Aircrete Walls for the Home

 

It's been a journey to install these foam based walls in our new home.

I was not planning on sharing our house progress but these aircrete walls are pretty amazing.  I can’t take complete credit because it was Robert who did the research and sold me on the idea.

It took us about a month to figure out what we were doing right and wrong and there were several moments of problem solving. These issues occurred during the mixing and pouring process.

The thing is we didn’t give up and we figured it out together.  I am very thankful we both know how to think outside the box or as Robert says, “there’s a box?”

Installation process and figuring it out.


What is Aircrete

So, what is aircrete?  Let me begin by saying this is not a DIY post and I’m not going to share any step-by-step details.  

Aircrete is mixture of concrete, water and foam; some refer to it as concrete with bubbles. If you want to know more, you can reach out to my husband through his website.

My goal is to introduce why we chose this concept for our exterior walls and share the advantages verses traditional insulation and drywall. First off, I don’t like either of these two.  If you have ever had to install or replace drywall or old insulation, then you probably agree with me. 

Let’s go back to the beginning, when we started planning our house.  When Robert first told me about aircrete I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, so he shared video and pointed out the advantages.  This is when my interest increased even though I couldn’t envision the finished look.

Advantages included some key things like, increased insulation capacity, cost effective if you do it yourself, self-leveling, strong, water and fire resistant, bullet proof and my favorite rodent resistant.

I continue to hold onto the advantages that sparked my interest because this work is a slow process.
 
we are weeks before Christmas and we are still pouring walls. 

Also note, these walls take 30 days to completely dry before they can be cured.  What you see in these photos is not the finished product.


50% of exterior walls are filled with aircrete

We have reached the 50% mark so it does look like our exterior walls will be completed before the first of the year. 

I think Robert said we only have about 50 - 60 more bags of concrete to purchase. That’s a lot of mixing and pouring left but I have no doubt if we can stay focused 5 days a week, we’ll get it done.

He pours using a scoop and you might wonder, what is my place in all this?  I prep the walls, clean up, and repeat.  

But this week I’ve decided to help more to give his arms a rest.  I will be standing on the scaffold and doing some of the pouring.  

Robert and I do make a good team, working together is what a good marriage is all about.

-Carole