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i have to say this is a really beautiful piece of work. fine craftsmanship and a fine piece of art/architecture.
it would seem like a neat retreat.
but i wonder how it would perform in lower puna with daily rain. i think it would wind up becoming drippy, moldy and efflorescing.
inspiring piece of work, certainly. practical, maybe under some circumstances?
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I'm confused, what do you think would effloresce?
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i just reread the article. yes, the article is confusing.
this house claims to be built of cement block and clay brick. the surfaces look like a hand trowled cement stucco or lime plaster surfacing, possibly synthetic stucco.
a dome shape will not shed water very fast and water will pool around the base of a dome. this shape/material combo yields lots of potential for efflorescence long term, worse in lower puna.
*no actual mention of using foam (aircrete or whatever) for the house pictured.*
a friend named gibbran helped them build that house. gibbran has an all foam dome house company. the page has a link to his company, but no actual mention that the house pictured was built using gibbran's all foam method. this may be a source of confusion.
/--/
p.s.
i think this little house is a gem. its lower puna thats the problem.
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http://steveareen.com/domehomecreation/index.html
this is a photo essay on building the house.
it definitely is all cement based. i dont see any particular waterproofing. it is a really nice, clever piece of work. i am totally intrigued. efflorescence if not outright dripping could be a real problem. its hard to waterproof cement. various cement additives can help but they are expensive.
hmmm....
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quote:
Originally posted by cinnaminnacat
http://steveareen.com/domehomecreation/index.html
this is a photo essay on building the house.
it definitely is all cement based. i dont see any particular waterproofing. it is a really nice, clever piece of work. i am totally intrigued. efflorescence if not outright dripping could be a real problem. its hard to waterproof cement. various cement additives can help but they are expensive.
hmmm....
Ferro cement is routinely used for boats and water tanks, so it certainly is waterproof. Like all houses in East Hawaii, designing for air flow is the most important thing a home builder can do to prevent mold and dampness inside.
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the construction techniques and materials used in the actual house pictured in the article are not ferrocement.
if you go through the photo show provided you can see materials and process, step by step. even the residual rubble is pictured! no reinforcement, no lamination, no cement admixtures.
please look carefully at this houses construction details on steve areens own site. you will see what i mean.
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I agree cinnaminnacat. No reinforcement. Would never be approved here and with good reason. One bad earthquake and you would wake up under thousands of pounds of rubble.
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quote:
Originally posted by cinnaminnacat
the construction techniques and materials used in the actual house pictured in the article are not ferrocement.
if you go through the photo show provided you can see materials and process, step by step. even the residual rubble is pictured! no reinforcement, no lamination, no cement admixtures.
please look carefully at this houses construction details on steve areens own site. you will see what i mean.
I know that house is not ferro cement, but you seemed to be dismissing all forms of cement construction as mold prone and inevitably nasty, which is not accurate.
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i wrote an email to the homes owner, steve areen, and just received this reply:
"So happy you like my dome home! So far so good! I painted with a high quality anti fungus paint.
Cheers!
Steve
"
i am actually quite happy to hear this. simple sometimes works!
