We drove out to the land to check up on things (can't do it as often as we'd like, it costs a bundle in time, fuel and tolls) and had a look around. After signing the papers last year, we placed several signs of the "No Trespassing" variety on the roadside perimeter just as a CYA precaution. Oddly enough, upon our return visit, the signs were gone! Not cracked with pieces hanging on, but removed - along with the fasteners too.
Still working on designs for the house, all recent versions have wound up in the trash bin.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteWe are looking to build a Scottish L-Plan tower (and adding range buildings later on.) In order to cut initial costs and time, I am planning on using ICF with slipform construction. The idea is to build the ICF first to get the walls up, roof on, and windows in. With the building sealed, the interior and the stone slipform work can then be done at a less stressful pace.
We are going to use the slipform technique laid out by Joe Kohler and Mona Anderson in their book "The art of building a house of stone" (their website is http://www.kohlerandlewis.com/joe/SH.htm). When completed, the outside of the tower will look like something built in the 15th or 16th century, and the interior will allow us to design any look we want.
Hope this information is helpful.
Regards,
Gary
Hi Gary,
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to how you came to the conclusion that ICF would be more effective at cutting costs. From what I've seen, ICF tends to be quite expensive due to the cost of cement and the per block cost, along with some of the specialty items for the forms. I'm not saying you're wrong - I'm very sure you've done research on the matter - I'm just curious if there's been a shift in ICF pricing or something you're doing (like doing all of it yourself)that has made it more affordable.
I also note that you mention slipform, are you going to have a slipform facade on the ICF? Thatnk for the book suggestion, I've got 3 build-your-own-stone-house books along with "The Art of the Stonemason", so I've got that area covered! I'll definitely be taking a look at that site though, never can have too much information.
The rest of your plan sounds similar to what we'd like to do construction-wise, get the foundation, walls and roof up in a hurry, then finish the rest as you can.
EDIT: After re-reading your post, are you going to do a style similar to the builder over at CastleMagic? That is sort of an ICF build.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing the info!
Jeff
Hello Jeff,
ReplyDeleteWe met a couple who had built their house using ICF. After settling on the particular ICF product, they went to Craig’s List and Ebay, and were able to find the blocks for as much as 80% off the retail price. It took them a little over six months to acquire the number of blocks needed for their home. We also plan to do the work ourselves (with some guidance from the above-mentioned couple.)
I spoke with Roger of CastleMagic back in 2002 (when we first started thinking seriously of building a castle) about his system. He builds similar to the way the Romans built their walls. He first builds two stalls, and uses them as the form for the reinforced concrete wall. The stone then becomes a façade for the wall. Roger’s craftsmanship is exceptional, raising his castles to the level of a work of art. Unfortunately, his waiting list is several years long, and at $300.00 to $600.00 per square foot a little more than we want to spend in today’s current economic slump.
Slipform building is a method where two forms are setup (usually 18” to 2’ apart); rock is pushed up against the outer form while a rigid insulation, such as EPS, is set in place against the inner form. After a layer of rock is in place, concrete is poured into the form covering the rock, and filling in the space between the stone and EPS (covering a row of rebar.) After the concrete has set for about 24 hours, a second set of forms is bolted to the first set, and the process is repeated. After the concrete has hardened another day, the first set of forms are removed and slipped up and bolted to the forms above, and the process is repeated again. The forms are continuously slipped up the wall until the desired height is reached.
Since we have short summers, the idea of replacing the EPS with the ICF in order to speed up the process, became a serious consideration. We would be using the slipform method to add the extra width and stone façade to the building. We are also considering using the slipform method (both side stone, without insulation) for some of the interior walls as well. Of course, I am always open to ways to keep the initial building time, and cost as low as possible.
We will be generating our own electricity, and recycling some of the wastewater to keep ongoing operational costs as low as possible.
Regards,
Gary
Gary,
ReplyDeleteFantastic! I'm at least "book" familiar with ICF and Slipform, and have been over to the CastleMagic website several times to see how the work is accomplished. I was curious to see if you were implementing some sort of "fusion" technique like using slipform to sandwich an insulator - but you have explained well what your intentions are.
It sounds exciting! I look forward to hearing about any progress you make. Will you be blogging or using an online journal like ownerbuilderbook.com? And thanks for the tip on using Cragislist for ICF blocks, I never thought of that.
Jeff
BTW: I asked on the OBB website a while back about leaving ICF exposed to the elements while the facade was put up over time. One respondent said that he'd left his exposed for over a year; the surface discolored, but he was able to complete the exterior with no trouble at all despite the unfinished. Just a bit of info, don't know if it helps in your considerations.
Hello Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI hadn’t really thought about doing a blog on our project. We might do something along the order of the Dupont Castle website. I found their site in 2003 and have watched their progress like a voyeur staring out the back window at his neighbor’s backyard.
What are your height restrictions in your county? We are limited to 35 feet (45 feet if the planning commission decides to grace us with a wavier.) While a wavier may be possible, we are planning on a three story L-Plan tower (yeah, I know not really much of a tower.) The roof peak should come in at a little lower than 35 feet, while the chimneys will end up being at or a little above. One of the requirements for the wavier would be to supply the fire fighting equipment to reach the 45 foot mark.
Regards,
Gary
Not sure about our local building height code. A nearby more populous town has a 30' above grade restriction in-town, so we're assuming that we'll be in the 30-40' range as well.
ReplyDeleteWe're in the same boat as far as height goes, taller would look more castle-like. The land slopes down so we'll compromise by having a max height two-story side and have the other side look like 3 stories by having a walk-out finished basement.
Something we also considered: We don't want too many stairs due to a tall build, we'd like to be able to live in the house for a long time, and stairs can become an obstacle as one gets older. That or an additional $10-20K for a residential elevator.
Ditto on watching the Dupont site, and I also watch CastleMagic's site occasionally.
I hope when you said that you have to supply the equipment to reach the last 10' it doesn't mean that you need to get them a new ladder truck! :D
Hello Jeff,
ReplyDeleteWe have a volunteer Fire Department. We would be required to supply any extra equipment needed to reach the height of our structure. There is a gentleman who lives up the river, he has a suspension bridge across the river to his property. The bridge will not handle the weight of the fire department’s vehicles. If he has a fire, he will have to supply any equipment needed to put it out.
A small elevator is part of our plans. The ground floor will be storage and equipment only. The bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen, living room, and great hall will be on the second floor. On the third floor, we are planning on an office and library, with the rest open to the great hall.
Regards,
Gary
Thanks for the reply Gary,
ReplyDeleteI think our current plan allows for 2 floors from the front, and an exposed basement from the rear - so I guess that it really isn't a basement at that point - so the height of the structure accessible from the road really isn't an issue with this plan. Our FD in the area of the land is volunteer as well and probably has similar rules to your FD.
Jeff.