Friday, July 17, 2015

Trials finishing rammed earth walls


Looking at different finishes.


Soil - sand 5-3 done immediately.  almost no cracking





Nothing done to wall


pipes in wall for placing supports later

My neighbors ugly wall.  Including efflorescence being seen on bottom.


Stones rammed along formwork.

bricks rammed along formwork


soil - sand  5-3


No finish but marble dust in the rammed earth


Soil-sand  3-5




soil-sand  1-1  Not good, add more sand!

Can't remember where this was taken.



 Next two pics gypsum plaster over the rammed earth.



Plaster Cement-soil-sand  2-2-1





More Rammed earth progress

Some completed walls before finishing.












Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Back on track (for awhile)



I started building vaults to lower building costs.  After a couple I got carried away with making vaults fancier and more complicated (groined vaults) and hence more expensive.

So for the past year (s) I have been dreaming how to make walls cheaper and decided i would try stone walls and rammed earth walls.

I need to fill in space where old gate was.  I buy this stone for $55 per 5m(3) delivered.  It is very hard and cuts badly but has a naturally mostly flat surfaces.  I chose to build with cement/lime/sand mortar.  We get a fair amount of positive comments.




I was thinking i better use cement as my neighbors all use it.  Notice the mansion over the wall.

so on the other side of the gate along a garden I used claysoil/sand mortar.






I will eventually put a roof cap over the wall to keep the wall  drier.

It looks good and is strong but it still is not "inexpensive"

for some years I have been reading about cob, rammed earth, and bagged earth.  I chose to go with rammed earth and I think the choice is right for me.  All i need to supply is sand.  Soil i get from the foundation and quarrying on our land.

the forms.
Make them strong.  the pressure is great.

I used marine plywood, ripped in half.
 Then 4x2 down  the lenght.
then another 3 4x2 upright and bolt holes through them.

Finished looks like this:

I builg a stone foundation, 5cm of cement plaster and then plastic sheeting.

I enlist neighbor boys.


Ramming 10cm to 3cm repeatedly to fill the 50 cm





Some places the rammed soil sticks to the formwork.


Imperfections, and different sand types



locking joint


Tried some decorations


Tried embedding stones and bricks and bottles



Starting to try smooth earth finishing, next tadelakt?


Friday, July 3, 2015

White wash cement brick vaults?

Whitewashing the walls looks good. I am not liking the ceiling whitewashed and I wonder about the rectangular openings instead of arched. Any thoughts?