brett combs

How would bin block perform as an exterior wall? Would it require EPS foam board on the inside or outside to get the rated r value for zone 5 here in ohio? If it would all need wrapped in EPS, and stuccoed, it would probably make omniblock better option.  

I will use Farm Credit (thats a bank) for a DIY construction loan. So I am limited in what I can do on the project to what is reasonable for someone who is not a professional mason, electrician, plumber, etc to do.

I understand your point about it being an ordeal to move these and stack them myself. I am thinking that if I were to make them that the labor to hire them stacked would be a fraction of what having the walls done in CMUs by a crew of masons would cost. I have a tractor with a loader that could move them around while casting them. I have looked at other DIY block wall systems, like omniblock, comfort block (CMUs with foam inserts) Faswall, and others. Obviously the cost per SF of these is much higher. Of these it is looking like omniblock. I am guessing that these can be dry-stacked with masonry adhesive by me. The contractor will let me do that kind of labor.

I am posting after seeing another thread about using bin blocks for permanent home construction. I wanted to see if I might get a bit more feedback.

This is a Bin Block. They can be purchased in 2'x2'x6' sizes, or I could buy a mold and cast my own... Height: 1 foot 11 5/8 inches, Depth: 11 13/16 inches, Width: 7 feet 10 31/64 inches. These molds come with a panel that allows for creating half blocks. They make a shorter block as well. I think I could create blocks that would allow for making window openings. I am guessing that in NE Ohio that using these, you would still need to use EPS foam board to insulate one side or the other to be at the rated R-value for building codes. You obviously could not run anything inside of a block, unless you cast space inside it to do so. Anything else that comes to mind? It would save all of the labor involved in masons building perfectly pointed CMU walls to do this. On a structure this size that is maybe more than 50K. MY only construction experience was working with a landscape architect, building retaining walls.... lol.



This is the concept of the building. It is one story, 10' tall, has a flat roof, and the front is a glass wall room. I am thinking about how easy it would be to stack these up to create the outer walls of the back half of the house.


This is an outside view from the back.


The front.

Hey everyone. I build software at Sherwin Williams, and am interested in getting my hands into home construction on weekends. Looks like there are great threads here about a number of things. Fun!