If I build, I've been thinking hard about doing it with local fieldstone (not quarried). My question is about the slipform method. Has anybody tried this? Seems to be the way to go, and besides, I don't think I could build one dry anyway. How good does the slipform method work?

I love the way stone looks, and blends in with its surroundings (as long as you don't live in inner city Baltimore...). How cost effective is it? Compared to the same sized structure built conventionaly? Keep in mind I'd be using material (i.e. stone) from my own property.

-- Uriah (Uriahdeath2@netscape.net), August 12, 2001

Answers

Ann and I are interested in this too (as well as cordwood). We are in Charm City for now : are you also from Baltimore Uriah?

-- rick K (rick_122@hotmail.com), August 12, 2001.

I'm from Cecil County, Maryland from what used to be a small farming community of Childs. Well, farming and the papermill that shut down not long after I was born. I used to spend a lot of time in Baltimore though, as thats where the action was. Since then I've lived everywhere including, Utah, Maine, Florida, Kentucky, ect... I've decided to put roots down in Maine though. Maryland has gotten way to liberal for me over the years, oh, and its hard to find affordable land there anymore. Unless you want a rowhouse in a less then idea neibourhood. They seem to develope more farmland everytime I go though there. They places I used to play at, or ride dirtbikes on are all housing projects now. Count me out.

-- Uriah (Uriahdeath2@netscape.net), August 12, 2001.

I never built a field stone home, but I live in one. Put up about 1910 as a guest cottage for an estate around here. It's warm, cool and dry. The field mice like it alot! No complaints here, I guess it was done right.

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), August 12, 2001.

Remember to get a real good foundation, really heavy duty, because of the weight of the walls. Also you will have to have insulation because stone is not a good insulator. Four feet of stone equals one inch of fiberglass insulation. And even here in the south we have to have 4 inches. If you have the stone a good back and lots of help go for it.

-- David (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), August 12, 2001.

Uriah: I've got one I'm doing right now. Its very cheap to build but it takes a long time. Mines slipformed 12 inches thick. My cost so far is about 13,000. Here is my web site and if I can answer questions feel free to e-mail me...Kirk

http://www.geocities.com/PicketFence/Garden/8784/Rock2.html

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), August 13, 2001.

Nice place Kirk. I'll be building a little different, not near as much pitch as you have on your roof, and with more angular stone. I also plan on doing a basement (to make it that much more difficult). Your roof does look like the ticket to avoid snowload, something I may want to reconsider. What did you use for insulation between your walls? Insulation value?

What I've been thinking of doing, is recreating my childhood home (just the front part) that was built in 1736. With a few changes, like NOT having 4 fireplaces (one in everyroom). I think it would be better to have a chimley located in the middle of the house, instead of 2 on either end.

I've been talking to a few realtors up north already, who think I'm nuts. I've been trying to explain I need property with a lot of surface (weathered) stone. I gave up trying to explain WHY I want all the stones. If defies logic to them.

-- Uriah (Uriahdeath2@netscape.net), August 13, 2001.

Hello Uriah, My wife and I just finished slip forming our new basement for the house we are building. We studied methods by Helen and Scott Nearing and figure if an old couple like them could do it, we could. Some of the things we learned along the way may be useful to you once you begin your adventure...here they are. 1)Try to have all your materials on hand before you start. We lost a lot of time between pours because we either ran out of fieldstone, cement or gravel mix. 2)Try to build to sets of forms and work at opposite ends of your walls. We used only one set of forms and ofcourse had to wait a day before moving them to the next part of the wall, two sets would have speeded up the work, considerably. 3)When pouring the concrete into the forms, try not to fill in between the stones facing the walls. What happens is after you pull the forms you will find cured concrete jutting out past parts of the stones and it will have to be chipped off to make the wall flush. We discovered this after the first pour. You will find it easier to fill in between the stones later while you are pointing them out, than to chip away the cured concrete that spills out from them. 4)Waterproof and back fill the wall, (if you are building a basement) as you work your way up. We found that waterproofing the walls after completion was more difficult as there was little room between the wall and the embankment to move around. 5)Finally, we found it was easier to place the heaviest of stone ontop of the wall first, then attach the slipforms. The stones sometimes due to their encumberness were hard to lower and move around inside the close quarter of the slipforms. I hope these suggestion will help you and others who are interested in the art of slipforming. Sincerely, Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), August 14, 2001.

Uriah: The reason for the steep pitch is because the roof is 4 inch concrete. I wanted it to be completely fire proof.

I had originaly planned to put rigid insulation on the inside but after a while I found I just didn't need it. The only thing I've noticed is it takes a while to warm up if I'm gone for the weekend in the winter. Also I put in double pane windows so that helps keep out the heat.

Boy I really hope you do it! I've traded e-mail with about 20 people in 2 years but nobody has started one yet. Its hard work but very satisfying! I'd never built anything when I started, I have no help and no electricity. The one thing I have is staying power!! Ha! If you go for it I sure hope you'll let us follow along. Good Luck...Kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), August 14, 2001.

I've seen Scott and Helen Nearings house. Not in person though (never did find out where it actually is). It's in Reader's Digest: Back To Basics book, printed in 1981 I think.

I know in that book (back to basics) I'm using the information there for my 'blueprint' for the most part. I know they sugest polyurethene foam for insulation (in the middle of the wall), but I figure they have better insulation available today. Maybe I could embed furring strips and put the insulation on the outside of the walls (inside the house)? I've also been wondering about potential frostheaving in the basement, but it may not be worth worrying about. The climent where I'm moving to could be 100 in the summer for a few days, down to -50 at times in the winter. I'm not gonna have central heat or A/C. With any luck a attic fan should cool it down some in the middle of summer, and if I do it right, a woodstove should keep it cozy in the winter.

Then I have other questions, like how do you run electric, phone, or any other wiring in the walls? A hollow baseboard seems most logical to me, unless you run inside paneling or whatever. I know the house I grew up in, the walls were framed with 2 by 4s with paneling on the outside, and all the wiring behind it, much like a standard framed house. I'd really like to have natural stone walls on the inside also.

I plan on a standard sheaved and trussed roof, not sure on what shingles I'll use yet. Something that looks 'period correct' with the house I'd imagine. I don't really need to worry about getting the house fireproof where I'm going, at least I hope I don't. They don't seem to have rampant forestfires up there as they do in some parts of the country.

Also, I want to try to keep the house facing south, and locate it so the trees will block some of the north wind in the winter. I'd say I'll be looking at a bunch of lots until I find the idea location to built on. Being close to a lake, I'm not sure about the water level, as far as a basement is concerned.

The big problem I'm having is trying to figure out how big to make it. I want to keep it small enough to be easy to heat, but big enough for my growing family. Stone doesn't seem to be the easiest material to work with, if you need to expand your home later. I'm figuring on 1200 square feet, in a 2 story house,plus basement and attic.

I plan to make the attic big enough to walk down the center of it, but thats about it. Basement will have a root cellar, but I may do other things with it as the need arrises.

That may explain my plans a little better. As always, I have 1000 more questions yet to ask. I'm somewhere between 6 months and 2 years from building. As soon as my dad gets better (he has cancer, but is undergoing treatments) we'll be selling our home here and heading to Maine. I figure I'll buy a old trailer or something (unless I find a camp) to live in until the house is done. Thanks.

-- Uriah (Uriahdeath2@netscape.net), August 14, 2001.

Uriah: Sounds wonderful!!! If I can be of any use just ask!...kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), August 16, 2001.

Uriah, Running pipes and electric wires was accomplished by laying pieces of pvc pipe across the width of the wall. Lay stones and pour concrete around them. When you pull the forms you will have perfect holes through your wall to run pipes or wires through. Sincerely, Ernest

-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), August 16, 2001.

Hi. I live on 2.5 acres of almost solid granite and basalt rock. My house (950sq.ft.) sits atop a 180ft cliff over looking the Columbia river here in Eastern Washington State. Its an incredible setting! I will someday build my house out of rock on the property. Looking for ideas and how to`s... any info is great when working with rock. I have been doing rock projects for almost 14 years! Tim

-- Tim Smith (tsmith@treetop.com), January 11, 2002.