Shed liftoff (with pics)

[Shendemiar]

Depends of the place but 23cm sounds a little too much for a shed. It'll sunk easier in soft ground due its weight and if its hard ground it wouldn't have needed the thickness.

Concrete is extremely hard, meaning it can withstand incredible amount of pressure. What it can't stand much is pull.

Its the pull that makes the cracks, and mesh is there to prevent it, asn steel can withstan enormous pull. (and if it cracks the mesh will hold the pieces together) Large concrete floors and bridges are steeled more strongly at the bottom to cope with the pull.

A floor on unstable ground should be meshed at the bottom and the top, as it may get "lifted" from the center, straining the top-surface with pull, or the center can sunk and then it needs the pull strenght in the bottom if the concrete layer.

2.5 : 1 means even harder but not much more crack resistant concrete than 4:1.

In general i think people are just neurotic. They want to build permanent solutions using rockwool, plastic, steel and concrete and eliminate the nature from the equation. Better way would be to build on natures terms; to adjust to the local environment. But thats not really easy nowadays when old knowledge is despised and where money is involved reason has no quarter. Materials needs to be certified and mass produced under standards and regulations, building is highly controlled and supervised, all this costing a lot of money, and when something eventually goes wrong, its still to your own damage. No manufacturer or inspector ot supervisor will coma and take the blame... And all next to free traditional materials are neglected or even forbidden in building. Or at least this is the case here in Finland. Thats why i wanted to buy and old 1929 log/wooden house, you get superb airquality in wooden house and in ould house you can do almost whatever you please without any licences neede to be begged...

[inyati]

You know your concrete, steel and materials...if I may ask, where did you learn that suff?
I'd love to make a house in wood, but it's very expensive in Portugal, unless its a prefabricated wooden house.

Still, wood construction is not a tradicional structural bearing material in Portugal. Its was used more in roof and floor systems, and in old interior walling serving as the supporting structure (but these would be all filled with sand type of material which I lack the english term for, and finished off with lime surface and paint).
Portugal, like most Mediterranean countries, uses stone walls as bearing struture and not wood.

[Arminius]

inyati said:

Portugal, like most Mediterranean countries, uses stone walls as bearing struture and not wood.

Presumably also for the thermal properties? Thick stone walls are nice when it's too hot outside. And they don't burn as easily...

[inyati]

arminius said:

inyati said:

Portugal, like most Mediterranean countries, uses stone walls as bearing struture and not wood.

Presumably also for the thermal properties? Thick stone walls are nice when it's too hot outside. And they don't burn as easily...

Yes. They also retain the heat on the inside in winter for a good period, depending on the thickness of the wall.
Stone is aslo a very abundant material. As usual in all regions, people built with materials they had on their doorstep.

Overall, construction with modern materials does give a better solution for our standard of comfort. But tradicional building systems hold many ingenious solutions, that use simple methods to solve big climatic problems. Because of the variety of modern solutions, we tend to forget and underestimate these climate problems, as you'll always find a material that can solve the problem, but how well will it realy work in your region, if it was intended to solve German housing problems? It will do the job in Portugal, but you'll probably be spending loads of cash on something that will only be using 10% of its performance (in the Portuguese climate).

There's a reason for using stone and small openings in Meditarranean construction.
Funny enough, its the same reason to use wood and bigger openings in Nordic countries.

[eproxy]

shendemiar said:

Even the modern houses are sometimes built on top of mud.

The entire of England is built on mud.

[Shendemiar]

inyati said:

You know your concrete, steel and materials...if I may ask, where did you learn that suff?

Reading the RIGHT book, learning by doing, catching one piece of info there, other piece here. All building info, (like all other) needs careful judging. The general knowledge is not nearly perfect, and all manufacturers try to force their products into the public.

inyati said:

I'd love to make a house in wood, but it's very expensive in Portugal, unless its a prefabricated wooden house.

Here its pretty cheap, and excellent material if know how to work it.

inyati said:

Still, wood construction is not a tradicional structural bearing material in Portugal. Its was used more in roof and floor systems, and in old interior walling serving as the supporting structure (but these would be all filled with sand type of material which I lack the english term for, and finished off with lime surface and paint).
Portugal, like most Mediterranean countries, uses stone walls as bearing struture and not wood.

I love those type of building, and would want to learn how to do one. Obviously it would be rather cheap too since rock and sand is plentiful.

[Shendemiar]

arminius said:

inyati said:

Portugal, like most Mediterranean countries, uses stone walls as bearing struture and not wood.

Presumably also for the thermal properties? Thick stone walls are nice when it's too hot outside. And they don't burn as easily...

Wood burns thats the downside, but actually wooden building has its benefits in temp and moist policy.

A) During daytime when its warmer and possibly shining outside, wood releases moist, and cools down the inside. Same effect when you have you skin wet -> feels cold. Endothermic reaction.

During the night, the dried wood sucks moist from night air, releasing warmth. Exothermic reaction.

In Uncovered logwall this is extremely noticeable, like in my summercabin. During day its 30^C outside, 20^C inside, ant at night its 15^C outside and 23^C inside.

B) At winter air gets very dry indoors, if its below 0^C. Wood stores moist from cooking, showers etc, and releases it to the air slowly, while in building fabricated from manufactured materials or nun organic material have extremely dry air indoors. Very unhealty, and needs to be treated with expensive air conditioning systems.

[GraySea]

Before my husband started building boats he built wooden houses ans we never knew of these properties that you speak of. Very interesting. Is that with whole log, half log or frames and cladding? (timber clad)?

[Shendemiar]

graysea said:

Before my husband started building boats he built wooden houses ans we never knew of these properties that you speak of. Very interesting. Is that with whole log, half log or frames and cladding? (timber clad)?

The more actual wood mass there is, the stronger the effect. If the wood is covered with something from either side, it reduces the effect, and the moist balance of night/day plays a big part in it. If its same humidity all the time then the effect won't happen.

[Shendemiar]

And heres my pictoral for today! Please comment!

picasaweb.google.com/robert.jalarvo/MyRegularThursday?authkey=N48uecGGAJk

[Clausewitz]

As I sit here on my lunch break eating some Italian sausage, I saw pics of the shed and nearly choked. "That needs alot of work" I mumbled to myself.

I'd go so far as to say the shed is nearly delapidated.

But when you showed that terrace, all confidence ensued that you can do wonders with the shed. That terrace is freakin' stellar. I'm thoroughly envious.

[Shendemiar]

That shed is, in my terms, in pretty good condition and easy to fix. You should have seen the shed at my summer place before i fixed it... Maybe i can find some pics of that, before and after.

[inyati]

I like the swings!

[Arminius]

The distractions are very sweet.

[Shendemiar]

shendemiar said:

That shed is, in my terms, in pretty good condition and easy to fix. You should have seen the shed at my summer place before i fixed it... Maybe i can find some pics of that, before and after.

Check out these pics and then you know why i don't consider my current project much of an anything...