Using Dirt to Form Concrete

[@archbuilder71]

You have some very resourceful designs, as an architect who also builds things I appreciate that. Very nice!

[@Fixthisbuildthat]

Dude, you are one with the land. What a great usage of your natural materials and showing how simple concrete can be made on your own. very cool project, Ben!

[@HomeMadeModern]

turning into an old hippy! it is nice though to think of the land as a free raw material. Miss you Brad!

[@BMSculptures]

Very cool method. The application to make LARGE scale items are very intriguing. You have me thinking with this one

[@HomeMadeModern]

yes! sculpt in the land then bring in a truck of concrete!

[@anikac8380]

These are wonderful! Really inspired and fun. This is a fantastic way to showcase the technique. Thank you! I can definitely cosign the flower idea, but I would also suggest selecting for sent. There are aromatic plants which are pleasant when you brush or crush them just like they used to have clover or mint or thyme etc. in monasteries monks used to have beds of chamomile, literally raised beds of chamomile, growing in them, which anxious patients would lie upon to benefit from their calming aroma.

[@haydenmciver6945]

This looks great! Might also work well for use on the baja/sun shelf of a pool.

[@HomeMadeModern]

Definitely! I need to make 4 lounges for the shelf in the pool

[@_DeadlyNightshade_]

this looks awesome, well done! Im amazed at the use of dirt to form concrete in this and many other videos, honestly with curves dirt is such a smart move.

[@darrend9220]

Man, unbelievably creative. What a brilliant and beautiful result.

[@davidpretorius2984]

For a light-weight concrete mix, I'd try using either expanded clay (leca) or extruded polystyrene balls as an aggregate... fantastic project, I really like how the finished bench looks like the sunbleached skeleton of some prehistoric behemoth

[@HomeMadeModern]

thanks for the suggestion

[@JavierOropeza08]

How, was not expecting that result! Looks great!

[@jewdd1989]

I’d love to see you experiment with different materials such as lime, dirt, glass bottles, colorful rocks, etc. for different looks and just the sake of experimenting. It’s a brilliant idea for outside surfaces that’ll last a very long time.

[@HomeMadeModern]

you are in luck! I have been collecting bottles for the last year!

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

I didn't realize you were going to have rounded over joints. Makes for a perfect multi piece chair. Great art! tHanks for the video

[@kristopherdetar4346]

Very very cool. Would love to use that cement chair and a pair of binoculars to look at the stars at night. Great video !!

[@makernova8160]

I recently finished a project with concrete (on a much, much smaller scale) and I have to say, this is some impressive concrete work you've done! Looks great! Would be cool to have plants and stuff growing in the cracks between each piece too.

[@HomeMadeModern]

Great to hear!

[@danthemakerman]

This is really cool Ben! The design is so versatile I could see this in a high-end resort or just a regular backyard poolside.

[@HomeMadeModern]

thank you for being so supportive!

[@ericliddle7556]

Looks like Ben is channeling his inner Russel Brand with the beard and toque. Great video...such a great vision.

[@HomeMadeModern]

lol my ears were cold!!!

[@coledig7157]

Looks great! Can’t wait to see the progress!

[@HomeMadeModern]

You and me both!

[@glencarolo2597]

Really like this project! As always, great job.

[@HomeMadeModern]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@ViQRoy89]

I made a bunch a cool designs in the dirt last time that I poured some concrete steps.( and added fiber optic star lights ) Whenever anybody pulls it up they are in for a surprise 😮

[@HomeMadeModern]

super cool!

[@AimeeAimee444]

Cool! 😊

[@caelrock]

Use a reciprocating saw without a blade as a vibrator for your forms. Also melamine sprayed with vegetable oil (pam) cooking spray is a good form release

[@zachwolf5122]

Voice over sounds really good in this one

[@HomeMadeModern]

thanks! Shane has been helping with that

[@sonofabinch]

Good thing you leveled the ground :-) Turned out real cool.

[@HomeMadeModern]

Yes, if I was making multiple I would probably level a piece of plywood first then keep packing the same mold in the same place

[@crystalcharee57]

This is my favorite thing you've ever made.

[@HomeMadeModern]

def my favorite process

[@GlaciusDreams]

Wow real life minecraft looks like a great workout and also takes foreverrrrr.

[@HomeMadeModern]

about 8 hours and a workout similar to a rowing machine

[@Flako-dd]

Another Banger! Low effort and maximum effect.

[@HomeMadeModern]

Appreciate it!

[@c8lynwilson]

The chair is so cool!

[@HomeMadeModern]

thank you!

[@imc4357]

I absolutely love this. I’d add some sort of pole nearby and mount a bird feeder on it. What a fantastic place to have morning coffee or an evening drink that would be.

[@HomeMadeModern]

That's a great idea!

[@theelectroaddiction]

Doesn't matter what material you use. If you want it to last, use a stem frame for the wet mixture to bond to that attaches to ground with or without movement. Never bare materials unless it is rock.

[@2degucitas]

Yes. It's gonna just wash away

[@simonac688.]

Thats how they built the " Pyramids " 👍 great job dude ...✌️

[@fowlerfinefurniture]

turned out much better than I was expecting!

[@HomeMadeModern]

same!

[@6099x]

this lounche chair is hype - can't wait to see more of this technique from you! i love how natural it looks from the get go

[@HomeMadeModern]

Yay, thank you!

[@reversefulfillment9189]

Very nice. Will give this a try.

[@THEAMISHCYBORG]

Cool project, definitely will try making these

[@HomeMadeModern]

Have fun!

[@MakeSomething]

That came out awesome! I love it.

[@HomeMadeModern]

thank you David!

[@kamelaparis7489]

Yo your back yard is an entire desert 🏜 Wow cool yard dude

[@mrburtenshaw8610]

Very clever, nice form, and nice idea

[@HomeMadeModern]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@acikacika]

Well now you gotta have an equally awesome fire pit design once you start populating the section with that theme. I'd make it linear somehow instead of round

[@sherryu]

Love it, Ben.

[@ydne]

A large garden center paver would make a decent place to set your drink and speakers in the short term for under $10.

[@yaqstar]

Very cool idea!!

[@WunderboyPaul]

Love this design man. I bet it would look cool with some outdoor LEDs in the recessed areas. You could plant some cacti or Joshua trees behind it too.

[@HomeMadeModern]

Cool idea

[@joellemcgowen8080]

This is such a sweet idea. 😍

[@HomeMadeModern]

Thank you! 😊

[@moneymakingmikeg.9555]

Flintstone's furniture= soo freakin cool Ben. Hoping all is well, Dirty Jersey out!!

[@HomeMadeModern]

totally flintstones!

[@kitaeverett2480]

Love this idea so cool 😎💯✅

[@HomeMadeModern]

Thank you! 😊

[@swedneck]

you have to make 2 more of these and a round-ish block, and arrange them in the shape of a theropod foot!

[@AimeeAimee444]

Lovely job! 🙌🏼🤍

[@HomeMadeModern]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@ranntubemy]

Great work🎉🎉🎉

[@roforroid]

You've have a tamper, I would love to see you do some dry cast/dry tamp creations!

[@HomeMadeModern]

Coming soon!

[@PEAKCENTURY]

This is fantastic! I would love to see what you could do with aircrete cores skimmed with the self-leveling concrete! Subscribed!

[@ramseydieter]

Family, concrete requires the use of small stone (aggregate) for strength. What you've made is cament, which is not appropriate for large pours because it will inevitably crack

[@briansha]

really cool project, loved the rammed earth approach! it would be cool to come up with a back rest that can slide into the gap between the two bone sections that you could slide in when you want to sit up more and pull out when you want to lie down!

[@HomeMadeModern]

Cool idea!

[@JesperMakes]

I really like that you just dive in and experiment with new ways to make and design stuff with whatever is available, in this case dirt. Those lounge chairs will stick around for 100's of years. Hats off for the ingenuity Ben. Love to see how the hotel project will form over the next many videos ❤️❤️

[@HomeMadeModern]

Thank you very much! just having fun and working with what I got!

[@robertoconnell8153]

Super dig this!! I wish it fit our yards aesthetic... However, I will be thinking of a way to use this type of earth mold process to build something that DOES fit in here. As always, great video!!

[@HomeMadeModern]

Go for it!

[@tukangkreatif09]

Good idea and jobs guys

[@HomeMadeModern]

thank you!

[@garagemonkeysan]

Dope!!! Super resourceful! 👍🙂

[@HomeMadeModern]

Thanks! 👍

[@dmo848]

Well this is new to me. Pretty dang cool if u ask me

[@HomeMadeModern]

new to me too!

[@lukeamato2348]

Really cool idea

[@HomeMadeModern]

Glad you think so!

[@davidarvingumazon5024]

@@HomeMadeModern I have an important question and suggestion. How many floors your concrete - Dirt to form Concrete, can withstand floors? Ideas to make strong foundation for 3 floors? (Note: Ideas I need to DIY my house to get at least up to 3 floors. Also, I'm just new to these stuff, so it's probably going to affect my life with it. It's going to be helpful for me.) Using Limestone to form a Concrete? (Note: This is both suggestion and a question.)

[@HamzaRehman-qp6dv]

Inspirational.

[@ChrisFranklyn]

This is great. Could even be used as outdoor art installations.

[@ModernBuilds]

🔥🔥🔥

[@HomeMadeModern]

we need an excavator!

[@CrudeButEfficient]

Nice boney foot bench!

[@tuvoca825]

Because of thermal mass, it would mitigate temperature changes on hot days and cold nights. Though... it can get pretty hot even then in direct sunlight.

[@HomeMadeModern]

yes!

[@LuvonMi]

Linoleum is not a synthetic material. It's made from all natural parts. Still, that's a super nice project. It looks amazing in this desert setting

[@HomeMadeModern]

yes orgininally it was linseed oil and pine rosin like an OG bio plastic but now it seems the term stuck to any flexible sheet plastic

[@liammc47]

@@HomeMadeModern I must respectfully disagree. What you used is blown vinyl. Linoleum is a very different material. Your content has educational value so, to conflate the two is not only incorrect but is misleading to your audience.

[@J-RallySite]

super rad!

[@HomeMadeModern]

thank you!

[@colbysaporito7112]

You gave me a good idea how to make an octagonal or hexagonal concrete hot tub I want to make a wood fired hot tub created in concrete triangles

[@HomeMadeModern]

working on a hot tub idea!

[@Jackzuk]

Dude, for getting access to the wall u can loosen the nuts, pivit and lay the rad onto the floor and then lock the nuts back up.

[@HomeMadeModern]

what?

[@Jackzuk]

@@HomeMadeModern haha, that comment was meant for another video, not sure how that happened…. Great vids tho, all the best for the hotel project. Wish i could see it in real world but I’m in the UK

[@corax2012]

Very cool .... would there be a concern with scorpions and snakes between the blocks .... could be a distraction to morning meditation. :)

[@HomeMadeModern]

snakes possibly but would be easy to see them scorpions are pretty rare in my experience and I have only seen them places that have a lot of moisture

[@jeffgoldenberg9579]

Very cool. You could just use rammed earth as it is and build in situ.

[@HomeMadeModern]

smart! I was thinking the same that's why I saved the other pieces of plywood!

[@Prismaticmind]

Is that Yucca Mesa?

[@Bettinasisrg]

Also can you make a glass bottle and concrete wall using the cut bottle ends together as bricks within the concrete?

[@Zaniahiononzenbei]

Interesting, but the idea of a scorpion crawling out of one of those cracks would terrify me.

[@vodiak]

Maybe the table could resemble a giant "dinosaur tooth". Possibly cast in one of the big buckets with rope handles. A bit of dirt in the bottom could provide the shape for the table top.

[@HomeMadeModern]

giant molars!

[@normantorok5919]

brilliant

[@HomeMadeModern]

thank you!

[@ButtonPusher3093]

2:59 my brain can't process that image

[@calipsous]

Geniuuus!

[@HomeMadeModern]

thank you! just working with the land!

[@c.a.g.1977]

How do you come up with this? Amazing design, well built, Ben!

[@HomeMadeModern]

I took a 1 day earth building class, then I took pieces of what I learned and did a small test project then I made this! testing and experimenting allows me to advance ideas without stressing to hard or endlessly researching

[@c.a.g.1977]

@@HomeMadeModern this design came out awesome, really looked like some parts of a dinosaur's skeleton!

[@raynoladominguez4730]

Very cool stuff; a very artistic idea and process. I love it. Are these pieces going to be all over your new yard? Would epoxy adhere to and between the concrete pieces? Maybe blue and green and maybe formed into a side table. Would that be lighter in weight and easier to clean?

[@HomeMadeModern]

yes it would by would probably crack if the heavy pieces shifted so only advisable on a firm concrete patio

[@MatiasGRodriguez]

The result is amazing... maybe if you put a big hole in the middle (following the shape) they would look like bones even more

[@HomeMadeModern]

my next video will be a similar design but formed with plywood with holes like that.

[@rubenmereu]

Nice!

[@jafinch78]

Maybe pin footing to stabilize from settling into the ground over time? I've not done the math, though I've been lately wondering about how the performance of using rebar is compared to the sch10 or whatever pipe used.

[@HomeMadeModern]

I used 3/8" rebar

[@jafinch78]

@@HomeMadeModern As pins for pin footing? I was meaning more for supporting beneath like the Diamond or Handi-pier designs for example. Those use pipes and I've been wondering about structurally can rebar be used instead and what differences in the loadings occur?

[@13mowe]

mix cement with the earth, compact as you have and damp down , its called fortified earth.

[@fitztastico]

4:18 Do those pieces of rebar look like they have spots of rust forming or is it just me? I could be wrong here, but from what I understand any pre rust on rebar is no bueno to put into fresh concrete

[@HomeMadeModern]

good question! concrete is porous so it comes down to how close the surface the steel is relative to the moisture cycles in that environment. I typically don't have issues if the concrete covers the steel by more than 1.5 inches

[@davidpretorius2984]

a tiny bit of rust is recommended on rebar, it helps the steel grip the concrete better. The rust itself isn't actually a problem, it's basically just another inert mineral... the formation of rust is the problem because the metal expands as it oxidizes.

[@_GntlStone_]

You may want to look at making these with "AirCrete" . It'll cut the weight by 60% or so while still being very durable.

[@HomeMadeModern]

yes but haven't figured out how to get a texture I like with aircrete yet. every experiment I try comes out like a rough cinderblock

[@samuelreed2994]

Basically how they made all those megalithic polygonal blocks back in the day

[@ACoustaDC]

Yaba Daba do!

[@HomeMadeModern]

lol so flintstone

[@ACoustaDC]

@@HomeMadeModern OMG!! ..This one would definitely make Wilma the envy of her road.... rocky road that is

[@williamwoody7607]

Really gets to the origins of modernism. Rather Corbusian, we’ll done.

[@AkolytosCreations]

You should make them with aircrete!

[@AkolytosCreations]

@@keithmarlowe5569 I am in the same boat. Aircrete is on my list of projects ;-). I haven’t actually used it yet.

[@HomeMadeModern]

have not been able to get the surface smooth on that

[@senritsujumpsuit6021]

Need this for buying land just use it for this then build in it later lol

[@Geeksmithing]

I too could make this if I had some dirt! :(

[@HomeMadeModern]

need dirt!

[@timjohnson4904]

Dope

[@HomeMadeModern]

thanks!

[@LowOutput]

I might try to make one for my kid who is only a meter tall…which might end up light enough for me to move.

[@phillyvoodoo]

Don't use rebar..... go with a GFRC method and go hollow

[@Entertainment-gm9zm]

since your so hardcore, why not cultivate the dirt? kinda like proniotica but for plants i guess

[@jasonthomashorn4794]

Aircrete would be a great add to it and i bet you can do a good tutorial on it.

[@HomeMadeModern]

yeah I am considering it for above ground planters or septic systems but from what I have the surface texture is a little rough

[@fitztastico]

@@HomeMadeModern I'd be genuinely interested if you explored aircrete. I played with a lot a few years back, but didn't really have the proper tools to make a quality foam that was stable. I had one true success making a small planter and incorporating aluminum powder and sodium hydroxide into the mix. The bottom and sides were contacted the form are actually incredibly smooth and I was able to use a metal file to smooth out high points on the top of the planter. I abandoned that idea afterwards though solely because I was freaked out about working with aluminum powder and breathing it in

[@jasonthomashorn4794]

I do like the smooth dino bone look, could incorporate a layer of mix to give the surface a smooth surface then add some rebar/scrap sticking out of it then add aircrete.

[@jasonthomashorn4794]

And regardless of the mix i could see adding foam shapes and spunges to the side walls pulling them out after would create interesting voids in the side. Even pocktes for plants. And it would lighten it without reducing structurally strength for laying on.

[@82gamerprincess31]

Honestly if you are going for a dividing wall, especially for cars/humans keep the weight. I’ve witnessed a car going through a brick knee wall right into the front of a store only going about 25-30mph.

[@HomeMadeModern]

true

[@powshredder3716]

you would dig rammed earth houses if you don't already know of them that is.

[@HomeMadeModern]

I love rammed earth houses! a lot of challenges depending on climate and can be expensive to get the structural engineering done compared to typical construction

[@powshredder3716]

@@HomeMadeModern In Canada we have to put ridged insulation in the middle for thermal bridging. Engineering here is reasonable because it's becoming more common now.

[@nidalmayin3067]

That's your back yard, where do you live area 51?

[@HomeMadeModern]

Joshua tree CA, I am building my new house and workshop on this piece

[@nidalmayin3067]

@@HomeMadeModern congratulations 👏

[@shakebraza196]

Dirt + cement= concrete.

[@HomeMadeModern]

sort of but typically concrete doesn't have organic matter in it. dirt has different proportions of organic matter vs sand, gravel, and clay in different areas and at different depths with top soil tending to have more organic material. from my understanding its the organic matter that weakens the chemical bonds in concrete.

[@justincase9173]

With deserts full of it, one can easily be fooled into thinking that sand is an almost infinite resource. However, desert sand has little use; the grains are too smooth and fine to bind together, so it is not suitable for the making of for instance concrete. watch "Can You Use Any Sand To Make Concrete?" kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3mQhp6FoZuSia8

[@jefffriedberg]

What’s the point????? You used Portland Cement.

[@HomeMadeModern]

I wanted a concrete lounge chair was the point

[@jefffriedberg]

@@HomeMadeModern - yeah well you got a Portland Cement chair.

[@Rammed_earth]

Hey bro im going to tag you