Welcome back,
I know it’s been a little longer than I had hoped between articles… but then I was on a “Business Trip” in Vegas and home through the Redwoods.
The trip was spectacular and we had a really great time, but we’re here to talk about what I learned at the World of Concrete show in Las Vegas NV that should save me a bundle up front as well as over the years in my new solar home.
Like I said before, there were so many great vendors at the World of Concrete, it took two days and more than 12 hours to see it all and talk to just the few I had time for. You gotta be there next year if you even think you might be putting concrete of any kind in or on your home.
Concrete fence, including split rail, brick, rock or even castle block patterns… your own swimming pool or spa (hot tub), even house siding and roof tiles. Not to mention custom counter tops and free form sinks, baths and wash bowls. Let’s just say you have to see it all to even begin to imagine everything you can do with concrete, shotcrete, gunite and masonry.
On with why we are here… my big idea that I plan on using on my solar home to save money in building costs and in home upkeep.
First, here’s the problem I’ve been having in the planning stage of my passive solar home design: A passive solar home has lots of mass (solid heat holding materials) and that mass cannot be insulated from the inside like they do in conventional homes… the mass is what holds the heat in the winter and keeps it cool in the summer. BUT, I don’t want to loose a lot of the heat to the outside in the winter or pass any of the heat to the inside in the summer.
What to do???????
That means that unlike a conventional home, I need to insulate the outside of my house. OK, so you could put up a frame on the outside and insulate like normal. But that almost doubles the cost (not to mention the thickness) and I’m back to not being as green as I want. It also means all the same upkeep problems as everyone has on their stick build houses… YUCK!!!!
What I found at the World of Concrete show is that there are foam board options that have build in wire mesh or steel that allows me to just put up the foam board (low VOC) and shoot shotcrete or gunite directly over the board.
This does three thinks for me – all positive:
- It gives me the insulation factor I need to hold in the heat or the cool of the mass.
- It covers the outside of the house in a material that I can make into any shape or texture that I want… I’m thinking rock and my wife, Kathy, is thinking castle blocks with fake cracks and antique colors… you have to see it to fully get the image.
- Shotcrete and Gunite is 10 times harder and more durable than plaster and will require a lot less upkeep over a very long duration of time in the house. The cost isn’t that much more than plaster either… less if you have a crew that knows what they are doing because it can be done in a lot less time with 1000′s of more texture and look options than plaster.
Here’s a photo of what used to be a simple chain link fence that was shot with gunite and carved to look like large castle block stones…
Chain link fence shot with gunite/shotcrete and carved in castle block pattern.
I also got a photo from the world of concrete show that shows a beautiful free form sink that used a grape vine patturn to accent the unique design.
Ashby System Grapevine Sink
All that said… we can’t wait to get started on the new house. If you have any unique concrete uses that you’ld like to show us… drop us a line and we would love to put your design ideas here on the blog for other to see and take advantage of.
Until next time…
