How to Build a House With Slipforms
- 1). Meet the legal requirements to begin new construction in your location. Building codes and inspection requirements differ by state and county.
- 2). Prepare to build. Draw or purchase a set of plans for the house you want to build. Select a location from which water will drain. Clear and level that location.
- 3). Dig the foundation ditch. Usually, a foundation must be at least two feet deeper than the frost line. The ditch should be wider than the slip forms you intend to use.
- 4). Gather and assemble two piles of rocks and stones. One pile should comprise "face" stones that have at least one relatively flat side. The other pile will be used as "rubble" or filler stones.
- 5). Assemble the slipforms. The forms should have four sides made of heavy plywood or planks. The forms should be the width of your planned wall. The sides of the forms should not be more than two feet high. The corners should be butt-jointed with 2-by-4s. Two-by-fours should be nailed every two feet on the exterior of the forms. The exterior braces should extend below and above the sides of the form. Each set of exterior braces must be joined on top with a third length of 2-by-4.
- 6). Mix the concrete. Use a mixer or a wheelbarrow with a shovel or hoe. Use one part concrete and two parts sand. Do not use gravel. Rubble stones will take the place of gravel in your wall. Pour in water one bucket at a time and mix until all the concrete is uniformly wet.
- 7). Begin the foundation. Put the first form in your trench. Level it. Line the sides of the form with face stones. Fill the center of the form with rubble stones and concrete. The concrete must contact every interior surface of every stone in the form. Use additional forms to extend the foundation wall.
- 8). Finish the foundation. Use at least two sets of slip forms to raise the foundation walls to at least two feet above ground level. Use levels, a plumb bob and a chalk line or string to keep all foundation walls straight, square and level. Back fill the foundation trench. Take the steps necessary in your building plan to install floor joists. If necessary, install the floor joists now.
- 9). Build the wall to the desired height by repeating the same procedures you used to build the foundation. Use levels, a plumb bob, a chalk line and string to keep all walls straight, square and level. Leave openings for doors and windows according to your building plan. If necessary, install door and window casings as you build the walls. After you remove the top forms, install the wall plate, roof trusses and ceiling joists according to your plan. Then finish construction of your house using conventional methods.