Scott in your work do you use any Liquid Polymers on wood or in your paints?
When you made your faux stone did you use some sort of binder?

I work with some of the stuff but nothing that would really take the cake thus far.
When I made the faux stone I found that it needed reinforcement.
So I used the same yellow mesh (fiberglass?) that stucco guys use when applying thier "scratch coat" (first coat). Its mesh- holes about 1/4 inch maybe a bit smaller- yeah, maybe 1/8 to 3/16ths. It didnt have to be pretty - just relatively flat of the side that will be adhered/mortared.

Failure to reinforce the tiles renderes them fragile. The greatest likelihood of breakage is during manufacturing (specifically removal from the mold or foil). The reason is you dont want them to cure (unless you make yourown latex mold) before you take them out.

Iverecently hooked up with another builder who is the distributor of these advanced technology coatings - he may be addmitted to CCI. He has several different product lines etc s couple of which may be useful for our purposes. Ill check andsee at my leisure - oh...Im meeting him tonight - Ill try to remember to ask before my wits get displaced by moat*#@er.

No reason for the latex mold as a way to keep from breaking the tiles, you can coat the mold with certain types of Liquid Polymers.
Then their are the very old methods too.

Enjoy your Birthday, you only have a limited number in a life time you know.

Had you decided to use them or not? My best figure is it would beconvievnient but also that you were going to use all stone.

True I am using stone. I also developed some look alike tiles and flagstones also. It's been awhile since we spoke of this but my roofing tiles held up under laboratory tests equal to over 50 years of weathering.

Thats cool. I wanna use manufactured tiles for the roofing. Wouldnt mind slate but I believe there would be so much of it (sq ft-wise) the cost would be many tens of thousands beyond what I would deem okay. Then theres the weight. and...and...and/...

If slate can be afforded when it comes time to roof this place I'd like to use it.
Like you said the price is so high as of right now its not feasible.
When I was figuring the mix and such for mine I worked with natural fibers but some of the man made materials can make the tiles even stronger.
I used a few little tricks to help keep the weight down, one was to infuse air into the mix. I had to work with the method until the air pockets were what I deemed the right size and make sure they didn't take away from the integrity of the tile which meant test after test.
Water was something to take into consideration also, can't do much about that element but compensate in other ways.
I changed my directions on the formula so many times I keep the records in a small note book.

Thats actually rather neat. I can appreciate the research line more now that I have had more life experience and have been aquainted with what goes into R and D. One really needs to have creative imagination, determination, and a will to perservere and make it happen.

I think Ive discovered a link between the status quo of CCI and the castle building phase (wich occurs down the road) - its real estate/general contracting. That hasbeen the intended bridge fromthebegining but Im starting to see maore and more that it is realistically the most logical thing also.

i saw on the t.v of some i think they were a rubber type tile it looks like slate only stronger and lighter for the roof

Ok. Theres plenty of different waays it could be made etc. Then you start getting into the functinal/looks good/cost debate.

Hmmm that rubber tile sounds kind of interesting.
Right now I'm experimenting with polymers and such, wonder what it was made from.
What got me started with man made stuff is I had to order something that was going to run me $30.00 for a 11 once tube and I needed a bunch of them.
I found the same stuff for apox. $ .30 cents a gallon all I have to do is add water.

One bad thing I can see for use around here, rubber roofing shingles flapping in the wind, it would sound like being at a foot ball game!

Right. If thats the case it would be cheese-ball. Consider the sound of rainfall too, eh? Probably not different too much but...should sound like rain hitting rock/slate etc rather than something tweeky. Rubber? Whatever.

it apperd to be hard and not flimsy like a tire ill try to find more info if i can and let you guys know what it is exatly

http://www.monarchstone.com/

Reproduction antique cotswold stone, Tudor stone, and flagstone.

One of these days Im going to get past this apparent barrier of not having a scanner like Iused to at my old residence - and Ill post some good photos Ive collected.
I went to a paint job here in a snooty-tooty area where there was an old plantation house. The floor of the lanai ("balcony" to you guys) - actually it was more like a pavillion- was poured concrete which was stained different colors and etched.
Ordinarily, Im not impressed with that kinda stuff. This workmanship, however was good enough and unique enough that it caught my eye and lured me into taking a photo of it. The coloration was quite good and beuatiful. - Heh, Imagine that the grumpy whitey said something good without scoffing- must be a full moon out of something.

Actually Scott, I have some links to really cool concrete flooring....stamped and colored...etc. Some of them are just beautiful.

speaking of faux stone....
any thoughts on building one of these monsters with concrete...possibly with a stamping or stone/faux stone facade? I ask because I really like that concrete is highly energy efficent.

I presume you are talking about Portland and not Lime concrete which our inner wall cores are Lime concrete. (with a few additives for extra strength that are not really needed but only in my twisted way of thinking of course)

That place in Kentucky which burned looked to have poured stem walls but there is nothing to say you couldn't use the prefab methods to build the walls.

I know of a man who had very little construction experience who built a whole mini storage complex using the prefab idea.

A
He built the frames for the molds:
1. welder he rented or bought
2. bought the metal, I can give you the sizes if you want.

B
Bought a small very used not road worthy wench truck cheaply,

C
Had the flooring slabs poured and he finished them using 2d hand tools,

D
Poured the prefab slabs and when they dried put them up using one helper and the truck,

E
Using the same truck put in a steel panel roof.
The roofing could easily be changed into a wood frame if desired.

Not as much work as I thought it would take either, simple yet very functional and is adaptable for other structures.

I have been reading a lot about concrete homes...yes, they are made from portland....a procedure called ICF...insulated concrete forms...highly energy efficient....very low rate of heat transfer from interior to exterior....some houses I have seen (online only) have interior stairs and walls all poured. They look great and they are very design adaptable....not as medieval and authentic as going out and cutting your own stone but perhaps convincingly(?) suitable for an eco friendly homesteading folly?....they are doing some beautiful work with ornamental concrete. Just seems suitable since I want to do the whole solar/wind turbine thing anyway....haven't figured out how to hide that yet....lol

YEah. I wouldnt build a castle without at least some modern means. Its my opinion that would be way to harsh and tedious unnecessarily. Unless someone had a bent or specific passion for doing that way, I dont see why youd want to... your hair would turn red and youd start developing a Scotish accent.
Modern means (concrete and the whole bit) are used because its easier. Duh, its a modern, developed proceedure. Reliable. Predictable. Idoubt its stronger - as stone castles are still around smiling (though weathered) after how many hundreds of years. Concrete isnt as tough as rock. And Duncan's right about the mortar issue. Different types have different properties. He's covered that in his "Mortar and Lime" postings in the castle builders setion somewhere. Its a little technical and I dont think he ever finished it (am I wrong?) but its good data.

I will build using modern means and then will veneer the thing with stone. Faux tiles might be used selectively but not for highly visible areas.
Doing it the old fashioned way Im sure means either: Many highly trained/specialized mason-types. (Not friends who are willing to help or try to learn) which equates to mucho dinero. Or, taking just about an entire lifetime of toiling at the risk of perhaps not finishing. Im not willing to go that route. Id shell out the money before Id try to do it myself.

Who the hell cares how the thing is constructed? A truist would care. A purist would care. Ok. Fair enough. Is that who youre making it for? It better not look cheesy. Then everyone will care. If you build it old-school then modern guys will probably complain and call you an idiot for not using modern methods - whatever.

I say to each is own. Be satisfied with your end result and dont compromise your own thoughts and desires ...but be realistic.

This is a fairly good representation of our wall system not counting the placement of windows or door areas.

Click to view attachment

A
Foundation using Lime concrete and lime stone chunks as fill
B
Placement of stones that was used to off set the impact of catapult missiles in some castles.
C
Layers of the wall. There is a technique of letting the core dry only to a certain point so it will bond to the next layer.
D
Consolidation of the wall to protect the existing masonry using a mixture of hay straw and soft lime mortar for the winter months.

The poured Portland could use something similar with good results.
A rule of thumb for Portland concrete is the larger the limestone fill stone chunks the stronger the mix. Most people wont use large stones as it makes it harder to work and it is impossible if the mix is pumped in to the forms.

Duncan, youre a fiend! A madman! Youve snapped your twig!
Id be intrested (very much actually) for some wall-production stats. By that I mean hw long it takes to construct the different areas and parts of the wall done in that style, with projections that could be used as calculations for estimating the rest or comparable projects. Know what I mean? Regular masonry book might go over this, maybe a masonry contractors estimating manual would have figures like that with man-hours etc.
But thats ok, I know Ralph's the "disect-it kid" so lets have him work it out and tell us what it takes...

Yes....... but I have fun living and I think of you as a friend also but one question.....Why do you want all this when your not going to use this method?

There is no real time estimate in a castle being built in the traditional ways today and any that was recorded in history also show many fell short of time and budget.
Why?
Because there are far too many variables to consider.
If you want a ball park figure that might be arranged with enough data on the other projects.
Also no one castle or project is the same, again far too many variables.
In history are several examples of castles that started like several others and ended up breaking the Royal budget.
Edwardian Castles are a good point to start and that little money pit called Bodiam Castle is one.
One reason it was never finished is that it was started long after its usefulness was needed in the area and to be blunt, after the wars and other expenditures it broke the bank sort to speak.

The ashlar and finish stone is yet to be worked with other then in small areas but sooner or later we will get to it.

If you want a different drawing of a wall with windows or doors, etc, let me know.

For us with everything in place, the guys in top shape, machinery working fine, the wall low in height and nature willing, A 8 foot thick wall will go two layers (2 1/2 to 3 foot high X 6 foot long in under 45 minutes.
This is a estimate for absolute everything going better then normal and us being smiled down upon from above.

One reason for this pace is the size of the rock we are using, remember the sizes?
If we were to use Ragstone we would be here for over two lifetimes! Yes small rock is favorable for many reasons and most castle builders preferred smaller Stone then what we are using for speed and handling, but they had thousands of workers which we don't so we need to cover area with less man handling.

That also brings me to the modern machinery aspect in the near future, how do you factor specially built motorized equipment into the estimate?
Will it be shipped to the location..... if so how?
Will the same design that works here work there?
Wheres the water coming from on the new project site?
I could go on and on and probably already have.

Well, im not actually all rock solid on any particular way of doing it to be truthfull. I have the idea that its too time consuming. wich would equate to either too much money or time. I also havent seen any hard statistics on it either way-so it would bea bit premature to decide, eh?

blah,blah,blah - it boils down to I dont haveenough data. I want the framing etc done within a year. Finishings should take 2-3. Simply have the thought that going that route will take 4-6 years or if done with masonry crew price tag should be maybe 1-1.5 million.

Ok now we are getting some where.

May I suggest staying with modern methods due to over all cost and efficiency.
Tell you what, I'll do my very best to figure a time frame and cost estimate if your send me your building draft. I need particulars such as room size, over all heights, and things like that. IF you have a layout plan that would be nice too.

In my opinion for what I've seen you want in your castle, your estimate is far too high! By using some methods I'm very familiar with you can lower the cost by as much or more then 2 thirds!!

Im listening...

Too what...music?
your innner ear white noise?
or maybe cleave screaming about the disgusting ring around his water dish.....

Hey, if this is about the speckles that got left there - I was only trying to add some spice to his otherwise ordinary daily drink!

Im listening...to what you started to say, you goofy-footed carrot-top!
Now I dont have any prints or anything; what I dohave is pretty much as youve already seen posted earlier in BYOC etc. Im somewhat flexible when it comes to how the thing will be. Much depends upon topography of the building site.
I am fairly sure, though, that getting stats on "what it takes (labor/materiel) to do a 25' long section of wall blah,blah,blah would pretty much apply to any circumstance. I know there are variations and all that -
so... well.
Ok. Lets start over, here.
Got any hard specs/stats etc on anything?

I got an info pack from monarch stone....the stone looks really good....its been used in Europe for approx 30 years...its in Clyst St. Mary Church in Devon (13th century church)

Got any hard specs/stats etc on anything?
Yes I do, far too much to be posting all of it with out more of a focal point. Have you tried calling the trade union in the state you think you are going to build and asking them?
All unions shoot for a higher then normal price but it will get you in the ball park for delays and problems that might be encountered.

Dunno if I would use a union group (for those that like them- you can beat me later) Unfortunately you run the risk of having the job shortchanged due to potential strikes, etc. I have also heard that you will pay a great deal more for union help than just finding a good insured and bonded contractor that uses his own workers.

For the clarification of the whole union thing - they were useful when they first began, but seems like nothing but problems ever since. Sorry, just an opinion.

Couldn't agree more!
The only reason I'd ever use a trade union is for an estament of the work. It would be higher then the expected cost break downs, but it would give a what if everything under the sun goes wrong kinda guess.
Nope didn't use one for our project. Who here can afford to have them do the work?
In CQ I often referred to using a trade Union for legality sake, but here we don't have to worry about that sort of thing.

Well, and too, it seems that many (granted not all) are just lazy and don't want to work for what they earn. Has anyone noticed the quality of the new homes that goes up these days? No way I would even consider buying one. Also most of the reason we looked at historic homes, as they were often over-built using Oak not cheap Pine, and have withstood many years of use. Good chance it may even hold up to my two hoodlems running wild through the house. LOL

Trick is, finding one that has been taken care of and not let go to rot.

Around here its the same way, a umpteen million dollar house is the same poor quality as a cheap cracker box trailer, it really is sad in a way!

I agree about the older homes being made of sounder materials and better craftsmanship, our is like that too. You did good in finding one that was still loved.

Whats up, folks. Hey, while on this subject: I just closed on my first house. It has oriinal 2x4 rafters that are true 2" X 4" - strong. You dont find that anymore. 365K for a little crackerbox.

congrats!!

Congratulations!!
When do you move in or is this a fix-repair-sell sort of house?

I have forgotten how expensive the real estate was there. Congrats on the close. We have four weeks till close here...

Thanks guys. Its a small fixer upper type that Ican handle quite easily. There arent any other properties in the area for less than 460 K. (bought at 365) Ill do this one and then tackle the next - probably will flip that one too.

Havent decided firmly on weather to hold it forayear or not yet. my initial plan was to flip to generate cash for a large down on a property that Iwould hold.

But anyway, this is the begining of the next phase in CCI ; branching into real estate. After this rolls for a while (probably a few years) I can look at buying land and/or start castle plans.

it closes approx 50 days.

Good plan! Congrats and the best of luck!

Thanks.
Flipping real estate/remodeling also dovetails with the castle plans in that I need experience in "playing General Contractor" as well as getting into wood re-finishing. So, its a nice stepping stone; small castle first.

Feels much more doable this way.