Concrete house

Discussion in 'Renovation & Home Improvement' started by Brendon, 16th Jun, 2016.

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  1. barnes

    barnes Well-Known Member

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    Of course it's easy a lot easier than the framed ones. One can plaster all internal walls, no gyp rock. Insulate the walls with double foil and you can have the perfect climate all the time (in case you insulate the ceiling with the same stuff of course). It's a dream for a good DIY specialist.
     
  2. Brendon

    Brendon Well-Known Member

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    Excuse the ignorance here but you're suggesting that you just plaster straight onto the concrete walls with some sort of foil insulation in between?
     
  3. barnes

    barnes Well-Known Member

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    Nope. Foil insulation is placed on the external side, than you put vinyl siding boards on a carcass over insulation to hide it and for the house to look good.
    When you plaster the internal concrete walls you use chicken wire plaster mesh and you plaster over it. Simple. I have built several houses like that overseas in the past.
    No frame, everything is solid, you can put a 75' TV everywhere you like - beautiful. :)
     
  4. Hanison

    Hanison Well-Known Member

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    You can hang your tv anywhere you like but good luck getting your services there without making a mess or running surface.
    A round of applause for the guy that just punched through the walls and ran all his plumbing on the outside of the building.
    Because that doesn't look like absolute ****.
    I'm having a hard time right now recollecting the last million dollar build i was involved in where we just ran ducting across the ceilings and down the walls.
     
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  5. neK

    neK Well-Known Member

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    So there are a few pipes running outside... It's on the outside on the side where there is a shed.

    It's not like a Valuer or tenant is going to go OMG there are some 10-20mm pipes running on the outside. That's it, that's a price drop of 300k or rent must drop $100 per week.

    And no it's not a million dollar house (far from it), but the land probably is.
     
  6. barnes

    barnes Well-Known Member

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    There are ways to get your services inside a concrete wall without a major mess, just some minor trouble. You use a wall groove cutting machine and than plaster over. It's more simple than doing the same on a thin gyp rock partition we have here.
    If you don't know something, it doesn't mean it never existed. :)
     
  7. Westminster

    Westminster Tigress at Tiger Developments Business Member

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    We have to brick saw chase electricals, plumbing, aerials etc through 76mm internal brick walls all the time. It's doable and then plaster over. You can either run them to the outside and leave them bare, create a duct over them or chase them on the outside as well.
     
  8. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    o_O it's easier to chase in cables into concrete and patching than dropping a cable down a cavity ??
    I'm so confused with some of the recent threads getting around:confused:
     
  9. barnes

    barnes Well-Known Member

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    It's not harder. Dropping a cable down the cavity you say and what about insulation that fills your cavity? If you are referring to a conduit - yes it's easier, but conduits don't always end in the right place when you need them.
     
  10. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    You don't always have insulation in walls, especially internal walls.
    There's an art to getting it in but still easier and cleaner
     
  11. barnes

    barnes Well-Known Member

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    You should ALWAYS have insulation in walls, that's what walls are for (to reduce noise). If there is no insulation in walls than it's a dodgy house. That is why I like concrete walls everywhere. At least you don't have to listen to what is happening in the other room.
    There is art in everything. :)
     
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  12. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    I know who to call to play with those dirty concrete walls. Me and my yellow tongue will play elsewhere
    We obviously don't have any (licenced) sparkies on the forum
     
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  13. Hanison

    Hanison Well-Known Member

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    I'll let the cat out of the bag.

    I'm the owner of an electrical contracting business.

    I'm extremely confident when I say. Concrete chasing is not your simplest method.
     
  14. bob shovel

    bob shovel Well-Known Member

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    We found one! Ok. . I'm going to need a few ceiling fans done and want them installed in the peak of summer, at mates rates cause mates love sending mates into the roof in summer :D
     
  15. Marcus_m_scholz

    Marcus_m_scholz New Member

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    Hi, I bought a 2br ex houso monocrete house 7 years ago in Bellfield (west heidelberg). I did a full reno, removed lots of internal walls, added 20sqm extension, clad the house in weatherboards (over 45mm battens with insulation, reroofed in zinc, lined all internal walls with gyprock, all new ceilings and plaster, added new hardwood floor over existing pine boards, new kitchen and bathroom, all new timber windows. Cost about $150,000. Cutting the concrete to remove walls/make openings is extremely tedious, noisy and messy, and hard on the body if you diy. The rest was easy. Verdict: not worth it, should have knocked it over and started from scratch.
     
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  16. dabbler

    dabbler Well-Known Member

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    The old glues are not that much chop.

    Leave the asbestos sheets and just re seal and re tile, it ain't going to hurt anyone.
     
  17. au contraire

    au contraire Well-Known Member

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    If you google "concrete house project" you can find a tonne of information, plans ect.

    They were produced in homesglen, the ho-co canned the project after issues with mould, cost other building methods becoming more popular.

    They have asbestos wet areas, dated layouts and services and are difficult to modify/reconfigure, let alone carry out major works on.

    Knowing what I know if have to agree with Marcus.
     
  18. Shayne

    Shayne New Member

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    I know this is an old post and not expecting a reply but just bought one of these and curious how you went with knocking down walls, did you have to install support beams in the ceiling or are only the external walls load bearing?