# Questions about building a concrete block house.



## MisFitFarm (Dec 31, 2007)

I know a lot of this is going to vary by location, but any info would help. Approximately how much would it cost to build a block house? I don't know what size, it would depend on the cost! I can't even find a place on line to get a price per block, or even on the dry stack blocks.

If I wanted a concrete floor, should I still have a crawl space? And how about heating the floors?


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## MisFitFarm (Dec 31, 2007)

Ok, something else! What about plumbing? If you put it in first, then poured concrete, if you had plumbing problems, it would be a major mess. So how could you do the plumbing?


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## morrowsmowers (Jun 14, 2004)

Concrete block construction is strong but lacking in insulation unless you fill the blocks and/or frame it out with studding and insulate before putting up drywall.

If you build on a poured floor, you will have to bury some of the plumbing and if it needed repair you rent a jackhammer and dig it up. You can use radiant heating in the floor using poly tubing materials.

My BIL has a concrete block house and the walls are always cold and damp. I personally do not like it.

Ken in Glassboro, NJ


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## farminghandyman (Mar 4, 2005)

I don't know the current price of blocks either, even tho I tore up my writs laying them, over the years,

first you need a excellent foundation, if any thing moves the walls crack,

there are a number of type of block as well and it needs to be well planed, the worst aspect of a block building is there very hard to insulate and the block is porous, I normally run re bar in the walls ever 4' or so and like to use bond beam or knock out blocks on the top row and on two of the rows down in the wall, with re bar lay-ed in them, I do not like jsut using the ladder wire, (or that is what it called in our area),

for rough guess figure one block per square foot of wall,
by the time you get sand and mortar and re bar, and cement and bolts I would guess you could double your block cost for the finished wall,

and you will want some diamond type saw to cut them with, and it will need to cut min, 4" if your going to cut them in half, the abrasive blades are nearly worth less,

if you want to insulate one will have to either build out the inside or do a double layer and insulate between the walls,

do not for get the electrical conduit for power,

(you may want to consider the foam form for building and filling with concrete and some re bar). and stucco the exterior, 

slab floor, yes the electrical and plumbing will need to go in first, 
one thing to consider is to pour the main floor, except for the bath room area, and do that as a separate pour with the pluming in it, so if at a later date you want to work on it you will not damage the main floors by hammering it out, put all your pluming near the same location, bath room on same wall as kitchen sink, (pluming can go in walls and Celine, but can cause it own problems, doing that),

the main thing is to get planed out correctly and laid out properly, all pipes in the walls and the distances correct, I have seen craw space jsut under the bath and kitchen area for access to the plumbing, but most pluming is now under some wall or flooring, jsut do it right to begin with and no short cuts, in materials or methods and you should be fine,

(I would not suggest a block house) I have heard good with the foam form tho), I have use some of the foam form and did not like it for basement I was impressed with it basically, great insulation, but you will need to get it protected from the elements in a timely fashion, 
the SIPS may be some thing to consider, "Structural Insulated Panels" basically wafer board sandwiching a foam core,
My preference would be wood frame, IMO.


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

Concrete block is running 1.19 cents here each for standard block. You will either need to know how to lay block or have to hire someone to do it for you. If you hire someone, most here (Georgia) charge by the block an amount equal to what the block costs.

that said..

foundation - do foundation according to code, do NOT skimp and make sure it is level. Pour footers and place plumbing according to floor plan - yes some will be buried under concrete - but after living in my house for many, many years, I have never had a pipe problem under the slab. Most homes in the south are built on slabs and where do y'all think that plumbing is? Under the slab - lol..

As far as being damp and cold - a block house can be if not insulated properly. I used sealing tar around the foundation (inside and outside) before backfilling. On outside of house you can either use a block sealer, or you can use stucco, brick, or board insulation covered with siding. On the inside you can frame walls and use regular house bat insulation.

I have no moisture problems at all, no mold, mildew or "weeping". The floor is always dry. For the slab you need to place a moisture barrier down. You can "float" a wood floor if you want, but most homes here that are on slabs have no problem with moisture. Tile, carpet, wood flooring etc. is placed right over the smooth floor slab.

costs - cheaper than wood, not for everyone, less cost to insure if done properly and to code. Windows and doors are framed in just like a regular house, block is cut before being placed if necessary. 

I filled all "cells" in block with concrete to help insulate the walls. Inside each cell is a "stick" of rebar. Walls are 10 feet tall exterior and interior (I hate low ceilings!!) and roof is standard 4/12 pitch and no fancy gables, etc.

I figure I have about 90,000 in my harn - doing work myself - hiring electrical done. It has appraised for much more than that and of course, is still a work in progress. I have 3500 square feet or so of living space/barn space. After I finish the exterior with Hardee board and rock, no one will be able to tell that the house wasn't wood. 

Lots of houses are being built out of concrete and concrete block/stucco due to high lumber prices down here. It's just a different way of doing things and you really need to know what you are doing or hire a good builder who is experienced with block work..otherwise you may have problems with moisture and cracking, etc.


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## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

Concrete has some natural radioactivity, although I can't say how much. There are cheaper, more energy efficient ways to build.


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

Plumbing problems within slab flooring has always been a problem and a headache especially when there is a leak. No you don't need a crawl space with a slab floor but you will want to insulate under it. If you do want a crawl space you might as well go ahead and put in a basement as you would have about Â½ the cost of one already.

You can dry stack blocks and trowel on this product for bonding instead of using mortar joints. http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines/QuickwallSurfaceBondingCement.asp
When installed correctly tests show walls to be stronger than with traditional mortar. I think my local Lowe's Store now carries it but I haven't priced it.

I expect you will find blocks selling for about $1.50 for an 8"X8"X16" block. Depending on how badly damaged--you may get by with seconds for about 70Â¢ each or half price. They will have some voids that will need to be filled in with mortar however. 

Cost of building a block house will depend upon size and roof as much as anything. To what extent you wire for electricity will make a great difference because of the current high price for copper. Window quality, plumbing?

There just simply isn't a way to know what your demands are in a home so you will have to do some shopping and then make decisions as to what you NEED and WANT.


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## Michael Kawalek (Jun 21, 2007)

Hi MisFit

When we bought our homestead, a partially finished block cabin sat on the property. Here's what it looked like when we first started working on it.







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[/IMG] 
Here it is after getting the roof on. The previous owner did not install anything in the way of sill bolts or any hardware whatsoever. He just poured the concrete floor, put up the walls, and let it sit. We had to put all the bolts in ourselves with a concrete hammer drill, and when it comes time to finish the walls, we'll have to drill holes in the block for every attachment. Plumbing for the toilet is in the foundation, but all other running water will have to be plumbed after the fact. It's very sturdy, and probubly can stop a rifle bullet, but making modifications is tough. For example, I'd like to add more windows, but will have to have the opening cut with a professional contcrete saw. If you do want to build in block, make sure you've come up with every concievable addition you might want to incorporate, because once the cement has set, it's damn hard to change anything.
Michael


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## gccrook (Nov 21, 2003)

Check this thread

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=113574&highlight=texas+block+build


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## omnicat (Nov 29, 2005)

_Concrete has some natural radioactivity, although I can't say how much._

I understood that the radioactivity is only when it's wet, and then only detectable in an enclosed space. I don't believe it is radioactive once dry.


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## deaconjim (Oct 31, 2005)

omnicat said:


> _Concrete has some natural radioactivity, although I can't say how much._
> 
> I understood that the radioactivity is only when it's wet, and then only detectable in an enclosed space. I don't believe it is radioactive once dry.


Concrete can have some naturally occuring uranium, which emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. The alpha and beta would be blocked by the time the concrete has cured, but the gamma is still detectable, although in low levels.


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## DrippingSprings (Sep 22, 2004)

plumbing isnt an issue when done correctly. In a slab poured home just run it in the celings. Its what they did to my grandmothers house in 1957 and it has never had a pipe freeze etc and it gets down in single digits in winter time. 

Also you dont have to be a expert to lay block. Especially if you are smart and do it this way

http://www.texasmusicforge.com/gimmeshelter.html

He visited this site for awhile but disappeared.


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## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

FL is full of block houses- including ours. I'm not a big fan. Our plumbing is all under the slab, so if there is a problem, you have to cut the slab (assuming you can find the leak). In a house, you pretty much have to fir out the walls so you have somewhere for the electrical wiring. Our house is firred out, then conventional drywall. I ran the numbers, and a framed wall came out quite a bit cheaper than block, not counting labor. I also don't like a method that isn't easily altered down the road- I change my mind a lot! Some pluses are that if built right, they are pretty strong, they are very quiet, keeping outside noise out, and they change temperature very slowly. We never heat our home, b/c by the time it gets cold inside, the weather has changed, and it's warm outside.


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

Yep there are good and bad to all types of building - I went with what was cheaper, easier to maintain and insure and so far I have been happy with it. Funny but when I priced the same amount of square footage here for a wood built house..

cost was 85.00 per square foot..my block house cost me around 26.00 per square foot so far. I figure I will have approximately 35.00 - 40.00 per square foot once the new roof is one (hiring that done) and the rest of the flooring is laid (by me!)..

so it is a cost savings if you can do much of the work yourself. The most expense I have had was having the footings poured and the slab. I hired a guy who laid block to show me how to do it and he spent a week here with me and then came back on a regular basis to make sure I was "doing" it right. Only had a couple of bad places that he had to help me correct but other than that..the laying went fine.

Electrical is not for me - I hired that out. Plumbing I did myself, hired a company to put in the new septic tank and lines (now I have two tanks here - one for the house that blew away and one for this one). Roof was hired and stick built. Other than that, the rest has been me, friends, and the kids helping and lots of nights/weekends spent working on this or that.

You should be pretty sure though what you want before you build with block, it is hard to change things once they are in (here I sit saying that while I figure costs to knock out my back wall and move it over 12 feet..sigh..I want a larger kitchen).

Anyway build what makes you happy and what you can afford.


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

sidepasser said:


> Yep there are good and bad to all types of building - I went with what was cheaper, easier to maintain and insure and so far I have been happy with it. Funny but when I priced the same amount of square footage here for a wood built house..
> 
> cost was 85.00 per square foot..my block house cost me around 26.00 per square foot so far. I figure I will have approximately 35.00 - 40.00 per square foot once the new roof is one (hiring that done) and the rest of the flooring is laid (by me!)..


Cool 

So it runs about the same as a steel building.

Completed with all furnishings our home will end up very close to $40/sq ft.

R-40 and 14 foot ceilings too!





> ... Electrical is not for me - I hired that out.


Isn't that going to run up the per square foot cost?


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

This past year our family (2 adults, one 15 year old, one ten year old, one four year old) built our own house out of concrete, block and stone. It was inexpensive (<$7,000), easy to heat even in our northern vermont mountain climate and wonderfully customized to the way we want things. It is a tiny cottage at only 252 sq-ft. It has lofts front and back for extra space. Small means less space for clutter, much lower real estate taxes, faster & less expensive to build and easier to maintain.

Here's a photo from the construction that shows the layers:









I designed the cottage and we did all the labor ourselves. We poured a slab ($1,000), did block walls with filled cores (rebar & pour). The windows are salvaged except for two new ones. The roof is a 1.5" thick ferro-cement barrel vault. The concrete is inside an insulating envelope which means the house has a tremendous (>100,000 lb) thermal mass and great stability.

Check it out at:

http://sugarmtnfarm.com/blog/labels/Tiny Cottage.html

where I discuss many of the details of building it.

The insurance company loves it and gave us a big discount because it is basically indestructible.
Cheers

-Walter
Sugar Mountain Farm
in the mountains of Vermont
http://SugarMtnFarm.com/blog/
http://HollyGraphicArt.com/
http://NoNAIS.org


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