like tilt wall construction would be cheaper and easier - no forms to build or brace up. Use your slab with a covering for one side of the mold, then you only need to build the sides and leave the top open. Also easier to pack in the styrocrete. Incorporate all the electrical & plumbing in it and hopefully make one long wall at a time so the plumbing & electrical connections are at one end. Or put them at the bottom or top & cover them up with quarter round or pipe. You'd have to incoporate some sort of removable lifting eye at top, and possibly make the wall sturdier for lifting into place. Put some sealant on the bottom.
I would worry the wall would break in half when lifting. Concrete has great compression strength, but not much strength when it comes to side load or buckling, like when lifting it up. I'd love to be wrong here, because your idea would make life much easier.
@@zukgod Might need to put the fiberglass screen down in the mold before pouring. That might give it the needed tensile strength on the bottom to stand it up
@@zukgod My latest daydreams definitely include some rebar. This might nullify some of the monetary savings over building upright forms, but most of the time saving remains. Or the idea below from exiled engineer about fiberglass mesh might help. Or metal stucco lathe or expanded metal or maybe even wood? But from what I've seen in Stephen's videos, the wall would be so light, and cheap that it's worth trying without any reinforcement. Just making a square with an x with rebar and welding nuts at the two ends of the box for lifting eyes would definitely work. I called the permitting dept in San Jacinto County TX about aircrete and they said it would be fine, the county wouldn’t care about my building materials. (outside of city limits) But who knows, a small city might have lax materials rules also.
I am thinking about the same thing for a form. Treated wood for the wall base but using some metal roofing for the sides and pouring two 2x8 panels that will interlock. A small cut out should allow for access to my “j” bolt.
How do you plan to secure that wall sir? You have to find a way to keep that wall from sliding around on the slab. I wonder if a few 4”pieces of rebar would be enough? Just cut a hole and patch it after setting the wall.
Thank you for your work on alternative building materials. Is there any research into off gassing of the foam or what happens in the case of fire? I'd think it would give off toxic fumes/ smoke and become dangerously brittle. Any research /results would be appreciated.
@Stephen Williams I may have had an epiphany on changing out your pressurized tank for something easier. Get a Graco or even a harbor freight airless sprayer and you can probably create a nozzle for the end, or just stick it into a bucket and it will foam. You could also do an hvlp gun with a modified feeder possibly. Anyways, thought I should throw that out there.
Stephen, I sincerely appreciate all your efforts and expainations and will be applying the knowledge for my next house. Please keep up the great work and ignore the narrow minded morons with negative and/or irrelevant comments. I'm afraid that's the mark of laziness and ignorance that has been overruning our great country...
Adding fiberglass reinforcing to the mix would seem to be a good way increase the stiffness of the styrocrete. I would not use fibored glass but use the fiberglass made into little sticks. This internal reinforcing allong with the reinforcing outer coating should make a styrocrete wall quite a bit stiffer and compressionally stronger.
@@AbundanceBuild really like your stuff. I am trying to get my community to allow more building options. Like would it be possible to make this stuff movable on to a site like a tiny home? It looks to me that pieces could be assembled into a kit that could be assembled at a site without having to do any on-site building. Like the thing could show up at a site, as a big box or two, only needing a footing foundation, and assembled into a home in a day or two. Killing to birds, cost of materials and labor.
You can make a device fairly cheap for checking the compressive strength of your mix. All you need is a hydraulic jack, a hydraulic gauge, and a little bit of math.
Thanks for the tip! Yes we could do that soon! The performance is incredible but what we need are official tests to get certified as a new building material and that costs a few hundred thousand dollars to complete
Can you post your how to make your aircrete foam. I'm not sure on the proper ratio. And what is the ratio for your Styro-Aircrete please. I have watch so many videos and your videos are very detailed and inspirational.
It's an intriguing idea, but seems to have some real world issues. It's alarming that you had to brace that one wall. I'd like to see some laboratory and mockup testing on the real world performance of the entire wall assembly under various loads and climatic conditions. I wouldn't want to invest all that only to find out that the hard shell delaminates after a few freeze/thaw cycles, or that it becomes a breeding ground for mold at a certain humidity level. Still, it looks like you're on to something good. I wonder what would happen if you added fiberglass fibers into the mix or added steel mesh in each panel? That does wonders for concrete generally. Great work! Thank you!
Thank you! We have considered those options. The cement encasing the styrfoam prevents mold. The fiberglass "shell" is cemented to the mix so it doesn't delaminate. I am on the third winter with some of my buildings and it is holding up great! Lab testing costs hundreds of thousands so we can't fund it right now. Subscribe for new builds and tests coming soon!
Did you consider pouring wall sections flat on the ground then lifting them into place with mortar to join the sections? Seems like it would eliminate the need to pump or pour in a vertical orientation and the packing would be easier on the ground.
Thanks for the tip! Yes, we have considered tilt up construction but it is very important to pack the mix tightly and we have found the mold method to perform best at the lowest cost. Subscribe for new builds coming soon!
Jr that would work if you have a crane to lift them. Then you need a good way to fasten them to each other. It would be easier to form the walls since one side is the concrete floor. Pouring a thin layer of concrete for a smooth surface, then pouring the aircrete, then pouring a finish top coat before raising the wall. Pouring in place ties the whole wall together well but then you have to stucco the wall vertically. Of course this won't work for an arched A frame design.
thanks for your video. I've seen a lot of the other utuber channels you mentioned,,,Aircrete Harry and Honey do carpenter using aircrete. I did a small experiment but need to make a better styrofoam shreder. Another channel who is using styrofoam in concrete for added insulation is J Mantzel down in Panama who has done a tremendous amount of construction work. Good luck in your building endeavors,,,Dave.
Tilt slab might be a good idea. Pour panels on the ground slab and stand up (on a bed of slurry) after a few days of strength gain. Have you tried it ? Would the panel break in bending as you lifted the end up. Would some light rebar mesh in the panel overcome the bending stress ? Easy to form and pour.
The only hang up is that you need to compress styroctrete to get a good bond. We compact it vertically with packers and gravity. If you made a very large press it could work but outside of the scope for us. Subscribe for new builds coming soon!
@Abundance Building Concepts Thank you for your response. I understand what you said. What is the minimum height to achieve the compaction or settlement.? Does the top of the wall have different properties to the lower parts of the wall. Do you change the mix as you fill up the formwork?
We removed the foam generator from our new mix! Use just styrocrete now and always finish with a solid stucco coat to prevent rodents from getting through. Subscribe to be notified of our new recipe videos coming soon!
I was sold until the end when you had to brace the wall. I think the walls should be thicker, could you let me know how much material you used per square foot of wall?
I would love to come meet you and check you out one day. Nothing like being resourceful. I have a half of acre in the city that I am looking to do some building on alongside a few other products. I have a buddy over there in Elkmont who does home remodeling and the likes and I just know that he would be ecstatic to meet you as well.
This is awesome!!! Thank you so much for doing this, for sharing this. You've given me some ideas I might otherwise never come up with. A few questions for you. Now that this building is about a year old how has it weathered and handled day to day wear and tear? I guess that would be my main concern or inquiry, considering the styrofoam factor. And one more question, would using perlite have about the same outcome as the styrofoam? I know they use it in concrete products sometimes.
You're welcome! This building is actually three years old and the oldest of three buildings on my property now; all are holding up great! Subscribe for new builds coming soon!
Good that the sawdust is being recycled but I wonder about sawdust absorbing water and molding. Styrofoam is also free, more important to recycle and doesn't hold water or mold in cement
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I’ve been watching your channel for several yrs now and I’ve finally have EVERYTHING (shredder, foam gun, etc etc) but the FORMULA. Would you please share?
I promise to pay when I build something and make $$.
Thanks 🙏
@@HospitalityKings email support@abundancebuild.com
Very generous of you to share the results of your experiments and final conclusions! I certainly appreciate the value of all the hard work you've done! Thank you so much. Looking forward
Thank you Jim. I am enjoying the research.
I’m thankful to you as well - for sharing your experiments’ findings; and that touching story.
Sludge pump
i did this same thing 17 years ago.. i found that using Styrofoam that was broke down by sanding .that the mix will be stronger because the gloss on the balls of Styrofoam is broken and sticks together far better ..
Very cool! Thanks for the tip!
@@AbundanceBuild you will find the mix is easy to mix and sticks together better and makes it stronger without the glossy coating on the none sanded method
Stephen you are a superstar in your presentations, you are a great instructor and instill confidence in those who may be pursuing this revolutionary idea. Thanks Stephen
You're welcome! subscribe for new builds coming soon!
Fantastic job! I'm sure I speak for many others when I say thank you for such a detailed and informative video. Good luck and best wishes to you and your family in your new home!
Thanks! Subscribe for new builds coming soon!
Steve; I would buy your technology to build an affordable home. Some manufacturers produce styrocrete like a Perfect Block but their prices as far away from cheap - actually more expensive than full concrete block construction; I asked them why their product is so expensive for the little binding cement they use and supposedly free styrofoam and they have answered premium product costs premium price
We are working on it now! Stay tuned
@20minutes it’s amazing you didnt get hurt!!! So happy to see youre well and sharing all this awesome info. Thank you!
Youre welcome! New builds incoming - stay tuned!
I plan to build a multi-story house. There's a video of someone building a house with aircrete, but with cement columns every 8 feet.
That's a good idea! If you see the workshop in our videos, it is multistory with no framing. We do recommend you add more support like columns, but it goes to show how strong the compressive strength of the styrofoam is and how strong the fiberglass mesh is!
It is a pleasure to greet you. I am Gustavo Moreno López from Colombia. I am really grateful for your ideas and the way of transmitting them very clearly and completely. It is a pleasure to meet enterprises like this
Thank you Gustavo!
I did the workshop with Domegaia for building domes with aircrete, and their foam generator is great. The trick according with their recipe is that you have to weigh the foam until it has the right weight and once you do you set at that number and the foam generator will produce a consistent thickness of the foam. But I do have to say the bricks we were making from the mixes didn't always come out great and oftentimes was dependent on the weather where we were. On a couple of wet cold days it was not great.
This technique looks promising and would need to make bricks to build the domes from.this mix instead of regular aircrete. They also used a reinforcing fiber sheet you are using.
Some on our team also completed Domegaia training. We actually now have a new recipe of styrocrete that doesnt require the tricky foam generator! New builds coming soon - stay tuned!
Workshop July 25 - 28th!
I am glad to see the problems I had with aircrete confirmed. Have you tried making a batch of styrocrete without using foam?
New foam free recipe video coming soon! Subscribe to be notified!
I have, had floating issues. I was also using Styrofoam beads and not shreds which added to the issue.
This was fascinating, I didn't want the video to end.
haha thank you! We are working on some very exciting new concepts coming soon! Subscribe to be notified!
There is so much information in this video. Ive been a carpenter and mason for forty years and this is inspiring. I can't get past-Why the foam? In cordwood construction (Rob Roy wrote several books) they use sawdust in the mortar to get to coefficient of expansion and contraction similar to the soft wood log lengths. I wonder if wood shavings or sawdust or even polysorb could be substituted for the foam? I feel like the foam is the technological sticking point that makes this beyond the reach of a lot of people. Most of those bubbles must pop any way. Shredded leaves or straw? There must be a low tech substitute for the foam. I love Portland cement. It is so versatile.
Those little foam balls aren't hollow bubbles.
thanks for sharing!
There is a guy here in TH-cam using sawdust...he calls it "dustcrete"
@@bobbyg9587
Amish sawmills near me have mountains of sawdust.
Big mountains.
One of the best videos on TH-cam! I think this is one of the best alternative building techniques I have seen on TH-cam
Thank you! Subscribe for new builds coming soon!
tuba 6 or tuba 4's...love that southern drawl baaaaaaby
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I love your content, friend.
Thanks for innovating.
Have done cob houses. Thinking seriously about aircrete; your insulative aspect is a welcome development.
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I have looked at many different alternative ways to build, aircrete, dustcrete, using regular cement blocks, working with stones and concrete, but styrocrete looks like a great alternative.
We tried them all and are convinced our methods are the lowest cost and best performance! If you'd like to learn step by step how we do it check out our online class at abundancebuild.com (Use code SPRING40 for 40% off!)
God bless you man, you're doing great work!
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Stephen, great channel, I love your simple approach to everything. Here are a couple of possible solutions to some of your challenges:
1. Foam solution issues: Add foam solution to the air using an eductor (aka ejector), so you can use an atmospheric plastic barrel as the reservoir. This is what is done to create fire fighting foam. Simplest eductor is a tee fitting with the air blowing through it, and the solution sucked through the "tee" leg. That is also inefficient, but more efficient eductors can be purchased that would have greater suction with less air use. Tee should work, so long as you don't have much pressure in your foam generator (hose with scrubbies in it- that is genius btw). Next step would be to use a "well tank" or "pressure tank" for the foam solution. They have a bladder in them that would prevent the corrosion issues, and the internal pressure would store the solution in advance even if your pump died to prevent loss of a batch.
2. Overflowing of the styrofoam bag bucket- Use a vortex to separate out the beads from the air- this is what is done in dust collecting systems. if you have room, use one barrel to capture the beads, and another to filter the air. I would shove the hose into your octagon device and screw it to the side so that it shapes the incoming air into a vortex- foam laden air goes around the outside, clean incoming air goes up through the middle, exiting through a new pipe coming out of the center of the octagon. The new pipe goes into the top of another barrel filter, this one with larger openings, so you can see when the styrofoam is overflowing from the first barrel. I would suggest to make it square with a round opening on the bottom to make it easier to build. Second barrel can be overflowed into several times before it needs emptied, or just swap the barrels. If you don't have room for two barrels, shove the hose further into the octagon so it dangles down into the barrel, and build a new larger screen filter house on top of the existing one. The dangling hose should stir up enough beads to allow you to see it is full and stop, and still fit the beads into the bag.
3. Lawnmower barrel & size of incoming pieces- I would recommend putting a flat plate on the bottom of the lawnmower, with a smaller rectangular chute for the incoming styrofoam. The chute needs to be big enough to allow required airflow. The shape of it should prevent clogging and larger pieces from just swirling around instead of getting chopped up. The suction from the mower should pull the pieces into the blades making things simpler and allowing for longer rectangular incoming shapes.
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Happy new year! Appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
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Your video really helps. I have seen several other videos where people are failing trying to use aircrete. I have seen styrofoam used with more success but did not have a good source where to send people forva good example. I will be sending people to this video from now on
Awesome thank you! Yes we found that the aircrete foam collapses but the Styrofoam beads perform great
I love your mechanical inventions, very creative problem solving.
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Amazing! Thank you for sharing the results of your hard work and research.
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Thanks for your informative videos.
I will be starting my first aircrete project in spring. I will be using the polyester beads from some recycled beanbag chairs for my mix but if I need any extra I will use a cheese grater on some solid blocks of styrofoam.
I will also be experimenting with a concrete canvas made with a mix of concrete and elastomeric paint.
Glad you are going to try a project. Good luck with it and share your results if it turns out good.
Hey AlbertaPrepper, I noticed your comment about using a cheese grater on styro blocks. I've done this as a test. It worked well, but is very difficult and slow. It also creates quite a bit of static. I made the little video below to show my brothers some destructive testing I was doing. Maybe you will find it interesting. Good luck and I would encourage you to get testing as soon as possible. You can learn a lot just by messing around.
th-cam.com/video/iV5GxkL46oE/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for sharing again. Side note those are some stout saw horses! 😁
Haha! youre welcome!
Roofing companies also dispose of sheets of styrofoam when they replace flat rubber roofs.
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I just love your channel i just wait one day i could build something with this material. I really want to learn how to make it a viable solution for my construction project.
You can do it!
Grateful for all the knowledge & information shared !
You're welcome!
Thank you for the detailed overview. Looking forward to experimenting with this stuff. There are relatively cheap compressor driven stucco guns that might make the skim coat and the stucco coat go on quicker.
One question - as I have done a lot of work with mixing my own concrete from base materials, I have learned that the order you add things in is very important to 1) how quickly the mix stirs up and 2) how well mixed the final product is. The order of when the cement and water go in in relation to aggregates is especially critical. My experience of adding water directly after adding the cement is that the cement will form lumps that are difficult to get mixed out. Was this really the best order of adding materials that you found?
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Enjoyed your story. I was starting to wonder if you were going to keep posting videos! Glad you didn't fall when the wall form popped open! Yikes!
Thanks Red & April. I got lax with my screws and clamps. If that had been aircrete I probably would have had to throw it away. I was able to throw it all back into the wall.
You are a thinker and a. Get it done man. Thanks for interesting video gift. God's continued blessings
Thank you!
very sharing and informative ...rare in people today cheers mate
Thank you!
I'm acutely interested to see how the building/s you put up in this manner hold up. I watched your video about using fiber lath reinforcement on a styro-aircrete garage and found it quite interesting. I've seen a lot of videos and done as much reading as I can on aircrete and the main takeaway I have is that if you're a mason building with aircrete blocks there's clear guidelines on how to do it, but otherwise it's kind of a wild west. I've also never seen anything that would suggest mixing styrofoam in does anything for the strength. If it can be safely incorporated into buildings it would be pretty fantastic but I keep coming back to that strength concern.
Strength tests coming soon!
2 40 to 3 20 says it all.
Vital innovation.
@@John-vz5un Thanks 🙏
IM IN DOTHAN ALABAMA . LONGING TO HAVE MY OWN HOME SOMEDAY . MONEY IS THE OBSTACLE THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS! IM DARING TO DREAM!
You can do it!
Cost on this wall:
$6 for 35 gallons
7.48 gallons in 1 cu ft.
35 gallons/7.5 = $1.29 per cu. ft.
If you do a 6" thick wall then you have 2 sq ft of wall space for each cubit ft of material.
Example:
30'x40' structure with 8' walls (Not subtracting for windows or doors) = 140 linear feet of wall x 8' = 1120 sq ft of wall
1120 sq ft of wall/2 (coverage of 1 cu ft) = 560 cu ft
560 cu ft = (4200 gallons or 120 batches at 35 gallons per batch)
560 x $1.29 = $722.40 in material costs to build a 30x40 8' wall. You will have voids from windows/doors that don't need any material.
So, Just figure out your square footage of total walls and then divide by two and multiply by $1.30.
Now, the equipment, labor, panels, rebar, mesh, adhesive, stucco, etc. has to be added to the cost, but if you were to calculate studs, insulation, sheathing, house flashing and siding, I think you would still come out on top, but it would be more difficult to wire, plumb, etc.
For a shed or studio this is a great idea, especially as an alternative building method. More research should be put into this method so I hope others are paying attention. I subscribed and appreciate the detailed info on everything.
I don't know after looking at all that's involved in making this system work I'm just thinking get down with your two by fours throw up your walls and you're done pretty simple if you need insulation you got to add insulation but it just seems a lot less involved at first it seemed like a good situation but it sure is labor-intensive with all that foam and cement I don't know
@@arlenmargolin4868 Yes, this would be for someone who wants to build a lot of walls like this. If you're just building a shed then the learning curve, and time to set up the equipment, wouldn't be worth it. Still, if this idea became more mainstream then some of the jerry-rigging could be done away with in favor of more stable means of construction.
@@arlenmargolin4868 still stick built is not in the same league as using concrete type blocks. You can build a monolithic structure (entire structure framing is one structure stronger than rock).
Thanks for sharing!
I am very enthusiastic about developing this idea in a tourist area of my country, cabins with direct access to the beach, I also want to teach many low-income families to do their
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DUDE YOU ARE THE MAN.... THANKS
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Nice job. Like the fearless innovation.
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I think this mix might be a good process for building using the inflatable bag/rebar process to eliminate the possibility of chunks of heavy concrete dislodging in earthquake-prone areas of the world.
@@joel6427 Yes it would be compatible with that method. We have our own new building method that accomplishes the same resistance at a lower cost - check it out at abundancebuild.com!
I know what you mean about the CEB Compressed Earth Blocks. Nice job. Look forward to more content!👍
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thanks for all the good info. you answered several of my questions.. by the way happy new year.
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I poured our house with standard steel foundation but placed the first row of 8x8x16 in the wet concrete along side a 2x8 jig
Great job!
LOVE YOU!!!!
Love you too!
Hi Stephen, Thank you for all the great content! Do you plan on trying to build with just regular concrete (no foam) and styrofoam mix? The foam maker seems really difficult to build and troubleshoot.
Yes, new recipe video coming soon!
Hi. Thank you for all the videos you posted. Great source of knowledge. My question is: Why bother with aircrate? Why not just add styro instead of aggregate to your standard concrete mix? My brother is currently building a house out of shipping containers. We needed to fill some space before final coating. Nothing structural. We mixed water, portland cement and shredded styro. We also added some glass fiber leftovers. The final mixture is "wetter" than what you are getting so it's definitely better for molding. We didn't do any more research, because what we produced was good enough for our purposes. Take care. Great content.
Never mind. I just watched the second part.
You're welcome!
Might be able to use a reciprocating saw to vibrate the concrete in the forms. Could you drill a hole in the bottom of that trough and have a valve with a hose and just pour in the mix? Maybe a 3 or 4 inch hose that went to 2 inch pipe.. That would depend on how wide wall was. I wonder if you could just use fiber mesh? No plywood form.
Good ideas!
A few words of advice that may help others:
1. When you build an extension cord for 220V, you don't have to use such thick wire diameter as with 110V, as literally you are running at half the amperage for the same power. In Europe we use 3.5mm wire (12 awg) for pretty almost all use-cases, it should hold at least 4kW continuously without problems.
2. The concrete mixer you got is extremely fancy. In europe we have these round drums (if you watched videos with guys from Ukraine you saw them 100%) mixers. They will set you 150$ and do exactly the same function yours does, with the addition that they are so simple that literally nothing can break in them.
Thanks for the tips! We do recommend cheaper barrel mixers but have never seen one as cheap as $150 - can you send a link to one that price?
wow you solved so many challenges and did this on your own!!?
Thanks!
Stephen, great video! and just a quick share.. We just acquired the same mortar mixer. Unfortunately, prices are climbing. Multiquip had 4 price increases over a year. We paid roughly 3600 for the EM90ES, which included the optional tow hitch. Folks, get your mixer sooner than later! Honda engine parts are scarce thanks to the pandemic, and the electric models are moving pretty quick, likely just because there are so few parts for the gas models!
TG this pandemic is surprising how far reaching the effects are showing up in shortages. Hope we can get through this soon.
Man, I have bin seeing you for a long time, perfect
Foam styro creete
Perfect
Start doing it
IN THE AZORES
Would love to! Thanks!
a grain auger would probably move it well, you would halfto clean it thoroughly afterwards thpugh.
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Awesome content. You are very thorough and your content is well presented. THANK YOU for sharing failures (Wall form blow out etc.) That is how we learn.
We are all learning together!
I feel like this would be amazing with a 8x8 wood beam construction and rebar staggered down the center Doing a 6" styrocrete pour you could use 4x8 sheets of Typar housewraped plywood, doing large panels. Then. Fill pour spot or pour through the 8 in beam using a 2 in bore hole. Just a thought . As thatd give more structural integrity also and give the building a really sweet look ..
@@meh8099 Who are you? Where is your channel showing your work? What data do you have to support your comments? I don't see any links to your efforts, its typical to have people make disparaging comments, like this without solid data, or at least an attempt at the construction process. Sad that people like Stephan have to be subjected to ones like "M eh" who have no idea of what they are commenting on. Stephen, those of us that appreciate your efforts, hope negative commenters like this wont stifle your curiosity, please keep up the good work.
thanks for sharing!
I would consider a lime based render to stucco the wall rather than Portland mortar. The lime render will pass vapor and also become harder as it cures. It's also carbon neutral if you care about such things.
Thanks for the tip!
Roman concrete. Salt water, Lime, Volcanic Ash. It will continue to get stronger for thousands of years.
Curious as to why you would add the foam. I'd think the Styrofoam essentially does the same thing and you'd have a stronger mix.
Good point! New foam free recipe video coming soon! Subscribe to be notified!
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@wischmopps293 Every part. We take styrofoam headed for the landfill and directly divert into long lasting cement buildings. Reducing the cement needed for the job by 90%, making the build carbon negative, and removing the number one space eater in the landfill that takes over 100 years to break down. In the very distant end of life of a cement building like this, one can grind it down and reuse it in the next building as an insulation product again
You might want to check out the current Aircrete (RAAC) scandal in the UK right now......
Not as durable as people first thought
@@Rachel_M_ Thanks for the tip! We will look into it!
@@AbundanceBuild you're welcome. It"s a major scandal in the UK at the moment. There is a lot of information available.
According to "experts" here it has a shelf life of about 30 years before it starts degrading through water ingress.
love this guy
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Edit: never mind, I found the answer in part 2 :) thanks so much for spreading this great information
How much difference is there in using the foam/airCrete and Styrofoam. Compared to just using the Styrofoam and regular concrete?
Seems like if you’re packing it down that much a lot of the air you’re introducing with the foam gets squeezed out
I'm wondering the same thing, where did you find the answer?
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I like the concept, but what about building codes? Local government engineers buy off (permit)on building with this stuff?
Coz yes an engineer is needed for this. I am in the county and we have no building inspections so not an issue for me. After I build the garden shed with wood trusses I want to talk to engineers.
Great video man! I'm curious, can you spray styrocrete onto a rebar/mesh shell? I'm wanting to build a dome home. Thanks!
Styrocrete cannot be sprayed. But we did make an online class to cover our best research and step by step guide to building with it at the lowest cost! Check it out at abundancebuild.com
Suuuper! Thanks!
You're welcome!
This guy seems like a good man.
If this guy "seems like" a good man, I dont have an idea what a good is.
@@daviesngwenya9689 I don't follow? You do think he is a decent man?
@@sam_s_ I think he is a good man. I do not think, he seems like a good man.
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Stephen, you have some of the best info I've ever seen on this alternative building material. Something I'm very curious about; ---- does this "styro aircrete" crack over time like regular concrete or cement? ---
It seems like the styrofoam beads would allow for expansion and contraction enough to stop cracking, but since I have no experience with it, I'll defer to your expertise.
The mesh holds it together well. New tests coming soon! Subscribe to see the results!
I'm very inspired by your video and research of the engineering.
But what about the shredded Styrofoam /styrene exposure and off-gassing hazards from within the wall? Can it still off-gass through the interior?
Thank you! Styrofoam is not a significant off-gasser being 98% air; it is considered safe enough for food and drink packaging. When locked behind the stucco finish there is virtually zero off- gassing
A fiber mix supplement may prevent bowing and prevent the shell delam
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Great info thanks for taking the time and effort to share. Your sharing can change the world for the better by making housing affordable to everyone. I live in Florida and would like to build a similar structure. How did you get your permit? What challenges did you have going through the permitting process?
Lance I am in the county and don't need a permit to build with an alternative building process. I would ask the inspectors if they will approve building with the trusses without an engineer. If they don't approve that then you will have to hire an engineer to approve it. Not fun.
@@AbundanceBuild If you are building a house to live in you don't need a permit where you currently live?
@@lancealot4065 That is correct, there are still some free places in the United States. I live in Idaho, and we don't have to have permits for our buildings. We do need state electrical and plumbing permits, and can get building permits should you want it inspected. But if you want to build your own home and take on the risks, you're able to do that, and to me that's what freedom is about, risk vs reward. This has nothing to do with politics either, this is just about personal freedoms. We don't need big daddy government in every aspect of our lives. Think about homes that are 100 years old, and how well they're built, much stronger than current homes, and they had zero building inspectors. Just something to consider, and obviously I'm pro personal freedom, but that also means I am willing to accept the risk that comes along with that, and don't expect anyone to bail me out should I make a mistake. Some folks don't like that risk, and that's ok, we're not all the same and that's one of the things that makes freedom wonderful. Take care, and have a wonderful night.
@@zukgod Could not agree with you more. We should all be free to take risk. Unfortunately I believe the banks and the insurance companies are behind the the regulation. I will suffer the consequences of my decisions, just let me be free to make those decisions.
Always great to watch, I would like to see how you made your air only generator. Less moving parts the better! Does it provide quality foam? Is the only draw back rusting? I noticed Drexel is super corrosive.
Kevin, I would recommend on more variable valve to shut everything off. Having 2 manual valves one on the solution and one for the air I have to adjust the mix every time. It has been very reliable and the rusting of the tank and the hassle of cleaning it are the only two negatives.
I am loving what I'm seeing. Thanks for sharing. do you see giving workshops in your future. If so, I would certainly be on board.
AG I might consider that. I want to refine the build process some more before I consider that though.
Workshop July 25 - 28th!
just a thought you could always acid the tank to clean it out well and then use a gastank sealer I think all are ok for water use..
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suggestion - add some lime to your stucco mix. old roman thing but makes the cement coat continue to harden over time.
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Also makes it stickier as you apply stucco. Easier to apply.
Thanks Steven!!! Grate content and motivation.
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Gr8 video mate. Very interesting. Don't know be aloud in Australia cheers
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Very neat. If you get a way to pump it in let me know. I have an 1886 Victorian that had holes bored in the siding with urea formaldehyde foam put in back in the 1979s. While it’s good, it’s very unstable collapses with any disturbance. I’d love to pull the plugs and pump this stuff in.
pumps are slower than packing. subscribe for new builds coming soon!
@@AbundanceBuild Thanks, I'm already subscribed. Keep up the good work.
love your content!
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Posted on GAB in the Alternative Home Building group
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Sure seems like tilt wall construction would be cheaper and easier - no forms to build or brace up. Use your slab with a covering for one side of the mold, then you only need to build the sides and leave the top open. Also easier to pack in the styrocrete.
Incorporate all the electrical & plumbing in it and hopefully make one long wall at a time so the plumbing & electrical connections are at one end. Or put them at the bottom or top & cover them up with quarter round or pipe.
You'd have to incoporate some sort of removable lifting eye at top, and possibly make the wall sturdier for lifting into place. Put some sealant on the bottom.
I would worry the wall would break in half when lifting. Concrete has great compression strength, but not much strength when it comes to side load or buckling, like when lifting it up. I'd love to be wrong here, because your idea would make life much easier.
@@zukgod Might need to put the fiberglass screen down in the mold before pouring. That might give it the needed tensile strength on the bottom to stand it up
@@zukgod My latest daydreams definitely include some rebar. This might nullify some of the monetary savings over building upright forms, but most of the time saving remains. Or the idea below from exiled engineer about fiberglass mesh might help. Or metal stucco lathe or expanded metal or maybe even wood? But from what I've seen in Stephen's videos, the wall would be so light, and cheap that it's worth trying without any reinforcement. Just making a square with an x with rebar and welding nuts at the two ends of the box for lifting eyes would definitely work.
I called the permitting dept in San Jacinto County TX about aircrete and they said it would be fine, the county wouldn’t care about my building materials. (outside of city limits) But who knows, a small city might have lax materials rules also.
I am thinking about the same thing for a form. Treated wood for the wall base but using some metal roofing for the sides and pouring two 2x8 panels that will interlock. A small cut out should allow for access to my “j” bolt.
How do you plan to secure that wall sir? You have to find a way to keep that wall from sliding around on the slab. I wonder if a few 4”pieces of rebar would be enough? Just cut a hole and patch it after setting the wall.
Thank you for your work on alternative building materials. Is there any research into off gassing of the foam or what happens in the case of fire? I'd think it would give off toxic fumes/ smoke and become dangerously brittle. Any research /results would be appreciated.
Watch our fire test video here! th-cam.com/play/PLhZQhMQAfmtiC2uVezl3rVhEDxQn8b12X.html
@Stephen Williams I may have had an epiphany on changing out your pressurized tank for something easier. Get a Graco or even a harbor freight airless sprayer and you can probably create a nozzle for the end, or just stick it into a bucket and it will foam. You could also do an hvlp gun with a modified feeder possibly. Anyways, thought I should throw that out there.
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Stephen, I sincerely appreciate all your efforts and expainations and will be applying the knowledge for my next house. Please keep up the great work and ignore the narrow minded morons with negative and/or irrelevant comments. I'm afraid that's the mark of laziness and ignorance that has been overruning our great country...
Thank you! No worries, we welcome all feedback
Adding fiberglass reinforcing to the mix would seem to be a good way increase the stiffness of the styrocrete. I would not use fibored glass but use the fiberglass made into little sticks. This internal reinforcing allong with the reinforcing outer coating should make a styrocrete wall quite a bit stiffer and compressionally stronger.
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@@AbundanceBuild really like your stuff. I am trying to get my community to allow more building options. Like would it be possible to make this stuff movable on to a site like a tiny home? It looks to me that pieces could be assembled into a kit that could be assembled at a site without having to do any on-site building. Like the thing could show up at a site, as a big box or two, only needing a footing foundation, and assembled into a home in a day or two. Killing to birds, cost of materials and labor.
@@stanleytolle416 We are definitely looking into it! The regulators will always have the last word but we are looking at some time saving solutions
awesome thank you sir
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You can make a device fairly cheap for checking the compressive strength of your mix. All you need is a hydraulic jack, a hydraulic gauge, and a little bit of math.
Thanks for the tip! Yes we could do that soon! The performance is incredible but what we need are official tests to get certified as a new building material and that costs a few hundred thousand dollars to complete
Can you post your how to make your aircrete foam. I'm not sure on the proper ratio. And what is the ratio for your Styro-Aircrete please. I have watch so many videos and your videos are very detailed and inspirational.
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It's an intriguing idea, but seems to have some real world issues. It's alarming that you had to brace that one wall. I'd like to see some laboratory and mockup testing on the real world performance of the entire wall assembly under various loads and climatic conditions. I wouldn't want to invest all that only to find out that the hard shell delaminates after a few freeze/thaw cycles, or that it becomes a breeding ground for mold at a certain humidity level. Still, it looks like you're on to something good. I wonder what would happen if you added fiberglass fibers into the mix or added steel mesh in each panel? That does wonders for concrete generally. Great work! Thank you!
Thank you! We have considered those options. The cement encasing the styrfoam prevents mold. The fiberglass "shell" is cemented to the mix so it doesn't delaminate. I am on the third winter with some of my buildings and it is holding up great! Lab testing costs hundreds of thousands so we can't fund it right now. Subscribe for new builds and tests coming soon!
Thank you Stephen!
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Did you consider pouring wall sections flat on the ground then lifting them into place with mortar to join the sections? Seems like it would eliminate the need to pump or pour in a vertical orientation and the packing would be easier on the ground.
Thanks for the tip! Yes, we have considered tilt up construction but it is very important to pack the mix tightly and we have found the mold method to perform best at the lowest cost. Subscribe for new builds coming soon!
Have you tried tilt up walls and then set in place?
Jr that would work if you have a crane to lift them. Then you need a good way to fasten them to each other. It would be easier to form the walls since one side is the concrete floor. Pouring a thin layer of concrete for a smooth surface, then pouring the aircrete, then pouring a finish top coat before raising the wall. Pouring in place ties the whole wall together well but then you have to stucco the wall vertically. Of course this won't work for an arched A frame design.
thanks for your video. I've seen a lot of the other utuber channels you mentioned,,,Aircrete Harry and Honey do carpenter using aircrete. I did a small experiment but need to make a better styrofoam shreder. Another channel who is using styrofoam in concrete for added insulation is J Mantzel down in Panama who has done a tremendous amount of construction work. Good luck in your building endeavors,,,Dave.
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Tilt slab might be a good idea.
Pour panels on the ground slab and stand up (on a bed of slurry) after a few days of strength gain.
Have you tried it ?
Would the panel break in bending as you lifted the end up.
Would some light rebar mesh in the panel overcome the bending stress ?
Easy to form and pour.
The only hang up is that you need to compress styroctrete to get a good bond. We compact it vertically with packers and gravity. If you made a very large press it could work but outside of the scope for us. Subscribe for new builds coming soon!
@Abundance Building Concepts Thank you for your response.
I understand what you said.
What is the minimum height to achieve the compaction or settlement.?
Does the top of the wall have different properties to the lower parts of the wall.
Do you change the mix as you fill up the formwork?
@@stephenbrickwood1602 It comes out pretty consistent at any height as long as you use a packer to pack it in thoroughly
Im in same pants...aircrete is failure...i did 12 batches and its just too weak..also dirt is great but rats will go right through...thnx for posting
We removed the foam generator from our new mix! Use just styrocrete now and always finish with a solid stucco coat to prevent rodents from getting through. Subscribe to be notified of our new recipe videos coming soon!
This is great. Were you able to get this past your building officials? Did they require an engineers stamp?
The shed did not require approval but we are working on how to get approvals for upcoming builds.
11:50 plus, fiberglass will leave gaps that let air circulate, unless you're *really* *really* careful, and how many contractors are going to do that?
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I was sold until the end when you had to brace the wall. I think the walls should be thicker, could you let me know how much material you used per square foot of wall?
Our new method doesn't require bracing! All our recipes and formulas are covered in our online class: abundance.build/classes/
Hey what's up from Huntsville Alabama!!!!
Represent!
@@AbundanceBuild Whoop Whoop!!!
I would love to come meet you and check you out one day. Nothing like being resourceful. I have a half of acre in the city that I am looking to do some building on alongside a few other products. I have a buddy over there in Elkmont who does home remodeling and the likes and I just know that he would be ecstatic to meet you as well.
@@AbundanceBuild Also I do small engine work. Don't hesitate to give me a holler if you need any work done. Great video!!!
This is awesome!!! Thank you so much for doing this, for sharing this. You've given me some ideas I might otherwise never come up with. A few questions for you. Now that this building is about a year old how has it weathered and handled day to day wear and tear? I guess that would be my main concern or inquiry, considering the styrofoam factor. And one more question, would using perlite have about the same outcome as the styrofoam? I know they use it in concrete products sometimes.
You're welcome! This building is actually three years old and the oldest of three buildings on my property now; all are holding up great! Subscribe for new builds coming soon!
Thanks for your videos😎
You're welcome! subscribe for new builds coming soon!
Many things are so common from other countries are considered weird in there States.
True! Subscribe for new builds coming soon!
Just the info i was searching for. Are you adding anything to help bind it better like galvanized shredds or fiberglass
No the fiberglass bonds to the cement well without additives for that purpose!
What is your take on dustcrete? A mixture of concrete and sawdust poured and packed into a form.
Good that the sawdust is being recycled but I wonder about sawdust absorbing water and molding. Styrofoam is also free, more important to recycle and doesn't hold water or mold in cement