Hi

I have researched as far as my eye can see. But just cannot find the exact information I am looking for.

We decided to build a DIY post frame home. We have very rocky, sandy soil. And our building pad is nice and level, setting halfway down a hillside. So drainage is excellent already. I believe the frost line in our level is 2 to 3 feet. Anyway. The home will be 24x36 using 6x6 treated posts, set 4ft in the ground on top of poured footers. The thing is. My wife wants me to do a slipform exterior wall around the house. I have no problem with this. Except I am not sure how to put footings in the ground to support it. Since there will undoubtedly be posts in there as well. The post footings will be 5ft down. Which is overkill for a slipform wall that isn't supporting anything. For the record, I am also planning to erect either a slipform or dry stack block for the interior wall. Both in and out walls with have R20 sheet insulation in between. And both will need the footings. I also plan to pour a floating slab. Which will be insulated underneath and around.

So the question is easy. How do I plan the make this all work? Getting the posts in the ground. Getting footings down and wide enough for interior and exterior slipform walls. And keep it all separate for a floating slab?

Thanks! 

My first post folks, after lurking in this wonderful place for a while.

I actually have a very similar idea in mind. I've been turning something very similar over in my head. Except I want to do it on an already existing stick/frame house, with a stone foundation.

Basically what I've been obsessing over is the idea of digging a trench around the whole existing foundation, below the frost line, drill some holes for rebar into the existing exterior foundation, tie the rebar frame that I put in the foundation ditch to the existing foundation, pour a concrete fooder in this trench, and then just slip-form up the side essentially using the exterior walls of the frame house as a frame, worst case stripping its siding off and going against the sheeting, insulating and patching as I go.

Now to get even weirder, I was thinking of using lime concrete instead of portland cement based concrete. "Limecrete" in essence. Traditional lime mortar with pebbles and rock chunks as aggregate for strength.

The reason is for breathibility and that there's less embedded energy in the production of lime vs cement, so it feels like a better more natural solution to me.

Is there anyone out there who can offer advice, tell me this idea is insane don't do it, or tell a story of someone you've observed doing something very similar, and how it worked out?

Thanks !

I'm looking at building a similar model using 2 ft wide slipform on ground level, up 3 ft to floor joists. Slipform wall to rest on gabion wall below grade, down to cement footer. With sono tubes every 6 ft through  the gabion wall. Slipform wall rests on gabion wall and sono tubes. look up gabion wall construction.

Once you get away from the ground I wonder how "slip form" with stones and cob would work.  Perhaps ramming it a bit to give the advantages of rammed earth construction.

Maybe I'm combining to many techniques but I keep being reminded of Dhajji Dewari that works well in Pakistan and surrounding ares  It combines stone, cob and timber framing.

https://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1920&bih=945&q=Dhajji+Dewari&oq=Dhajji+Dewari&gs_l=img.12..0l2.3123.3123.0.5893.1.1.0.0.0.0.212.212.2-1.1.0....0...1ac.2.64.img..0.1.210.8lFV3SSUJ1w

http://www.world-housing.net/tutorials/other/dhajji-dewari

Hi Alan. I love working with cob but in a northern climate , am hesitant of snow build up on outdoor cob structures. And I'm not sure if gabions alone without mortar wouldn't settle. So I'm looking to place sono tubes to footer below frost line. My plan for the footing is in an oval or racetrack oval for further strength. My floor will be in a rectangle sitting on the oval foundation.

As I live in Oz I forget about people living where the water gets hard   BUT I imagine that northern Pakistan and parts surrounding get pretty cold.  I'm afraid I don't know how it would stand up to frozen winter conditions.

from the World housing encyclopedia
Dhajji Dewari is a timber frame with stone and earth infill, typically used in the mountain regions of South Asia.  Similar construction is used around the world, under different names.  Himis  is a Turkish variation, used to help reconstruct after their 1999 earthquake.  In Portugal, builders have used Gaiola Pombalina since a 1755 Lisbon earthquake rocked the city.  Lastly, Italy uses Casa Baraccata another timber frame, stone infill construction.

Ahhh with this new info I see that the conditions would require a much different design. And things like exterior cob properly designed could work.