Building a new house and shop (5 Viewers)

[1911]

I just went back through all your posts from the beginning - very nice project!

Thanks!

How are they forming the domes? I’ve seen some similar shapes done with inflated bags, but this looks different. Is the inside full of scaffolding to support the forms?

Yes, there is a trailer inside the dome, with a big hydraulic jack on it plus a bunch of other screw jacks, that are all holding up the fiberglass form for the dome roof. It's dark in there, but I will try to get a photo of inside the dome forms. The wall forms are hollow. The cement for each dome module is poured all at once, so there is a seamless monolithic piece of reinforced cement for the whole module. It's a pretty clever system, to standardize the size of the dome modules. You can put them together in any way you want, to get the space and layout you want.

 

[1911]

For @PAToyota , here is a photo inside the dome forms:

inside of dome form

• 1911
• Jul 11, 2017

You can see the big hydraulic jack and some of the screw jacks that will hold up the weight of the poured cement on top of the form, until it sets.

Here is a detail of the top side of the dome form; you can see the tons of rebar used and also the electrical conduit and boxes for ceiling fans and lights:

dome form detail

• 1911
• Jul 11, 2017

Concrete will be poured for this module first thing tomorrow morning.

The builder has already started setting up the vertical wall forms for the next module, adjoing this one, to the south.

 

[Weedhopper]

How thick is the dome ?

 

[1911]

How thick is the dome ?

Good question; I don't know yet - about to start pouring concrete in 15 minutes, so I'll find out. The walls are 12" thick, so I assume the dome will be at least that. It has to hold up a lot of weight.

 

[firestopper]

Such a interesting project, really enjoying the updates.

 

[Weedhopper]

So you pretty much have a bomb shelter / house too.

 

[1911]

So you pretty much have a bomb shelter / house too.

Yep, tornado proof, bomb proof, mostly fireproof. No shingles to ever replace, no trim/eaves/soffits to ever paint.

To answer your previous question, the very top of the dome is only about 5" thick of reinforced concrete, but it thickens gradually in a wedge down to the base of the dome (where it meets the vertical walls) to about 10". Engineer says that as long as there is 2" of concrete over the (double layers of) rebar, full strength will be achieved, and the domes will easily support 70,000 lbs. of soil and earth-moving equipment driving on top.

Here are some photos from today's pour of the first dome module, including the water cistern:

1st module concrete trucks

• 1911
• Jul 12, 2017

pumping 1st module #1

• 1911
• Jul 12, 2017

pumping 1st module #2

• 1911
• Jul 12, 2017

pumping & troweling dome on 1st module

• 1911
• Jul 12, 2017

 

[GeoRoss]

I did a basement pour last year using styrofoam forms, including the roof. Itll ultimately be a root cellar. Since then I've become a believer. If you can get a big mixer truck to the site, it is a really slick way to build.

 

[davegonz]

How do you finish the inside walls? Plaster/stucco? Wood panels?

 

[1911]

How do you finish the inside walls? Plaster/stucco?

Exactly. The builder is recommending an epoxy stucco product, though the finish work will be on us. There will be a few framed interior walls, so we could use drywall on those, but we may plaster those as well, just to match the concrete walls. Haven't decided yet - depends on how far our bank account lasts I guess.

 

[ferg]

I just hope you have enough $$$$$$$$$$$ to get the finished house the way you want, without having to shortcut the good stuff.

 

[1911]

I just hope you have enough $$$$$$$$$$$ to get the finished house the way you want, without having to shortcut the good stuff.

Thanks; me too! The good news is, we're already living on-site in the shop apartment, so if we run out of money we will just keep living in the apartment until I make more money. Since we don't have any debt, I can devote a large part of my cash flow towards finishing the house - it just might take a little longer than originally planned.

 

[1911]

Some photos of the first module with the forms coming off, and the dome form(s) removed and moved next door to the next module to be formed and poured. The large openings in the third photo that are still covered or partly covered by forms are where windows will go on the east side.

1st module exterior

• 1911
• Jul 15, 2017

1st module interior 1

• 1911
• Jul 15, 2017

1st module interior 2

• 1911
• Jul 15, 2017

 

[firestopper]

Dang, thats moving along nicely. The epoxy stucco yields a very nice even finish and should last forever. Colors can be mixed in as well. Someday I plan on having my home resurfaced with it. I don't want to paint the house ever again after that. I might have missed it, but are your floors colored concrete or do you plan on other flooring finish.

I think you should post this on your main entrance. hehehe, kidding aside, your place is amazing!

Keep it coming! always a pleasure to follow your build.
Paco

 

[1911]

Thanks Paco.

I might have missed it, but are your floors colored concrete or do you plan on other flooring finish.

Still undecided on what to do with all the floors, after they are poured. Some parts of the house (including the garages) will likely be more of the epoxy coating like we have in the shop and apartment. Mrs. 1911 thinks it's hard for standing on, though she really likes how easy it is to clean. I may have scraped hardwood in my office, because I like that look and feel. It's all up in the air right now; Mrs. 1911 will make most of those decisions.

 

[Music Man]

All it needs is a fresco by some famous artist!

 

[PAToyota]

How are you waterproofing the concrete?

As for floors, I’d tend to recommend polished concrete with area rugs.

 

[1911]

How are you waterproofing the concrete?

A multi-step process, with wide tapes of roll elastic sealer along all "cold" concrete joints (i.e., dome to footers, one dome module to another), a roll/brush/spray-on rubberized product the builder has found best (with experimentation over 36 years), a 6 mil poly lining over that, then a layer of dirt, then a layer of expanded polystyrene sheet insulation and more poly liner as an "umbrella", then the final layers of dirt/soil. Along with a complete french drain system all along the back and sides of the house before burial. The builder will guarantee no leaks through the concrete, if he does the waterproofing.

As for floors, I’d tend to recommend polished concrete with area rugs.

We would be OK with that, or stained concrete, though we hear that it needs to be re-finished after +/- five years of wear. We have and will use area rugs for sure, and those gel mats to stand on in the work areas of the kitchen.

 

[1911]

Progress; the second dome module is pretty much ready for pouring tomorrow, and forms are already going up for the third dome module.

2nd module formed, 3rd module started

• 1911
• Jul 18, 2017

 

[mdsims]

I'd reckon there's more progress going on over there! Good to catch up on the project. Very cool. How are you planning to finish the ceilings? Leaving them bare concrete or framing out more traditional hard lids with drywall? I'd assume the main rooms are open vaults, but what about bedrooms and hallways?