Terra-Dome Earth Shelter Build

[mojoinco]

Sam, I see you took one for the team there! Lol.

We are in the early stages of an addition, and at least one siding outfit mentioned that metal siding is going up ~April 14, with vinyl expected to go up soon after. Presumably due to steel and fuel prices going up.

Middle East unrest (oil jitters -- or excuses) and Japan's rebuilding will not help any of this.

We are considering an early lock in and put a down payment in for what we can (siding and roofing).

 

[SamWalton]

Sam,
Have you looked into a "Whole House" spike arrester for your installation? They may be available from your utility provider. Some companies will install then charge you a monthly fee, which is ridiculous. So many of our appliances now need protection of any surge over 5v it may be worth it to have a whole house protection system. I think one of the other guys mentioned it earlier in the blog.

I have been protecting the whole house via Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) and additional protection from Corcon R Series RFI power line filters. Electrical and electronics is my trade and will eventually be implemented in our home to a high degree.

 

[arkbound]

Sam,
That sounds like you are on top of the "surge" situation. It has been scientifically proven that the sun spot activity and the coresponding EMP activty will be increasing this year and yes the dreaded "2012" time frame. We all could be forced into independent living at that time. I hope we can all survive that scenario. I had hoped to be in place by then but things are moving too slow. Corn just shot up from $3.50 a bushel to $7.00. The situation in the mideast is a prime contributor. I still maintain hope that all will just go slow and I can make the transition to the Arkansas property by the time the stuff hits the fan.
I have been taking notes from you guys out there ahead of me so problems you faced can be avoided. Keep up the great work on sharing the info. Top notch!!

John L

 

[SamWalton]

We have been busy installing the electrical. We also hired the guys that finished our slab to acid stain and seal our floor less the garage. I purchased five gallons of BRICKFORM CS-700 Mission Brown acid stain and 15 gallons of BASF KURE-N-SEAL 25LV. The finish is greatly lacking. We paid the two guys from L&L concrete a $1000 labor for a turn key job and we also paid $565 for materials. They are going to come back because I was unhappy with the finish.

 

[charles (49) mo]

Being a retired heavy construction electrician for 45 years I would like to point out to you that having neutrals and hot wires from common circuits in different pipes will create localized induction heating.

 

[arkbound]

Hello Sam,

I was re-looking at your electrical installation at the pole. It appears the only grounding there is a #6 bare copper stapled to the power pole at both ends. I would suggest you familiarize your self with techniques found in the following document. I used to be an expert in the "Grounding, Bonding, and Shielding" area. I have since lost my material and sadly forgotten the details. I did a bit of research and found this DOD info and hopefully it will add to your "toolbox" some valuable information in areas which may need upgrading. My brother-in-law worked in the propane gas industury and informed me that ANY moving liquid (water) will create electricity, and therfore must be properly grounded in order to prevent errosion. So for what it is worth, FYI : http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/FEDMIL/hdbk419a_vol2.pdf
Good to see you are making progress. looking forward to getting in touch in the Fall.
John L
(aka Arkbound)

 

[DefEddie]

An interesting fact is the reason crime has fallen so much in the U.S. is because of the Roe vs. Wade decision.

Freakonomics is just too logicol to argue with :laughing:

I'm subscribing,I actually live in Sallisaw.
Haven't a clue where your located so your secret's safe :thumbsup:

We plan to do this one day,we've spent the last couple years paying everything in the world we owe off.
Still have alot to learn/experience before we tackle something like this though.
We are on two acres in town though,not sure when we'll be ready to sell or build another yet.

Thanks for the great blog,i'll be following progress.

 

[SwashBuckling Drunk]

I've been reading this forum for years, but only just registered as I have extensive knowledge of acid staining concrete.

Sam- I think I see rough texture in some of your pics. That is abnormal and shouldn't be there. You don't say what's wrong with the stain job, but there are some things to consider with any acid stain job. The acid stain works by reacting with the free lime in the concrete. If the new slab is left unprotected, and things are spilled before staining, issues always arise. Things alike soda pop, tobacco juice, or even spit also react with the free lime in concrete. If something like that is spilled, the stain will ghost through as a lighter area. On the other hand, it's not unusual to have some white chalky, or crystalized residue. You may need to clean the residue a few times, but it will eventually go away as the concrete cures out completely.

I am a consultant to the commercial construction industry and whenever I'm involved in an acid stain project, I work hard to get the end user to understand that the process is pretty random and uncontrollable. I call it random coolness. I suggest you sawcut the slab into smaller sections. The sections should be scaled to the room size. Something like 1' to 2' squares on the diagonal might look good. You can then fill in the sawcuts with a colored epoxy for a tile effect. I suggest a dark color as it will darken over time anyway (like your pretty white joints will turn out black just due to use). I've been involved in several large commercial projects where we cut 4' squares on the diagonal and had people say "how did you get such big pieces of marble? That must have cost a fortune". I don't think an unscored, stained, floor would ever look very good. It really needs to be broken up.

I've been following you build for a long time- cool project. Thanks for sharing

 

[SamWalton]

An interesting fact is the reason crime has fallen so much in the U.S. is because of the Roe vs. Wade decision.

Freakonomics is just too logicol to argue with :laughing:

I'm subscribing,I actually live in Sallisaw.
Haven't a clue where your located so your secret's safe :thumbsup:

We plan to do this one day,we've spent the last couple years paying everything in the world we owe off.
Still have alot to learn/experience before we tackle something like this though.
We are on two acres in town though,not sure when we'll be ready to sell or build another yet.

Thanks for the great blog,i'll be following progress.

Welcome, This build is overwhelming most of the time, but like anything it can be simple it you break it down into simple steps. I would not have pulled it off without the internet.

I can't be sure but when children are wanted vs not, can have a great impact on the life of a person, that is If they let it. I am convinced most everything we are indoctrinated into is in fact the complete opposite. Most all free thinkers will see through the vial very soon.

 

[SamWalton]

Being a retired heavy construction electrician for 45 years I would like to point out to you that having neutrals and hot wires from common circuits in different pipes will create localized induction heating.

I am sure your right on a longer length of conduit but these are a very short nipples.