Can you use interlocking compressed stabilized earth blocks in an below grade basement? Can you use an CSEB machine to make Engineering Bricks which are supposed to be stronger and are used for basements or protection from moisture. Is it possible to increase the cement / lime percentage or fire a CSEB brick and fire it to make bricks as strong as an engineering brick to build basements, underground root cellars / tornado shelters etc.?
Great video learned a lot on this video watching from Africa can this blocks be made without the machine just like the normal Adobe with the same mixture to stabilize it
Problem is it ends up MORE expensive than standard houses... because no one has any of the plans drawn up or techniques implemented or knowledge available. So it's all about how much labor YOU do.
@@HallyVee It may be more up front, but the building will last 10x longer than a conventional home, so in that sense, it could be significantly cheaper over time.
@@dver89 quite right, quite right. Except for that thing I mentioned, nobody having knowledge or plans available. So it depends heavily on your expertise and execution.
Marketing. You gotta love it. Take an ancient method. Mix in expensive, high-tech equipment. Keep the standards of viable construction obscure and closely held. There is never a discussion of the total cost of this building method compared to stick built on site homes, and how or if it can be modified across multiple climates effectively. Most modern home dwellers are expecting ancillary systems such as electrical, plumbing, air conditioning. These are seldom addressed. Building the "shell" of the house is only the beginning of the total process. Similar to timber framing companies who will erect several bents of timber frame, maybe enclose that with expensive SIP components, and then leave just as the real work begins. These videographers never challenge the notion that timber is a renewable resource, especially the softwoods used in the housing industry. Framing with wood components may be all that some folks can afford. And 2x4s are much easier use, lift and transport than earth for most people. Not saying this is not an interesting method. It is. But if it is made into an industry with proprietary ingredients, "certified installers", expensive equipment to form components and unrealistic code requirements, then it is just another technology that is difficult for the DIY home builder to attain.
I agree that this will be more challenging and expensive for most people than a stick built house, but if you have been inside an adobe building on a hot summer day you will want one for yourself. If you have enough time you can buy a manual press for very little money (I bought mine for$50 on Facebook Marketplace) and with that press and about $3000 worth of other other equipment you can build a nice home... This is not for everyone, it works best if you can get a group of people to help build each-others homes and share in equipment costs... Walls are easier than roofs and will not fall on you and kill you if not built properly... Very few places will allow you to build a roof like this....
What I'm still stuck on, is that CEB requires just as much portland as regular concrete, which accounts for 90% of the total GHG emissions.. Also, the wall breath and we have super high humidity here in Iowa.. How do I prevent humidity from entering the home, and what is the R-value of the wall considering Iowa is a heating dominated area? Thanks!
CEB is compacted earth blocks. No cement additives. CSEB is compacted stabilized earthblocks. 7-10% cement added for water resistance. Not water proofing. No where near the amount needed for a concrete structure. Not every brick is required to be water resistant. Earth block is covered under US building code as an adobe structure and requires a concrete foundation and a concrete ring on top of the wall for earthquake protection. The walls are breathable as long as you don't add a coating that acts as a vapor barrier such as a modern paint or a concrete coating on the inside or the outside of the structure. If you add such a coating on the outside of the house you also stop the release of vapor from inside out. Breathable coatings include lime plaster or lime wash. There is no R value for earth brick. It has no insulating properties at all. It acts as a heat delay. For every inch of wall thickness you delay the release of heat by one hour. For instance if you have a 12 inch thick wall the wall would absorb heat from the sun in the morning and then release it into the house 12 hours later providing some warmth in the night time.
Thanks @@richardleau . Typically, a concrete mix is about 10 to 15 percent cement.. So the percent of portland, cseb vs regular cement isn't much different if I'm not mistaken.
This a very good documentary program. Thanks. BUT.... What is it about greenys? Don't they know that trees grow back? They talk like if you cut one down, its gone forever. New growth will replace old very rapidly. Usually in less than ten years. BTW, all the houses shown here are packed with wood (and they are beautiful!). I love the misuse of the term "organic" too. Makes me laugh every time some well meaning, bead rubbing, tree hugger says it. They believe it means "natural". It does not. The term "organic" means "contains carbon and hydrogen". You know, like wood or kale or humans! The soil bricks look fantastic to me on their own merits and don't need any of the new age mumbo jumbo to sell them. You had me at "fire proof" alone. Don't forget virtually no transportation costs for 88% of the mix. I am not against what the greenys "feel". But, as an actual engineer, reality is my harshest mistress. My boss wants my designs to work, meet their design specs, and turn a profit. Else we are both out of a job.
Generally, agree. The label "organic" is a joke for food and every other marketing ploy. This technology is nothing new only the process has been packaged to appeal to the more "enlightened" crowd. And like many rediscovered building methods, they provide a way for some enterprising individual or group to market seminars, tools, patents and so on. Step into an old, stone two-story farmhouse and see the difference between outside and inside environments. They were "cool" in summer; and "warm" in winter relatively speaking. They sure did not have any mechanical air conditioning or humidity control. Thick stone walls acted as a heat sink. Still, they worked and seemed to provide a low impact way of living despite some air infiltration. Some problems: The majority of lumber and timber lands are controlled by a very few companies making lumber prices as high as possible. Governments want to control and profit from residential building construction, inspection, and conveyance. Even building codes (any trade) are big business; code books, seminars, certifications, continuing education. Building by owner is discouraged (by statute) in many parts of the country by governments who take money from construction industry lobbies. Contractor and building organizations use wholesale accounts to prevent the DIY or self-builder from access to materials and technology. And not the least, the residential home market is a playground for investors and speculators. When taken together, no wonder people hang the millstone of a mortgage around their necks, just to have a place to be.
Greetings! 🙏
Big Fan of Earth Buildings and Mr. Jim.
This is amazing! I can't wait to have one of these.
Wonderfully produced.
Love it. Will share this with my subscribers and followers. Thanks, Jim!
I phukin' love this! Thank you!
How old is this video ? Super cool!
Amazing 🔥
That is a great way to build homes,house construction materials are costly every expensive
I saw single block compressor on Amazon for around 900 dollars US. You can also rent one
I'm looking forward to taking your course and not only building on in CO but also on two other properties in various countries.
4:14 don't the trees grow back?
Those machines mentioned at the beginning are probably expensive, right?
Can you use interlocking compressed stabilized earth blocks in an below grade basement? Can you use an CSEB machine to make Engineering Bricks which are supposed to be stronger and are used for basements or protection from moisture. Is it possible to increase the cement / lime percentage or fire a CSEB brick and fire it to make bricks as strong as an engineering brick to build basements, underground root cellars / tornado shelters etc.?
Great video learned a lot on this video watching from Africa can this blocks be made without the machine just like the normal Adobe with the same mixture to stabilize it
Good
Are these homes expensive.
Are there anyone in Northern California that builds them.
Odd that it says that the blocks can be used right after pressing, without curing.
I would like a full cost breakdown for building one of these homes
Problem is it ends up MORE expensive than standard houses... because no one has any of the plans drawn up or techniques implemented or knowledge available. So it's all about how much labor YOU do.
@@HallyVee It may be more up front, but the building will last 10x longer than a conventional home, so in that sense, it could be significantly cheaper over time.
@@dver89 quite right, quite right. Except for that thing I mentioned, nobody having knowledge or plans available. So it depends heavily on your expertise and execution.
Marketing. You gotta love it.
Take an ancient method. Mix in expensive, high-tech equipment. Keep the standards of viable construction obscure and closely held.
There is never a discussion of the total cost of this building method compared to stick built on site homes, and how or if it can be modified across multiple climates effectively.
Most modern home dwellers are expecting ancillary systems such as electrical, plumbing, air conditioning. These are seldom addressed.
Building the "shell" of the house is only the beginning of the total process. Similar to timber framing companies who will erect several bents of timber frame, maybe enclose that with expensive SIP components, and then leave just as the real work begins.
These videographers never challenge the notion that timber is a renewable resource, especially the softwoods used in the housing industry.
Framing with wood components may be all that some folks can afford. And 2x4s are much easier use, lift and transport than earth for most people.
Not saying this is not an interesting method. It is.
But if it is made into an industry with proprietary ingredients, "certified installers", expensive equipment to form components and unrealistic code requirements, then it is just another technology that is difficult for the DIY home builder to attain.
I agree that this will be more challenging and expensive for most people than a stick built house, but if you have been inside an adobe building on a hot summer day you will want one for yourself. If you have enough time you can buy a manual press for very little money (I bought mine for$50 on Facebook Marketplace) and with that press and about $3000 worth of other other equipment you can build a nice home... This is not for everyone, it works best if you can get a group of people to help build each-others homes and share in equipment costs... Walls are easier than roofs and will not fall on you and kill you if not built properly... Very few places will allow you to build a roof like this....
By the way, great, old promo film. I'm guessing this was from the 80's? Especially since it wasn't full letterbox.
Looks like it's early 2000's
What I'm still stuck on, is that CEB requires just as much portland as regular concrete, which accounts for 90% of the total GHG emissions.. Also, the wall breath and we have super high humidity here in Iowa.. How do I prevent humidity from entering the home, and what is the R-value of the wall considering Iowa is a heating dominated area? Thanks!
CEB is compacted earth blocks. No cement additives. CSEB is compacted stabilized earthblocks. 7-10% cement added for water resistance. Not water proofing. No where near the amount needed for a concrete structure. Not every brick is required to be water resistant. Earth block is covered under US building code as an adobe structure and requires a concrete foundation and a concrete ring on top of the wall for earthquake protection. The walls are breathable as long as you don't add a coating that acts as a vapor barrier such as a modern paint or a concrete coating on the inside or the outside of the structure. If you add such a coating on the outside of the house you also stop the release of vapor from inside out. Breathable coatings include lime plaster or lime wash. There is no R value for earth brick. It has no insulating properties at all. It acts as a heat delay. For every inch of wall thickness you delay the release of heat by one hour. For instance if you have a 12 inch thick wall the wall would absorb heat from the sun in the morning and then release it into the house 12 hours later providing some warmth in the night time.
Thanks @@richardleau . Typically, a concrete mix is about 10 to 15 percent cement.. So the percent of portland, cseb vs regular cement isn't much different if I'm not mistaken.
This a very good documentary program. Thanks.
BUT.... What is it about greenys? Don't they know that trees grow back? They talk like if you cut one down, its gone forever. New growth will replace old very rapidly. Usually in less than ten years. BTW, all the houses shown here are packed with wood (and they are beautiful!).
I love the misuse of the term "organic" too. Makes me laugh every time some well meaning, bead rubbing, tree hugger says it. They believe it means "natural". It does not. The term "organic" means "contains carbon and hydrogen". You know, like wood or kale or humans!
The soil bricks look fantastic to me on their own merits and don't need any of the new age mumbo jumbo to sell them. You had me at "fire proof" alone. Don't forget virtually no transportation costs for 88% of the mix.
I am not against what the greenys "feel". But, as an actual engineer, reality is my harshest mistress. My boss wants my designs to work, meet their design specs, and turn a profit. Else we are both out of a job.
Generally, agree. The label "organic" is a joke for food and every other marketing ploy.
This technology is nothing new only the process has been packaged to appeal to the more "enlightened" crowd.
And like many rediscovered building methods, they provide a way for some enterprising individual or group to market seminars, tools, patents and so on.
Step into an old, stone two-story farmhouse and see the difference between outside and inside environments.
They were "cool" in summer; and "warm" in winter relatively speaking. They sure did not have any mechanical air conditioning or humidity control.
Thick stone walls acted as a heat sink. Still, they worked and seemed to provide a low impact way of living despite some air infiltration.
Some problems:
The majority of lumber and timber lands are controlled by a very few companies making lumber prices as high as possible.
Governments want to control and profit from residential building construction, inspection, and conveyance.
Even building codes (any trade) are big business; code books, seminars, certifications, continuing education.
Building by owner is discouraged (by statute) in many parts of the country by governments who take money from construction industry lobbies.
Contractor and building organizations use wholesale accounts to prevent the DIY or self-builder from access to materials and technology.
And not the least, the residential home market is a playground for investors and speculators.
When taken together, no wonder people hang the millstone of a mortgage around their necks, just to have a place to be.
Man trees are grown to be cut. Ridiculous
Um.
Do you offer classes or apprenticeships? I am interested in brick making and building