PLASTIC BOTTLES to build a house

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For this project i would like to thank a unknown visitor who left in the farm some copies of a similar project done in Guatemala.

Using bottles to build a house? It is a strange idea but for us it was very useful, mainly because it allows the recycling of many bottles. The idea has been maturing over time: first of all in Ometepe there is an organization that teaches to the locals to put in ordinary concrete blocks, plastic bottles to recycle and to use less cement. Then came this informative book written in St. Marco in Guatemala that ex

plains how to put plastic bottles in the walls and cover them with cement. Then we knew the technique of ferro-cement to make the tank water. Then I wanted to build my house for my family and having very high walls had to find a lightweight material because Nicaragua is a place subject to earthquakes. And finally came my friend Michele who wanted a lot of plastic bottles to build a

chicken coop and we have prepared. An incredible number, several cubic meters of plastic, even more incredible when we think that none of the bottles was sold at our farm. Michele has changed his mind and remained there all the bottles. So we started the construction of the walls.

Only one wall is all plastic ( 1 ), while others begin with stone and after the first meters continue with bottles ( 2 ). Before you make a structure of iron with the irons in the direction of the width of the wall positioned in pairs at a distance of several centimeters, just for it to take a bottle ( 3 ). Along the length of the wall iron bars are put at about 50 cm away. After reinforce with smaller iron bars orizontally. After that binds the net of steel (the same that we used for the tank) on one side of the wall and also on the other so that the two networks create a room to put several plans bottles that are inserted between the two , empty and with cap( 4 5 ). Then binds metal wire in several places and put pressure plastic bags because the structure has less movement ( 6 7 8 ).

Once finished the preparation work is complete except for the cement that is then''pulled''on the net and smoothed with a spatula ( 9

). Finally is a mixture of cement, sand and plenty of lime to give the finishing and the color white ( 11 12 ).

The result seems good, the walls are strong, yet light, are very insulated because they contain air. We calculate that we have used about 3,000 bottles in a place where no one goes to pick up the garbage recycling is a great environmentally friendly.

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