Inexpensive Quality DIY housing.

I have been interested in alternative housing for many years. If most people owned their home and property and had no mortgage we would not be in the economic mess we are in now. I am currently building a log home which was one of my dreams. However while it can be inexpensive compared to the way most people build log homes it will still cost more then I wanted to spend.

I am working on designing a quality house people can build themselves cheaply and quickly and not have a mortgage. I have settled on what are called ferro-cement houses. Ferro cement is what you see on stucco houses however they are wood framed and covered with 3 layers of cement a scratch coat, a brown coat and a color/texture coat. Most in ground pools are made of ferro cement and many ocean sale boats and ships are also made of ferro cement. However my design will have no wood frame it will be all steel framed. Cement, sand, rebar, and wire mesh and or fibers are still one of the cheapest building materials available and can be made into any shape.

There are other folks who have house designs that are similar but they cost as much as a conventional house when all is said and done. Monolithic Domes come to mind. I feel one should be able to build a quality home for $10,000 or less. And do it inside of a month or two. These types of houses lend themselves to an easy learning curve and any kind of shapes you can imagine. Of course this won't appeal to everyone but the more people we have in this country that can live comfortably without having to have a mortgage the better. This will be my contribution to humanity so to speak.

My design will most likely be a thin shell monolithic dome type like a barrel vault catenary (pointed) dome. You build a frame out of rebar and diamond mesh spray or hand trowel it with the mortar cement mix and then use expanding foam or maybe light weight concrete foam mix for an insulation layer and then another wire mesh and mortar shell over that. I'll get it engineered for snow loads etc. however domes and vaults are very strong for that type of thing. I am doing some experimenting.

Some of the ways you save money are you're not using dozens of different materials, the walls, roofs, and even the floors can all be made of the same materials. The learning curve is not so steep that anyone could learn how to do this if they have the desire. You don't need a lot of special expensive tools to do it or heavy equipment like cranes etc. I even found an inexpensive sprayer online that can be used with a regular air compressor as opposed to a stucco or gunite sprayer costing thousands, or it can be done with all hand tools.

Here are some links to some similar ideas and pictures.

besides I am tired of living in over priced boxes, but you can build conventional style boxes this way too if you desire

http://www.geocities.com/flyingconcrete/
http://radio.weblogs.com/0119080/stories/2003/04/28/galleryTheClassicRockRealm.html
http://www.ferrocement.net/index.php?inc=3&mfm=detail&sel=exa
http://www.shearyadi.com/myworld/javier-senosiain-ferrocement-houses-and-structures/
http://www.velacreations.com/shelterferro.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12935369@N06/sets/72157601899678484/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmY6aPobcXk&feature=related
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alLyJmzI9LE

Hopefully this will give you an idea of the potential. Would love to hear everyone thoughts

I know a cheap way to get a home.
Go to home depot...Lowes..check the papers see if anyone is selling Out Buildings.
They make them now to look like mini houses.
Depending how many are in your household...You can use 1..or link 3 together..and if you dont go all out..you can get them for about 2,000 each.
Now add wiring....plumbing...sheet rock...instant house....
I checked here in western NC where I live...you can..depending on the area you go to....buy land cheap...the buildings cheap...get the work done at a decent price..and move in for about 7,500 for 1 building...12,000 for 2....about 16,500 for 3..and yes that includes land....how ever I could not find out the price of the power poles or septic system...

Not a bad idea. I still think you could build ferro cement house cheaper. However I am all for what ever works for ones needs

We have wanted to build a dome since the day we met. For $100K, you can have one pretty tricked out. For $20K you can have a very nice home. But, you can NOT get any kind of financing, or a contractor to help. Everyone wants to talk about "thinking outside the box" until it is time to build a home - then it is "everyone into a box" - lol!