You are a teletubby and ICMFTT.
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
Concrete block wall art
Loading thread data ...
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
You're after a vandal proof permanent model of that tent?
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
The message from Mike Halmarack contains these words:
I shouldn't think so, just air pressure. You'd probably have to put a thin skin of concrete on first and let it harden before adding the rest.
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
Guy King typed
Haven't you got a portable nylon trifin conjoined domus?
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
The message from Chris Bacon contains these words:
Can't be - they've all got things sticking out of the tops of their heads. Mine's glassy smooth and unadorned.
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
The message from contains these words:
Got it in one! Though scaled up about 100% or perhaps 200%.
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
They can be - it just depends on how much care you take with the mould you pour into.
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
I think he's been quaffing those homeopathic medicines again ...
You could try skull implants - a cross between dentistry and body piercing.
Owain
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
The message from Owain contains these words:
That'd upset the little man who lives inside my head. At the moment he's busy winding all my hair in from my scalp and shoving it out of my ears and nostrils.
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
I thought we were talking about casting in situ. DIY slabs is an interesting idea for sheds as well as plain (or decorative) walls.
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
Did you not see that program about building Stonehenge?
Leave some rebar sticking out the ends, tie/weld it together and pour concrete over it.
Why would you want reinforced concrete internal walls?
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
That's incredible! Absolutely *everyone* will want one of those for Christmas. You'll be a trillionaire. What about a concrete dome island in Polynesia?
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
The message from Mike Halmarack contains these words:
I suspect many of the males (and possibly a few of the females) who read uk.d-i-y already have one.
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
Well, yes, this years model.
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
Maybe dig the moulds as holes in the ground, adding a bit extra depth to allow for crud, and leave until the lava flows.
Of course youre buildings would not then be in the most desirable location!
The other natural house builder is coral. Submerge a thin ss frame, leave it 50 years for coral to convert it into a solid coral house and winch out. Nature's builders are so slow though, no wonder they find it hard getting employment.
NT
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
There are many schemes to grow your own home in SF; 'house seeds' - plant it, and it grows you a house using nanotechnology and solar power in a few days, using local resources. Specially trained plants, which you live inside, and digest human waste, while providing food. Bioengineered organisms, like coral, which you just train up a framework, and water every so often, and keep trimming where you want windows...
The fundamental problem with these approaches in real life is that it's slow, given even fairly afvanced biotech. Getting some sort of hut that'll keep the rain out most of the time, you could use something very fast growing, though you need a nutrient transfer system so that all sides grow as easily.
To get it to grow so that it can take 100MPH winds, and 3cm hail, is gonna be much slower, as it's gotta be 'woodier'.
Then there is the 'trained monkey' approach, which a number of building firms already seem to be trialing.
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
Plan young for retirement ...
San Francisco? ... oh no, Sci-Fi
More expensive than the untrained monkeys used heretofore, but perhaps higher productivity will compensate.
Owain
- Vote on answer
- posted
17 years ago
I guess it has to be lava then, build a whole housing estate in a day!
Might prove tough finding tenants tho. Then again on building day you get lots of people conveniently made homeless.
If it were cheap enough, and it would really have to be cheap, some kind of self build system that took 3 years would have its place. The gross reduction in needed capital is what might make it workable. Say I have 10 or 20k capital, no way can i build a house the today way. But maybe I could plant a load of hedges on frames and leave them 3 years. The frames would be sheathed in plastic film arranged like slates, so the plant could grow through it easily, and it would keep rain out of the gaps, and dump rain straight onto the plant roots. Now like this the only capital needed is enough for some frames and seeds, plus the money to fit out one house. Selling that provides capital for 2 more, etc.
Plus it could see use for self build extensions, sheds and so on. Lots of folk wouild like extensions and theres no rush but also no money. Also could be used for the higher risk build projects, since the amount risked is tiny.
Yes. Would be nice to see it happen in reality.
I once wondered if you could build walls out of plastic rubbish using a movable piece consisting of 3 side walls and a glass top. The idea is you put it on top of the wall, use it as your plastic recycling bin, and solar heat melts the plastic to the wall. When full, move it along, and in the end youve got a solid plastic walled structure for no more cost or hassle than using a dustbin.
The pitfall is plasticisers. Repeatedly melting thermoplastics evaporates plasticiser. Temp control could be achieved with a little very basic electronics. It only needs to reach enough temp to melt some of the plastics.
NT