How do we know Egyptian pyramids were not build from a form of concrete?
How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers Clues
201–210 of 236 posts
Re: How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers Clues
#202Is anyone else wondering why their house isn’t made of Roman Concrete everytime they read a story like this.
Nobody wants to pay for a house that would take a year to build, with multiple 30 day work stoppages for concrete curing….
Re: How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers Clues
#203How do we know Egyptian pyramids were not build from a form of concrete?
Because they are solid stone carved from the mountains south of Cairo, near modern day Helwan.
Re: How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers Clues
#204Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I think people are often surprised how little materials cost affects the total cost of a job. It's because they frankly never did it. Nobody that had to contract something around the house is surprised by cost like that, it often costs more than price of renting equipment + you doing it yourself 3 times slower than an expert would did it, even if you're paid well. There is reason there is so many DIY channels, labo…
It's why plumbers use $25 sharkbite fittings now instead of soldering in a $2 copper fitting. But of course the sharkbite relies on a rubber O-ring and will probably leak in 10 years, the plumber will be long gone or the property probably under new ownership who don't remember.
Softalker is right-on in his warning:
We usually have a few freezes in the winter and some homes' pipes freeze. I was surprised, in speaking to a plumber, to find that pipe clamp installation had come to dominate the repair market (as opposed to repairing/replacing the leaky pipe).
In his first year this plumber had arrived at the plumbing supply house to find all pipe clamp orders backlogged two weeks! He thus determined to, during the warmer months, stockpile a cache of pipe clamps for the coming winter.
Furthermore, as SofTalker states, the fitting is usually left in-place instead of being replaced! Yet one more reason to have a prospective home inspected by someone who is very knowledgeable.
Re: How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers Clues
#205Earlier quoted context omitted.
I like the idea of treating limewash as maintenance rather than a permanent cure. That is probably closer to how these materials were historically used anyway
I just restored an 1800’s house and we redid the paint in limewash as part of that process. (Effectively zero VOCs but pretty caustic when wet.) Historically (for interior paint) you would use regular limewash in dry spaces and add casein/milk in high traffic/wet spaces. It works in a bathroom but wouldn’t hold up in a shower (for that you would want to use “tadelakt“ - especially if you’re going for that Aman spa lo…
Lime wash also discourages people from leaning against the wall, once they have seen the white marks on thier suit...
Re: How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers Clues
#206Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pure silicone caulk is mold-proof, even in the white variation. The various "improvements" in many caulks allow mold to get a foothold.
does "mold proof" mean mold won't grow on the surface, or that mold will not affect the silicone?
Luckily mold is not chlorine bleach proof, but grout and silicone are
Re: How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers Clues
#207Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've worked on a few big EPC projects in a specialised industrial sector, including some in the UK. Three things drive the first digit of cost, assuming you've hired relatively competent engineers and constructors: 1. (Design) Building floorplate and architectural complexity (i.e., divergence from 'big box') 2. (Construction) Schedule adherence. Almost any one-off expense to stick to the schedule is worth it, but to…
Not permitting and regulation? We're told that is the biggest impediment to development.
Permitting and regulation is generally a sub-component to each of the three things mentioned, and can be a major factor in schedule adherence for large scale construction projects. Whether that is the primary impediment or not is often a factor of the specifics of the project (and its design) and the overall environment. During major events (e.g. COVID), materials access and availability was a far more challenging aspect of schedule adherence for most large projects than any other factor.
I've never worked in this field as the GP, but I have family that do and I've heard plenty of stories and made my own observations, but definitely take my two cents with plenty of salt. Maybe GP will reply also.
Re: How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers Clues
#208Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Stainless steel costs much more, but total project cost goes up less than 10%. I think people are often surprised how little materials cost affects the total cost of a job. I'm having this argument at work, where I want some more expensive cabling installed in a bunch of offices across Scotland so it doesn't need to be done again in another ten year's time, but "that stuff is so expensive, do we really need it?" is…
I've worked on a few big EPC projects in a specialised industrial sector, including some in the UK. Three things drive the first digit of cost, assuming you've hired relatively competent engineers and constructors: 1. (Design) Building floorplate and architectural complexity (i.e., divergence from 'big box') 2. (Construction) Schedule adherence. Almost any one-off expense to stick to the schedule is worth it, but to…
I was once working on a one off build and also on a smaller build at the same time. The smaller build was built start to finish as per the plans, the larger one was choices all the way.
The net result, we topped out and roofed the big house, then built the small house in its entirety while the owners of the big house chose their windows. Add that in favour of waterfall design...
Re: How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers Clues
#209For those not familiar, the secret ingredients are to do with the Lime Cycle [1]: 1) Quicklime/Slakedlime (Calcium Oxide, CaO) 2) Lime (Calcium Hydroxide, CaOH2) 3) Limestone (Calcium Carbonate, CaCO3) To keep it simple, typically you start with Quicklime (CaO) and after construction you end up with some mix of all three and after hundreds of years, the masonry transitions to mostly Limestone with microscopic traces…
> Lime is more breathable, workable and sustainable. The only thing is, it requires maintainance What sort of maintenance does it need?
It wears down quicker than concrete (you can scratch it easily with a nail and minimal pressure). But we’re still talking 50+ years (before repointing brick, in my case). As long as maintained it’ll last forever (our home is 140 years old, I just re-did the pointing, should be good till I die).
Re: How Has Roman Concrete Lasted for Millennia? 1,900-Year-Old Latrine Offers Clues
#210For those not familiar, the secret ingredients are to do with the Lime Cycle [1]: 1) Quicklime/Slakedlime (Calcium Oxide, CaO) 2) Lime (Calcium Hydroxide, CaOH2) 3) Limestone (Calcium Carbonate, CaCO3) To keep it simple, typically you start with Quicklime (CaO) and after construction you end up with some mix of all three and after hundreds of years, the masonry transitions to mostly Limestone with microscopic traces…
Victorian brick houses are all lime based, pointing (mortar between bricks), render outside and internal plaster. (Ours is 140 years old ish).
Lime is also more flexible (these houses have minimal to no foundation and constantly move), it’s breathable (no/less damp) and as such it also improves air quality indoors. It’s annoying to do because drying times are days/weeks not hours, but long run it’s a far superior material for small buildings.
It does burn though if you accidentally get it on your skin!