Is an all concrete cave house doable budget wise? Pics enclosed

Started by beatsmyth, March 10, 2012, 03:14:43 PM

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beatsmyth

I fell in love with a certain all concrete built cave house and have plans to build a small rental place that has 3-4 small either tiny homes, cob houses, or cave houses for people to rent out as they pass through near a national park.

The pics of the cave house are here:
http://dornob.com/hay-holy-cow-bovine-eats-way-into-buried-concrete-home/

I'm wondering if this is going to be to cost prohibitive as far as the cost of concrete goes (average $3-$4.50 sq ft) I'm looking at 18-20K in concrete let alone price of rebar, etc.

I'm looking to stay under 15-20k per house by either doing Cob, Tiny Houses, or small 400-500 sq foot cabins

How do you post pics on here? The post pics tab only has an (img ....img) function to enter pics from a link but it did not work for me?

MountainDon

Just because something has been done and has not failed, doesn't mean it is good design.


Squirl

Concrete is usually sold by the cubic yard.

Where they engineers?

There is no specs.  Concrete and rebar design can get pretty complicated.
Do you like math?

Here are some basics on designing a concrete roof:
http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=10727.msg145671#msg145671

Squirl

I also notices there is absolutely no insulation in that building.  That would be a non starter for me.

rick91351

The cost of the straw and or fodder or hay in this area is a big huge turnoff to me. The cost of rebar and concrete and then hay at $150 plus a ton for stock cow hay here now.  Dairy cow hay is $200 a ton.  Straw is cheaper but harder to get rid of. 

Then rereading your post I am sort of thinking that is not going to work at all as you intend.  You are talking commercial property, everything from footings to electrical and plumbing is most likely going to have to be engineered for public safety.  If it is a public building or you even hire someone to occupy it while they work there in your business it is commercial.  Most the time you are talking a whole other dimension, a whole other big book of thou shalls and thou shall nots.

 

 
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.


rick91351

Then going back to the web site it must be true after all it is the internet right?  But I do know cows and cattle.  They say they used straw.  Straw has no food value.  Their cow would have starved to death.  But wait lets say it was hay.  Inside of a year the would have deposited four ton of cow stuff.  That some one is going to have to shovel out of there.  Along with that, there would be 200,000 ton of odor mostly in the form of ammonia and cow stuff of course.  If corralled in that type of environs the cow would be dead, and its rotting body adding to the odor.  Which someone is going to turn into a dwelling?  Ya Right! So even though it is on the web and I know we believe all web things.  I call BS.       
Proverbs 24:3-5 Through wisdom is an house builded; an by understanding it is established.  4 And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.  5 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.