Rammed Earth Floor (Part 2) & Monsoon Rains #44 DIY Off-Grid Home Build 🏜️
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- Picking up where we left off last week working on our rammed earth floor. Replacing a section that didn't work out, then moving on to the guest bedroom, and living room area. Red also installs a radon venting system, and the monsoon rains slow us down a bit.
We have designed our house so that the bathrooms, kitchen, entrance, and closets are concrete, and the bedrooms and living room areas are earthen floors. We have approximately 600 square feet of earthen floor, and 600 square feet of ground concrete flooring.
This is our DIY home build, we are sharing our home build to entertain, and hopefully encourage or inspire ideas. We are not professionals and what we do may not always work out in the long term. So please do your own research, and work safely.
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It's good that you only had to redo a portion of that room. Wow, that's awesome that all the gravel is now covered. I'm looking forward to seeing the top-coat. Your area looks amazing this time of year, so green.
Thanks! Yes, the base layer is very solid now, and we love how the top coat is turning out! A few good monsoon storms really transforms the desert! It's impressive how many interesting plants and animals we have around here! 🌻🐢🏜️
Very interesting! That base layer looks solid. I'm curious about what you will use for the top layer. I also enjoy your nature commentary, it is beautiful country!
Thanks! Yes, it's a really solid floor. The monsoon rains really bring the desert to life. 😊🧡🏜️
You bet we are right, efficiencies in manual labour will extent your life and stop warn out joints, muscles.
You guys are amazing 👍
Your floor is incredible. I don't remember ever seeing an earthen floor before.
Earthen floors are more common in the natural building community, but I have also heard of them being put in million dollar homes. Thanks so much! 😊🏜️
Great update. I’m loving that floor. And it’ll provide great thermal mass, right? I get why you used plastic sheet to provide a moisture barrier, but I’d like to better understand the benefits of the thermal barrier between the gravel and the earthen floor, please.
The earth floor becomes a thermal storage “battery” and without the thermal barrier between it and the underlying ground, it’s heat would dissipate down into the ground. With the insulation the absorbed warmth will remain in the room and slowly dissipate back into the room as the air cools.
Thanks! Yes, great answer Cat Gynt. All of the thermal mass we have in the house seems to really be helping. The outside temperatures are ranging 40+ degrees from day to night. The temperatures inside the house are only varying 8 degree from day to night, without using any cooling. 😎
I wish you both that all comes out as planned. Really it makes me happy when you have succes. Can't wait to see what you have done for the guest bedroom. Until next time, Mike
Appreciate it, thanks for watching! 😊🏜️
I leave a commenty comment in the comments section right here and now. Comments can have multiple characters.
Thanks for watching! 😊
I've seen this done last year by
"Building Roots"
It looked interesting glad to see more versions coming along.
Thanks! We think it's going to make a great floor. 😊🏜️
i am glad you fixed the problem before it was a bigger one thanks for sharing and have a great weekend
Thanks! Yes, we think it's quite solid now. 😊🏜️
I could not imagine having DIRT SPONGE floors in my beautiful and amazing home.
The top coat will be well sealed and then waxed. We think it's going to be pretty awesome! Stay tuned.
While a nice ideal, after 30 years of professional house repair, including buildings with earthen floors, these, in practice, are a maintenance nightmare.
If you want to spend all your spare time repairing your building by all means reinvent the wheel. But, There are plenty of durable zero VOC flooring solutions that actually work. They are water tight, cleanable and actually work.
You will never actually seal a dirt floor not matter how much oil you add. It’s just porous semi solid mud. Which was awesome hundreds of years ago. Complete Compaction over eps or any resilient foam is conceptually flawed.
Dirt floors no matter how “expertly” done are always prone to gouging and deterioration in the face of standard use.
My favorite thing to watch Saturday morning. Looking great!
Appreciate it, thanks for watching! 😊
I wrote specifications and supervised installations of radon mitigation systems for local authority housing in the UK during the 1990's. One of our ground floor flats had one of the highest readings in the UK. The old lady chain smoked too! The systems were fan assisted venting at roof level and worked very effectively. I did a quick google search and it appears that Arizona has some of the lowest radon levels in the US. Radon tests are available on Amazon between $30 and $60 dollars. I would suggest that is cheap insurance especially as your project is very airtight.
Cool, sounds like you know a whole lot about it! We are pretty far south in Arizona and have a moderate risk, but we are pretty close to Mexico, which is a high risk area. We put in an upper wall vent in each bedroom that will likely stay open year round, so that might be enough on its own, but probably better to not let it get inside in the first place. It would be interesting to test for radon near the exit pipe. 🌞
It’s strange how your soil looks so different from ours. Completely different color. We have sections that are pure clay and then others by the wash that are all sand by the wash. 😊❤️👍 It looks so good!!! April your hair is so beautiful! I love the color and so long and thick! (Mine is falling out 😁)
Get your thyroid levels checked out. When my hair was falling out it was because of low thyroid hormones. Stopped hair loss but never got thick like it had been. Best wishes.
@@wandadibble5426 I think it probably menopause. 😄❤️👍 thanks
Pam: hair loss is not a usual problem with menopause. Please get thyroid checked.
Yes, the soil varies so much, all over the property, and even in the same pile. Thanks Pam! 😊❤️ Best wishes on your cobing, it looks like a big job, but it's turning out really well! 💛🏜️
That’s brilliant well done both of you.
Thanks so much! It should be a good and solid floor. 😊🏜️
Potential crack forming at the inside corner created by previously poured concrete kitchen floor. Consider some sort of control joint.
We are expecting some cracking, it adds character. 🌞
how did you manage the permits for that?...... I'm in Tucson and cant even get around paying impact fees for an ADU , the impact fees would be higher than my building cost.... it's a drag
Cochise County has what is called an opt-out permit. It's pretty awesome!
I have a future project that I plan on using a floor like this. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome! We really love our earthen floors. 🙂
this is what I was looking to see, so that I don't make the same mistake as well... Thanks
Glad it was helpful, and best wishes on your projects! 😊
YAY, no more gravel!!! You guys are doing such a great job! Good info on radon...we had that over in Colorado and will need to address it too down the road. I cannot believe how tiny that frog was...haven't seen them that small :) Take care 😊
Yes, nice to have the gravel covered, people have been asking about it for awhile.
A viewer mentioned radon in one of our earlier videos, so we added it in.
There was a whole lot of them 🐸 hopping around this summer. Thanks! You too! 😊🏜️
Kinda lucky that you got that humid weather to form the floor, so it could cure all that much slower. Doing one wheel barrow at a time probably helps control cracking...in that it isn't strictly "monolithic" like a single liquid pour.
Yes, it worked out well. 🌞
I’m very impressed with floor, never seen one in person - keep up the good work!
Looking forward to seeing floor finished!
Thanks! We wouldn't have been brave enough to try it without seeing how our daughter's turned out. Once sealed, it's very solid and clean. 😊🏡🏜️
I am impressed. Looking good.
Thanks! 😊🏜️
Hi... nice job...Have you finished the floor? Could you show us how the floor turned out?
Thanks! Yes, here is the next video. th-cam.com/video/90vHyzPmZ0w/w-d-xo.html
I thought you were going to do rammed earth! That would have been very time consuming and hard physically. This is so interesting to watch. Would it be easier if you measured the water? Like one or two buckets per load? I love the color.
The base of our floor is a mix of soil, cement, and sand, moistened and then tamped down. Which is how rammed earth is made. This time of year, the soil has varying moisture content, so the amount needed isn't always the same. Thanks! We'll be showing the finished floor in Saturdays video. 😊🏜️
Radon is a product of decay of naturally occurring thorium and uranium present in rocks and soils. That earthen floor is quite substantial reservoir of potential source of radon. You should test it as your radon system wont help you with that.
Interesting, I'll look into it. We also have a vent in each bedroom that offers some ventilation even when they are closed in the winter.
I am pretty sure that you are not tamping it enough. To make rammed earth, you need to actually ram it. That means that you have to keep hitting it until there is an audible change in the thuds being made by the tamper, which means that it can't be compacted anymore. You are looking for something like rock when you are done. I think you will have to form it by putting a board across the room and brace it against the opposite wall. You could do a foot or a foot and a half strip across the floor at a time. The way you are doing it, you can't compact it enough, because there is not anything to stop the dirt from spreading out as you hit it instead of just compacting down. It is a lot more work than you might have envisioned. Bang it down until you think that it is absolutely hard, and then go a little more.
After he gets done tamping it. I spend more time compressing the edges and walking on it. It's all pretty solid, and so far it's looking and wearing well.
Great stuff! I did learn from a radon guy that the exit pipe should go high because the higher it is the more likely a vacuum will be created by the wind itself and the fact that the higher parts of the pipe will be hotter causing hot air to rise out of the tube. Just a suggestion. Love that you've been flexible to change your plans as needed.
Thanks for the tip, and appreciate you watching! 😊
How level is the finished floor? Are you going to sand it to make it level and smooth? Nice job.
The top layer turned out really nice. It's not perfectly flat, but quite good. The bedrooms are more smooth, because I burnished them some, and there was less sand in the mix. We prefer the finish in the main living area, it has a bit of texture which is nice. The wax added a little shine, and really sealed the floor well.
I have seen so many different earth floors, here in Australia some people use oat chaff, a horse feed, in a very wet mix, it sets rock hard without cement but it does crack.
Interesting, I'll have to look it up! We haven't seen anyone do an earth floor quite like we did, but so far it is looking and performing really well!
It doesn’t look like you are compacting the soil nearly enough, you have to ram it hard to compress it
It can only be compressed so much before it starts spreading out too far or cracking. After he tamped it I spent a lot of time compressing the top and edges. In the end it was a very solid base.
Hi, as I work on soil interlock brick yes soil composition changes most of the time with such change soil interlock brick is very hard to make, congrats to you both.
Thanks! Yes, it varies a lot, even in the same pile.
Looks good. Maybe you want to add small colourful gravel stones to the top layer of your floor..
Thanks! We considered adding some decorative rocks, but we decided not to because the floor has a lot of character and interest on its own. The video of the completed floor is coming out tomorrow. 🌞🏜️
What’s the combination for the soil, sand, cement?
We are thinking it was 7 gallons soil, 3 of sand and 1 cement, but don't remember for sure. The proportions should be in the video.
Is it possible to add some fiber and concrete to increase the strength?
Many people add straw to the mix. In our experience, adding portland cement makes the surface more brittle and prone to cracking later. Our most recent video shows an update on the earthen floor.
What are those yellow caps in the living room floor?
It the construction cover for our floor outlets.
Hello, hope you guys are doing fine.
Can you tell us what living feels like on this floor compared to others.I don't think you have heavy trafic but tell us how its working out..still very pretty has it changed much or any? how is maintenance on it so far? Thanks for letting us know.
Hello! I really love the floors. They do take a little extra maintenance, but I don't mind it all. I love the look and they are warm and comfortable I have had to spent some time filling in the crack where the earth floor joins the cement, and a few some smaller cracks. I just used sand, and sealed it with wax. It took some time, but looks better and keeps the ants out. I also put some pest granules down the crack, and that worked. I do a quick vacuum everyday, and haven't had to mop yet. Just a little spot cleanup. It should mop fine, but I will try to use a lightly damp mop. The oil and wax seal the floor really well and it's clean. We are careful not to drag anything across the floor, but overall it doesn't seem to dent or scratch too easily. It will just adds character anyway, or could be easily patched. It's not for everyone, and not your typical floor. We were nervous but it has worked out well and we don't have any regrets. Best wishes - April 😊
Hi there that is wesome! congrats, Thanks for responding once again thank you both for all of your videos that help many of us learn.Take care & enjoy your home.👍
When you finish the topcoat will you be applying a moisture barrier (Thompson’s Water Seal) or something similar to keep the floors from rehydrating from condensation or occasional spills? Any hints regarding embossing or stamping a pattern into the top coat, perhaps a sundial or compass. There are tints that can be added to concrete.
Do you have any future plans for a root cellar to store and preserve your garden harvest without using electricity to maintain cooler temperatures? Wishing you and your family another blessed week filled with peace, gentle weather, nourishing rain and restful evenings. Peaceful greetings from NE Ohio.
Linseed Oil is what they use on these earthen floors.
Yes, we plan to use linseed oil. It seals out moisture and stains and also hardens the floor. We also plan to put on a wax coat. The floor will have a pattern of sorts, but maybe not what you are expecting. 😊 As far as a root cellar maybe some day.
I hope we get a little more rain before the monsoon season is over. Things have dried out a bit now, but it's still nice and green and the temperatures are fantastic.
Thanks so much, and wishing you a wonderful week as well! 😊🏜️
Still a fan of using lime instead of cement.
It should work alright, and it was nice to be able to use the extra cement for something. We ended up using all but 4 bags.
"acrost" is not a word. Just saying. ;)
Yeah, some interesting words sometimes slip out 😄. 27 minutes is a long time to narrate. It was really had to edit all of the footage down and get it to fit into one video. I put the video footage together, then Red narrates over it, then lots more editing before it's done.
what a great work ethic you all have, GOD bless.
Praying for you guys, thanks for the inspiration.
Your dirt floor project is amazing. Glad the "frogs" survived. I think you may have spadefoot toads and not frogs. They have a fairly smooth. skin, hibernate under ground until rains come. Then they go to standing water and breed fast. If water pond is short. lived tadepole stage can accelerate. Like your wildlife stories and pictures.
Thanks! We have several different kinds, but we don't know for sure what they all are. We also have Sonoran Desert Toads. They sure make a ruckus when the first rains come. 😄 Our pond still has quite a bit of water in it, so I think a lot of the tadpoles made it this year. 🐸🏜️
yes when live there i use love to see the rain storms
Yes, love the rain! It was nice we didn't have any microbursts or excessively heavy rain or wind this year. 🌞🏜️
Great video and documentation of your progress very enjoyable and instructional thanks 👍👍👍👍👍👌
Appreciate it, and thanks for watching! 😊🏜️
Thank you for sharing
Thanks for watching! 😊
Your comment about getting it done reminded me of something we say in computer science. "The First Rule of Program Optimization: Don't. The Second Rule of Program Optimization (for experts only): Don't, yet."
Yes, sometimes the fastest path to completion isn't the most efficient one.
Simply 🤩
Thanks! 😊
First!
🤗
I love earth floors. Your mix was a great way to use up the cement - love the creative thinking 😁
Thanks! It was great to finally get that pile of cement out of the driveway, and make use of it. It's been sitting there for a long time! 🌞
👍👍🏠☘🙋♀️🌞
Thanks! 😊🏜️
Wow! I like the floor. Your place sure has gotten green!
Thanks! Yes, the desert has amazing potential with a little rain. We are enjoying it while we can. 😊💚🏜️
👍👍
Thanks!
Fantastic floor. Great video and great work!
Thanks! 😊🏜️
Nice to watch such a professional presentation.
Appreciate it! We do our best, but have lots to learn. 😊
You two are awesome. The house looks beautiful.
Thanks so much! 😊🏜️
Absolutely awesome 👏
Thanks so much! 😊
If you could in the next video review why you chose the earthen floors. You two are doing a great job and I enjoy your video documentation.
Thanks! We'll be showing the bathroom and other projects in the next video, then get back to the floor in the following video. We'll try to remember to add that in. 😊🏜️
That went very well, looking good!
Thanks! 😊