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Slipform Stone Building
by Chuck Hall
 Nothing
says ‘stately elegance’ like a home made of stone. Stone has
been used as a building material for thousands of years, but
traditionally homes of stone have been built by highly-trained
masons with years of experience. But in recent years, a technique
called ‘slipform building’ is regaining interest, making it
possible for people with little or no stoneworking talent to build
their own stone homes.
Traditional stone masonry involves a laborious
practice of selecting and fitting stones by hand using mortar. Each
stone is carefully cemented into place individually. Slipform stone
masonry uses a much easier approach. Forms about two feet tall are
placed directly on the foundation, then about three or four inches
of concrete is poured into the form. Stones are then put into the
form, more concrete is added, and so on until the top of the form is
reached. The walls are allowed to dry, then the forms are removed
and ‘slipped’ up another two feet, where the process is
repeated.
 One
major advantage that slipform stone building has over other
do-it-yourself green building techniques is that most building
inspectors will accept it as a form of masonry. Masonry is covered
by all building codes, so you may not have to obtain the services of
an architect or engineer to get your plans passed. Another advantage
is that if you have a lot of suitable stone on your property, and
don’t mind a little sweat equity, you can build your own home very
inexpensively.
While
stone is a poor insulator, it has a lot of thermal mass. The denser
the stone, the more heat-storing properties it possesses. It stores
heat when it’s not needed, and radiates it back into the building
when it is needed. When this property is used in conjunction with
passive solar techniques, it can greatly reduce your heating and
cooling costs if you live in a temperate zone.
Now
for the bad news…while stone homes have a lot of thermal mass, are
durable, attractive and insect-proof, building such a home is not
for the impatient or the frail. Moving stones all day is a
labor-intensive process. Some stones approach a weight of 100 pounds
per square foot, so it helps to have a strong back. The most you can
hope for is about two feet of wall height per day, since the walls
have to set before you can move the forms up to the next level. But
if you have patience and endurance, a beautiful home of stone can be
yours.
A
good site on slipform building, with lots of pictures, is Heartbeat
Nursery’s site in New Zealand at: www.heartbeatnursery.co.nz/stonehouse/index.html.
I would also recommend Tomm Stanley’s book, Stone House: A
Guide to Self-building with Slipforms.
Chuck
Hall is a Sustainability Consultant and author. His latest book,
Green Circles: A Sustainable Journey from the Cradle to the Grave,
is now available at Booklocker.com.
You may contact Chuck by email at: chuck@cultureartist.org or visit
the Culture Artist Web site at www.cultureartist.org.
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