06-22-2008, 10:43 AM
Oh, and it's WOOD that's going to draw the termites, not the tank. . .
I think you can more or less figure .50 cents in material costs for sensible sized tanks. They get cheaper as they get larger. On jobs I do I never fiddle with trying to re-sell materials as it always ends up as a scam. Labor is the issue. My 4 x 4 x 8 tank probably took me 4 full days to wire up and mud up, and build the lid, which is ferrocement too but has a slate face on it as a sun deck. That is nice and fun and may work for you too. In terms of building, it would be more efficient with two, but I had just me, and as of yet I haven't found help I can trust. So if in round figures it was a solid week of work, at at perhaps 1000 bucks in labor for a big tank, you can see it's pretty cost effective for most people. As well, you're not drinking off of plastic, which I won't do, period. And, heck, while your at it, mud up a hot tub too, on the side of the deck, for where your overflow goes!
I think you can more or less figure .50 cents in material costs for sensible sized tanks. They get cheaper as they get larger. On jobs I do I never fiddle with trying to re-sell materials as it always ends up as a scam. Labor is the issue. My 4 x 4 x 8 tank probably took me 4 full days to wire up and mud up, and build the lid, which is ferrocement too but has a slate face on it as a sun deck. That is nice and fun and may work for you too. In terms of building, it would be more efficient with two, but I had just me, and as of yet I haven't found help I can trust. So if in round figures it was a solid week of work, at at perhaps 1000 bucks in labor for a big tank, you can see it's pretty cost effective for most people. As well, you're not drinking off of plastic, which I won't do, period. And, heck, while your at it, mud up a hot tub too, on the side of the deck, for where your overflow goes!