AirCrete Construction at Tiny Giant Life school in Terlingua, Texas. Aircrete insulation w/o sand

Discover aircrete construction as a low-cost means to build the house of your dreams without a mortgage! Join author Thomas J. Elpel for this visit with Daniel Allen at the Tiny Giant Life school in Terlingua, Texas, where Daniel discusses and demonstrates how to mix and pour slipform aircrete walls to quickly build structures that are strong and well insulated without breaking the bank. Daniel prefers an aircrete formula without sand to maximize R-value (insulation). A thin coat of surface bonding is applied inside and outside the structure to bring the walls to full strength. Learn more about the promise and potential of aircrete!

[@kendclife7913]

We have so many creative and ingenious people in our country who have solutions to make our lives better and extract us from the slavery of mortgages and banks, but building regulations are often designed by big industries to protect their monopolies and profits, rather than for the safety of home buyers. I would totally feel safe in one of these structures. Thank you for sharing.

[@thomasjelpel]

True, true. But nobody has to be stuck in the Machine. It is actually quite easy to walk away from the 9 to 5 job and mortgage, as many of my students at Green University have learned. Here's a tour of my home in Montana you might also enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@ThoneJones]

I love the idea of this, but I’m sure it would be next to impossible to get the building department in my area to approve it.

[@gregsadams]

His url of his website is not working. How can I get a hold of him. Thank you

[@raymondpeters9186]

Pumicecrete is by far the best building material on the planet Pumicecrete is a mixture of pumice cement and water mixed and poured into a set of reusable forms walls are poured from 12"to 24" thick pumicecrete is fireproof termite proof rust rot and mold proof non toxic and has a high R value and good sound attenuation solid poured walls means no critters can live in your walls Pumicecrete can be built for a fraction of the cost and time and pumice is one of the few building materials that can go directly from the mine to the job site ready to use without any additional possessing and zero waste Take care Ray

[@thomasjelpel]

Thanks for the suggestion Ray! I would love to experiment with pumicecrete sometime. You might also enjoy this tour of my home in Montana: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@raymondpeters9186]

Nice house good job

[@capnleux]

Daniel is awesome

[@thomasjelpel]

Yes he is!

[@davidparker2173]

Smart stuff. I wish you would've mentioned R value. I see there are different ways to build with it, like to just fill in a prefabricated wall. I see there is a big Arab company now that builds with it, all in thin gauge steel framing, and some pretty big buildings too. Gotta know about it's vapor abilities too. Fiberglass rebar would work better with it as insulation.

[@thomasjelpel]

Thanks for your insights David! Here's a tour of my home in Montana you might also enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@davidparker2173]

@@thomasjelpel You appear to have a natural gift for building a house. Old stoves worked fine in their day, and they still do if they are placed right for both seasons. Looks like a solid build just the way you like it.

[@publicdomain3378]

Medieval Europeans used whool mixed into their plaster to cover their cobb. My theory is using a similar method here could increase strength, keeping or adding to your r value while keeping the weight down as well. Just a thought, cheers

[@thomasjelpel]

That seems like a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion!

[@ANXIETOR]

I had never heard of aircrete, so this was really interesting. I wonder how this would hold up in a more humid locale like my state of Ohio. Plus, I’ve never seen solar panels used as porch roofing. That makes perfect sense. Good video.

[@thomasjelpel]

The cement should be perfectly stable in a humid environment. Here's a tour of my stone and log home in Montana you might enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@ridewithdanusa]

Super interesting! I got to come visit you again Tom.

[@thomasjelpel]

Please do Dan! You know where to find me. Here are our newest accommodations at River Camp: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXKqmat3gdt7Z5o

[@TheGrilledCheeseSandwich]

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing.

[@thomasjelpel]

Thanks for watching! Here's a tour of my house you might enjoy too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@tylerbarrett6652]

This is really cool! Thanks for sharing this.

[@thomasjelpel]

Thanks Tyler! You might also enjoy this tour of my home in Montana: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@donwilson4934]

Great breakdown

[@thomasjelpel]

Thanks Don! You might also enjoy this tour of my home in Montana: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@allrockfarmllc9909]

Just had to tear one of these things down. I like alternative building but this method is a ton of rapport compared to stick frame. I still don't know why you would choose this.

[@thomasjelpel]

Rapport = work? It's an interesting experiment in low-cost, sustainable living. Personally, I'm more interested in creating an aircrete dome, if I can figure out how to slipform it rather than make blocks. We'll see. Here is a tour of my home in Montana you might enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@allrockfarmllc9909]

@@thomasjelpel sorry about the cryptic messaging. I often talk text while doing something else and don't edit😀. Let me clarify. I'm a general contractor in the state of Hawaii. I have 35 years building experience that includes multiple years of offgrade building including multiple methods and I always come back to stick framing as being the most economical and reasonable. I literally just spent a ridiculous amount of time on one of those air Crete dome structures built without permits in someone's backyard. I was called in to see if it could be permitted. I got an estimate from an engineering firm in Oregon that would do the engineering but they wanted 10 grand the lady had already spent 120 grand paying some hippie to build it. In the end it is a tear down. They have zero structural integrity, this was badly fractured and was leaking water like a sieve every time it rained. All I have to say is, for the same amount of time you spend building one of those I could have built 10 times the square footage too building codes, it'll be worth far more money and as much easier to modify.

[@armedmariner]

Thomas. Curious. How do you think an aircrete structure would fair in the northern Maine type climate? If I had a piece of land up there and aircreted a cabin in the woods do you think it would be good in winter with no other sort of wall insulation? I’m worried about generating heat inside with a wood stove and maybe not having a moisture barrier. Love what you are doing in Old Texas!

[@thomasjelpel]

Good questions! I hope to start working with aircrete in Montana, so ask me again in a few years... :)

[@peterstevens6555]

Kia Ora & Good Evening from Caribbean Drive, Unsworth Heights, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand ... Another Great Video Bro…

[@thomasjelpel]

Thanks so much Peter! Here's an article I wrote after touring New Zealand: www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Identification/New_Zealand/index.html

[@peterstevens6555]

@@thomasjelpel 0h! The new motorway has just been finished from The Pūhoi to Warkworth ...I used to live in USA in the late 80s!

[@Iamtherodlight1453.]

So awesome.

[@thomasjelpel]

Thank you! You might also enjoy this tour of my home in Montana: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@marks6292]

I have heard about aircrete, but had not seen an actual living space. This is wonderful. I wonder, could you build something bigger using the same form widths? I was thinking of something in the 800-1000 square foot range. Could you use this same method, or would you have to thicken the forms?

[@thomasjelpel]

It seems like it should work fine to me. However, for colder climates, you would want thicker walls.

[@joancandalino8742]

Have you considered fibre mesh fibers added to the aircrete? Would that improve the strength?

[@thomasjelpel]

I was wondering about that too, but strength is largely irrelevant for insulation, and the surface bonding provides the strength where needed. Here is a tour of my home in Montana you might also enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@GarthPhilpot]

Hat and sunscreen brother! you're getting burnt alive out there. Thank you for the amazing videos as usual.

[@thomasjelpel]

Yes, a little sun protection would be a good idea! Here's a tour of my home in Montana you might enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@TAdler-ex8px]

Interesting, would like to see how this compares with adobe construction. I live in the desert southwest so there’s a lot of it around me. It lasts for a long time but needs constant maintenance. How does this age? While this is very rudimentary and functional looking with minimal creativity it could be artistic as well. Great canvas. Inspiration!

[@thomasjelpel]

All good questions! It would be fun to research all these different building methods. Here's a tour of my home in Montana you might enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@TAdler-ex8px]

@@thomasjelpel Thanks 😊 I will check it out right now.

[@tomjeffersonwasright2288]

Can you make tip-ups using aircrete? How thick are the walls of the buildings you showed?

[@thomasjelpel]

I believe those walls were about eight inches thick (I'm guessing). You should be able to make tilt-up panels if you pour a 1/4" layer of sand-cement mortar, lay the fiberglass mesh into it, cover that with a thin layer of mortar, then pour the aircrete, let that set for a few hours or overnight, then apply the sand/cement layer and fiberglass mesh again to make a complete sandwich. Then let it cure for 30 days before attempting to move it. :) Here's a tour of my house in Montana you might also enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@ivancresswell5726]

Great info for all of humanity to escape the rat race.

[@thomasjelpel]

Thanks so much! Here's a tour of my own home you might enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@teachingandlearning]

What about building code?

[@thomasjelpel]

Code is the lowest standard. It is always essential to build to exceed code, even if there are no building codes or inspections in your area. :)

[@donponcho4631]

Not good when you see allot of cracks. It won't last long, in Mexico we cover our walls with concrete and sand and you don't see cracks and last for 20 years,

[@thomasjelpel]

The surface bonding is critical. When the surface bonding is complete, the aircrete is just insulation, not structural.

[@RaraAvis1138]

I sure wish he would wear sunscreen...I love his work!

[@thomasjelpel]

Yes, or a hat! Here is a tour of my home in Montana you might enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4iugZyprtyrrLs

[@EZLivin-zk4gm]

The chemicals in sunscreen have caused many times more cancer than natural sunshine.