Hollow Blocks

[Jack Peterson]

Well RBM, as i said earlier, you have to trust somewhere, i was on site every day for most of the day, this keeps them all on their toes,

Your engineers license is only as good as his last Job so in him you must trust, 12k seems a little high but then we all know that construction here is getting more expensive ( like the rest of the World)

 

Seems you have the right frame of mind here to complete to your expectations, just watch the pilfering, this can and certainly had cost me a few peso's until I started doing a daily Stock Check, once they see you doing this it will reduce dramatically [it will never stop completely] 

You will be surprised how many times Lola's septic tank Cover needs repairing  :lol:

One thing I will say is, if you see something that does not seem right to you go on the quote "Assume nothing, Question Everything"

 

Even your Engineer should be open to suggestions. 

If in Doubt just ask, we don't know it all but those that have built have a vast collection of mishaps that could have maybe, been avoided if we had  taken advice offered here.

 

best of Luck and maybe,like I did some time ago, keep us informed of your project, even some photos  :thumbsup:

 

 

JP :tiphat:  :cheers:

[Dave Hounddriver]

1.....Its a waste of money to make strong ( 28 blocks from a bag) as they are nothing more than a mold.

 

That is so true.  In some countries they use styrofoam blocks for that purpose, as in this picture.  Why would the concrete blocks need to be any stronger than those styrofoam blocks?

 

 

EDIT:  Let me just add that when the house is finished and you are trying to hang pictures, curtain rods, etc you will be very happy that you went with the local made blocks as the ones some foreigners 'engineer' for strength are pretty dang hard to drill into.

Edited December 9, 2014 by Dave Hounddriver

[RBM]

 

1.....Its a waste of money to make strong ( 28 blocks from a bag) as they are nothing more than a mold.

 

That is so true.  In some countries they use styrofoam blocks for that purpose, as in this picture.  Why would the concrete blocks need to be any stronger than those styrofoam blocks?

 

 

EDIT:  Let me just add that when the house is finished and you are trying to hang pictures, curtain rods, etc you will be very happy that you went with the local made blocks as the ones some foreigners 'engineer' for strength are pretty dang hard to drill into.

 

 

Seems to be the case. Leaning towards buying the wider block 6 inch. Not sure its 8X6 or 12X6 but what ever will not be using  the strong ones for the very same reason your post states.

 

What country was that Dave in the pic.

[Dave Hounddriver]

What country was that Dave in the pic.

 

I just picked a sample pic off the web but I had it done on my basement in Canada that way.  Just don't have pics of it.  So I know they have been using those styrofoam block forms for at least 15 years.

 

EDIT:  My house is a 2 story row house.  The walls and floor divider are 4" preformed, poured concrete that they deliver on a truck and assemble with a crane.  My interior walls are just 3" thick concrete blocks.  These are hard to find but I hate to waste space.  With the rendering these walls become 4" thick.

Edited December 9, 2014 by Dave Hounddriver

[scott h]

Just to double tap the plaster thing. My guys used something called BISTAY sand (at least that's what it sounded like when I ordered it) as mentioned above, its a very fine cement mixed with water and smoothed over the blocks. Looks great and takes paint perfectly. We are real happy with the outcome.

[Americano]

Maybe the styrofoam blocks are used in countries that do not have earthquakes.  I have seen cheap concrete crack into several pieces and crumble into thousands of pieces but a foreigners house who purchased high quality blocks does not have any cracks.  Do not forget that the Philippines is in the Ring of Fire where Earthquakes happen almost every day.  Most are small quakes but you never know when the next big one will hit.

 

Last year I was renting an apartment in Carcar Cebu in a 3 story building when the Bohol Earthquake hit.  There was so much damage done to the building that my wife and I and our neighbors moved as soon as we could find a safer place.  Some walls were cracked all the way through and some of the support columns were cracked completely through too.  Its hard to find any cracks in the apartment we live in now.  The last apartment was built or I should say paid for by a foreigner.  He probably thought he was paying for good quality concrete but I could have told him its quality was very low when I drilled some holes in it to hang a picture and a towel.  The mason bit went in like I was drilling into cardboard.  My opinion is if you want to be safe in the Philippines from Earthquakes then use high quality concrete blocks. The maximum number of 4" blocks I would make from one bag of cement is 40.  Some are make 30 blocks per bag of cement which is even better.

[Americano]

I would think it depends on if you will be building a single story or a 2 story where as you will have load bearing walls.

I know the blocks can be built to reach 700 or slightly higher psi with proper curing. I think the (standard) is 350 psi. 

I would try to find a place where you can have a sample tested to determine the compressive strength.

 

I don't know if there's a place in the Philippines where you can get concrete blocks tested for strength but you can test them yourself in at least 2 ways I have heard of.  (1) Drop a block from 2 or 3 feet height onto a hard surface.  If it breaks into a thousand pieces then you know its almost useless in construction.  One day I watched some small children stealing concrete blocks from a parking lot.  They dropped a few of the blocks from a very short distance and the blocks broke into so many pieces that they were just a pile of concrete on the ground.  (2)  When you hit a block with a hammer it should sing and not break.  This method came from construction workers in the USA.

[Thomas]

Edit:  Americano told the test faster than I   :)

Edited December 9, 2014 by Thomas

[fred]

The CHB`s are not really load bearing and 4" thick blocks are fine... Your reinforced posts and beams if done correctly are the buildings backbone and strength. 

Before they pour concrete into the forms they add 10 or 12mm steel rebar dowels through the form (posts and beams) where the blocks will go.. They will encase the steel in cement inside the hollow section of the block.

The 10/12mm rebar will go horizontally and vertically every 3 blocks as they go up..

we always render the outside walls with 1 1/2" of cement render that has had a waterproof compound in the mix..There`s a product here called Sahara.

These days the Architect has to provide a full structural analysis report for you to get a building permit. If you follow the drawing plans to the letter I doubt very much you will have any problems.

 

Here`s a few pics from one of our projects here to better illustrate the building methods here.

 

 

Notice below the beam at ground level.. Thats what the blocks go on.

 

Edited December 9, 2014 by fred

[Gerald Glatt]

The foam "blocks" are the latest thing here in Florida.  After they lay the foam and place the rods they then pour the cement, doors and window openings are blocked out and the result is 4 or 6" of solid concrete reinforced walls with 2" foam insulation.  In most cases prebuilt wood trusses are attached to the rebar then strapped. they must stand 150 mph wind here, more on east coast.