Making A Cement Tent Over An A-frame Cabin

Steve and Patience construct a diy cement roof to cover the a-frame cabin and protect the pink foam board insullation.

[@Pierrericheart]

I think you meant to say hog wire. Great idea. I have been thinking that covering a wood house in ferrocement would be a super cool idea so its nice to see someone doing it and filming the process. thanks for sharing that.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Hog pannel / cattle pannel interchangeable in this application. I believe hog pannels have wires closer together on one side meant to be the bottom of the pannel nearest piggs or hogs. Cattle pannels are identical to hog pannels except all the wires are evenly spaced across the entire pannel. Thanks for watching!

[@jakemelinko]

It's funny how so many people these days feel the need to pettily correct someone unnecessarily for no helpful reason.

[@Pierrericheart]

It's funny how people document the art of a new construction method and they cant except when you correct them on their ignorance of the difference between chicken wire and hog wire. Even when you compliment and thank them for their efforts they have to whine and bitch that you called them out on some detail they should have known better about. If you make sloppy mistakes describing your process your just asking for correction so suck it up. @@jakemelinko

[@Pierrericheart]

@@johansenfamilyvlog8972 True but hog wire and chicken wire are two totaly different animals. pun intended.

[@scottperkins3696]

I am learning from the condo builders on the ocean when their buildings fall down due to corrosion of the rebar reinforcement and also the hwy bridge builders. Regular concrete is porous and absorbs water that can freeze and cause spalling and allow moisture to get to the rebar. Many Admixtures are now available but it appears to me that for home project guys cheap mis colored latex paint sold cheap is a good way to strengthen and waterproof the cement. Also plastic or nylon etc fencing to be used as reinforcement instead of chicken wire. In your case, for a coating come spring on your concrete tent A Frame, I would suggest an admixture be added and that being latex paint of any color to substiture for the water in the concrete mix. Also study the guys who are making concrete kitchen countertops. Their slabs are super water-stain propf and strong. I think if you create this roof instead of design for only 8 or 10 years they redo, why not design for 30 or 50 years or a thousand like the Romans. The improved concrete will probably be cost effective. Do a google on Latex Cement and concrete for containers that hold water etc.

[@bartbritz8078]

I have been watching your journey from the start, as a new subscriber. Really impressed with your perseverance keep it up Steve and Patience. Love the Psalms on the fridge, Yahuah bless in Yahushua''s name. Thanks for sharing.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thank you, God bless.

[@genewileyopa]

Lots of hard work going on there. The water should run off easier with out the wood slabs in the way. Good to see ya back. Thanks for sharing, Iowa cares. Been cold in mornings here this week. 21 degs.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Yeah, there was some wetness under some of the boards. I think this roof will function well and there are now no fasteners through the pink foam board. Got a little snow and freezing temps. Warming this weekend!

[@Paparumbo]

Lovely 🌞👍 Frontier spirit at its finest.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thanks for the comment.

[@JesterEnergySolutions]

That's a lot of work, God Bless you both

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thanks for watching. Its still holding up several years later.

[@cariosusstudio1460]

You should add Na 2 Si O 3 to cement to make it repell water. This way the cement /concrete will absorb water (that will cause cracks in winter time) and you will see leaks in near future and huge leaks later... And that tape underneath won't hold after few years no matter how expensive it was. BTW : concrete roofs are common here in EU, but they are always covered with bitumen etc.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thank you for youre comment, I will look further into your suggestions. I was going to add another thin layer of porrland cement this spring.

[@bodyzoasispersonaltraining9186]

Yeah. I wondered I think laminated ferro cement is great. The boats don't Crack. The key for our work is the hardware cloth. We use 2 to 3 layers always. The hog panel backing is great. Like mini pre made rebar

[@fowyb]

@@johansenfamilyvlog8972 Just chipping, I used that foamboard and tape under cement and chicken wire a decade ago, and on demolition earlier this year, the boards (taped both sides) broke OFF the joint line. Tape was stronger after a decade under cement than when I put it on. So don't sweat the tape failing, it won't. I haven't got to where you put the epoxy on yet, but a layer of portland and sand sounds good, if you can key the epoxy somehow, but I would try access a compressor and render spray gun. Doing trowel work up long ladders got whiskers on it. 😉 In closing, I'm impressed at your family's drive and effort. Way to live a life. 👍🇦🇺

[@TPoPArt]

I was just brainstorming this idea and checked KZbin to see if anyone had done it! How is it holding up? Your boy is doing such a great job.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

The cement roof on the cabin is holding up well. The epoxy paint covering it is not. Thanks for watching.

[@Raj-yy7xx]

Gteat one! Just an idea, what about using Concrete Canvas just draped, screwed and run over the roof. Then wet and allow to dry rigid. Maybe the 8mm version might have sufficed?

[@luisdardis5223]

hi guys, here luis from Argentina, love your work!! congrats!! and thanks for the vlogs

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thanks for watching.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thanks for watching.

[@elmultimediaschoolofartscu3924]

❤❤❤ from Africa

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thanks

[@jamesalanstephensmith7930]

Looking for roof options, myself. Looks good, durable!

[@loboalamo]

Wow! That is really cool!

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thanks for watching.

[@Raj-yy7xx]

Its a pretty flat roof surface, maybe get a heavy duty canvas sheet, soak it in cement and Stretch / drape it over as a skin. Beats rendering it. Might work...?

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Dont have any experience with that myself. Does it have any structural strength?

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Okay, latex cement is used in a lot of places. You can buy the additive at most supply stores to add to regular cement in place of water which makes it much stronger. I havent ever heard of impregnanting canvas with dry cement but I have seen this kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5PPgYKlqseLmJo sounds kind of what you are talking about. I didnt need mine to be structural but I did want it to be stronh enough to not get damaged from falling tree branches durring a storm. My roof was an evolution in my head that started with what they call ferro cement. I have also seen a realy neay youtube video about "air creete" where the youtuber adds foam particles in the mix and uses forms to set. All very interesting stuff. They make boats out of ferro cement among other things. Thanks for watching.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

We did another part of the roof in a later video over the porch where the roof was more a conventional pitch and it layed out quite nice without the use of standing on laters trowling the cement in. The steep roof of the A frame was very labor intesive to complete and it had many "cold" joints because we could not complete it all at once.

[@Raj-yy7xx]

@@johansenfamilyvlog8972 thanks for sharing your inspirational journey. I'm about to do the same and need to build a few sheds and habitats across our farm. So this has been wonderful to learn from your experiences. It's deeply appreciated. Thank you and best wishes to you and all your family.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

👍

[@unconventionalme8048]

11:19 but ya don’t show the mix ratios for your ferro?

[@HerrisYutuiProduction]

wow.. great DIY

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thanks for watching.

[@michaelwells7348]

~ I just wonder with all the Expanding and Contracting that the roof will do .... if Cement would be in my ( Top 10 of Choices )

[@charlescompton4495]

Us big fellows have to be careful skutting (spelling?) around on that mesh. Could leave a lasting impression! I wonder if a coat of asphalt roof cement would help? Just a thought. Be careful and enjoy your labors. Great to see the younguns involved... wonderful experience for them. Greg

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

I was thinking more permanent than roof cement, thanks for the comment.

[@edsmith4414]

Basically the same process as a ferro-cement boat hull. Difference I see is a boat hull has to be done in one continuous spread of the cement in order to prevent leaks. You can't stop and start 'cold' joints like that. Maybe not as critical in a steep pitched roof where water runs off, and not trying to penetrate a hull. Time will tell. Other thing I see is a lot of still exposed chicken wire. Our experience with chicken wire is it's good for about 5-8 years, depending on how good a job of galvanizing it was done (and no way to tell on that), then it rusts out. Once you get rust going, I suspect the mortar isn't going to last either. So plan on a second coat to thoroughly cover the wire. Last, did you compare the cost of cattle panels/wire/mortar to conventional metal roofing ? I find it hard to believe this is that much cheaper and and certainly WAY more labor intense.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Very good points, i did find this to be cheaper, though i did not consider potential future repairs or the portland cement skim coat still to come next spring. It was certainly labor intense. One benefit i was able to achieve over other roofing methods was the absence of fasteners through the pink board insulation. Thanks for the comment.

[@bonoff3369]

I would love to see you guys reinforce your collar beams with some wooden triangle gussets. Just to support the weight of your loft.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thanks for the comment.

[@alaskansummertime]

How is this holding up? I'm in the middle of building a small yurt and am covering it with thin concrete instead of canvas. I've looked at a lot of videos and this looks like one of the only structures that would hold up over time.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

It seems to be holding up nicely. It has been 2 full years now and it is all still in one piece and not leaking. I do see a few hairline cracks that i will probably fill with thinned portland cement next spring. We also attempted painting it with an epoxy garage floor kit and that is not holding up at all. I will eventually have to pressure wash off whatever is not adheered to the cement and reseal it with thinned portland cement. The metal in the roof cement seems to be adding a lot too the overall integrity of the structure. Thanks for watching. Btw... i did see a video of someone who cemented their yurt and it looks like it turned out nice. Of i can find that video agsin i will add the link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5PPgYKlqseLmJo

[@steveloar7561]

I was wondering what you’d use to cover the foam. Will be really interested to see how the mortar coating holds up over a few years. I used tuff 2, a premixed elastomeric foundation coating sold in 5 gallon buckets for about a hundred dollars applied over a sticky fiberglass mesh on foam on the foundation of my garage. Been in place for 10 years and holding up well. In Boston area.

[@steveloar7561]

Normally I see stucco on vertical surfaces. If you have future issues after the second coat you could try one of the elastomeric roof coatings. I’ve looked at that for a travel trailer. Not sure if it can be applied to masonry Maybe just recoat with the cement skim coat keeping similar material

[@steveloar7561]

Also. You can add color agent to a mortar mix if you want to have an alternate to natural concrete color

[@steveloar7561]

Finally I got how you ended up with the a-frame house. From tractor shed to home. Saw your rough framing is non traditional on the a-frame. Wondered how you selected that method. Since you have a saw mill was thinking you can make any of the standard lumber sizes Are you planning for this house to be a transition dwelling till you can mill the materials you need for a more traditional style cabin/house?

[@steveloar7561]

Just an FYI. My family has a place north of eagle river. Love Wisconsin woods and lakes

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Patience might like adding the color to the roof. Thanks for watching.

[@Christ_on_the_River]

What kind of follow-up can you share about this roof project?

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Hello. The cement roof on the cabin has been installed for over 2 years and through almost 3 winters in Wisconsin and is holding up wonderfully. We have not found any leaks through our roof system into the cabin. The roof system includes two layers of half overlapping tar paper and two inches of pink foam board taped together at the seams. Then is the 1/2 inch layer of cement encassing the cattle panels and chicken wire. All this has held up well. 1 and a half years ago, now through 2 summers is the epoxy garage floor kit paint we put on top of the cement. My hope was that it would permenantly seal the cement but it has not held up well at all. I do not know what the cause of failure is, it is certainly not intended for the purpose I attempted to use it for, but it is brittle and flaking off in areas over the entire roof. Overall we are very happy with the roof system on the cabin and we do live here full time. The roof on the summer kitchen, which we installed early this past summer, also seams to be holding up well. That was a dry pour in similar style to the cabin roof though I decided to attempt to seal the cement with very watered down portland cement. Thanks for watching. Merry Christmas.

[@Christ_on_the_River]

@@johansenfamilyvlog8972 Awesome! I just figure if it’s a good enough system to build water tanks in the third world, it’s probably a good roofing material. I built a small outdoor table with a 3/4” ferrocement top - except I used basalt. It’s performed flawlessly through several freeze/thaw cycles. This truly appears to be a sustainable way to build. Thank you both for sharing your journey and for circling back to satisfy my curiosity!! Blessings - Jeff

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Ive probably seen the same water tank videoes! They also make boats out of ferrocement.

[@Magutz]

Very impressive and hard working family. I've never seen a roof coated with cement in that way, only when they pour a flat roof. Is this your own invention or is this a common practice?

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Not a common practice. I came up with the idea after getting interested in something called ferro-cement. They make boats, park structures, and some unique housing with it. Traditional ferro-cement should have more metal in it than mine does. Thanks for watching.

[@patrickmckowen2999]

excellent 👍

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thanks for watching

[@MovingToMnPro]

So, is the metal - and thereby the cement - not anchored to the structure?

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Correct, it is not. The entire cement portion of the roof is setting on the house like a hat. Thanks for watching.

[@BigMac-jr4th]

@@johansenfamilyvlog8972 why not? Seems silly

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Cement expands and contracts at a much different rate than wood. Because it weighs so much, and its inherant stable shape, there is no need to fasten it to the wood structure supporting it. One advantage is that no fasteners means no thermal conduits for heat to travel through the insulation, but that is certainly not a reason to not use fasteners.

[@bodyzoasispersonaltraining9186]

How has it held up?

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

So far so good for the cement roof. It has been 3 winters now and if it is leaking we dont know about it. The epoxy paint we put on is not doing well. It is chipping, flaking, and comming off in most areas of the roof.

[@davesmathers1990]

Wow that was awsome job on the roof I like that. Are you going to do the side's of the house to looks great.

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thanks, we are planning on doing the side of the house as chared/burnt board and batten. You can get a look at a little of it I needed to do for the recent chimney video. I have to mill more wood so we are planning the siding for next spring.

[@MrSTOUT73]

Kinda troweled yourself into a corner on that roof didn't you? LOL Looks great!

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Yeah, last bit was a little difficult for a bigger guy like me.

[@ingcampthree4523]

I have to give you some props for your hard work! What are you using for the water supply?

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Thanks for the comment. We have a water inlet line that we ran from the creek, underground, to the cabin. We use a 12volt water pump like found in an rv to fill a 30 gallon pressure/well tank. We use the water for everything that isnt potable. We have seperate potable water that we purchase or get from "best neihgbor ever."

[@omsonmn_inde6978]

had a simluar idea but with a Quonset hut

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Yeah, they do a lot of shot creete over spray foam on quonset huts. Have to be careful to not put on too much wet cement at once. The quonset hut by itself cant hold that much weight until the cement has cured. They also use that strategy to make bunkers. Thanks for watching.

[@alanwhitaker1320]

Just cement and water with no sand?

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Its "sand mix" from menards so it already has sand in it. We kept a bag of pure portland cement around in case we came across a bag of the sand mix with moisture penatration. Thanks for watching.

[@prototype9000]

Would have been much faster tto rig yourself up sprayer an spray it on

[@tomwrona1973]

Cement Canvas may have been better

[@BigMac-jr4th]

Lol wtf

[@nickreid5297]

Um .... I'm not sure that this is worth the effort. Colorbond corrugated iron would have been cheaper and easier, and would arguably have given a better result. Sorry to be negative, but I don't really see the point of this. Australians, by the way, love Colorbond. It's vastly better than those silly tar-paper tiles the Yanks put on their roofs.

[@johnstark5275]

?

[@brucemanning388]

11%……..!

[@johansenfamilyvlog8972]

Save big money.... Thanks for watching.

[@derrelcarter9401]

Why not use Gunite?