Hi,
I have read about and dreamt about using papercrete for many years but haven't made that first big step yet. When I lived in Nebraska, I had amassed a sizable collection of shredded paper from my former employer but was forced to leave it behind when I moved to Missouri - there was just too much other stuff that had to come along. Sigh.
The house I bought in MO isn't my dream home but the price was right so I was able to pay cash for this little, leaning dump o' mine. That and the lovely light inside (it has 14 windows and it's a teeny house)were two of the top 3 reasons for buying it (the 3rd sort of being location - it's close to my sister, which was my reason for returning to my "homeland".) The negatives...it is inside a tiny village of about 250 raving lunatics. Harsh? Probably. I'm not having a happy day with the town. Because it's a village and not a proper town, it has very lax rules and between the wandering dogs and the unlicensed minors on unlicensed ATVs who go past my house from sunup to sundown and beyond at LEAST 174 times a day, I often feel like screaming. If I'm to stay in this house (and being unemployed now for 2.5 years, it looks like I'd better settle in), I WILL need to fence the yard. I have dogs and mine are contained 24/7 and it just ticks me off beyond belief to look out and some wandering mutt is urinating on my freshly planted flowers or "watering" my tomatoes, so a fence is ABSOLUTELY necessary. I checked the rules and I can fence right ON the property lines, all the way around the property. There are no restrictions on type, height, materials...so long as I'm on or inside the lines.
After pricing a variety of materials, as well as shrubs to create a bit of a noise barrier, I started thinking of WALLS around the place. I'd be a perfect hermit - I'm not a fan of "people" though I love my family and friends (they're not people. LOL) The idea of a papercrete wall, 6'-8' high, all the way around the property, really appeals to my inner hermit. I realize the material would need to be on some variety of stem wall, but how would one go about making a proper stem wall that won't wick moisture up into the papercrete? Could I use old chunks of road concrete? How wide would the wall need to be and would I need to start wider and taper narrower toward the top for stability? I would stucco the walls on both sides for waterproofing and of course on the top (which I wouldn't mind leveling and adding concrete pavers in order to make a "shelf" to finish off the look). Would I need rebar for further stability or is that taking it too far? Blocks or forms and pouring? Which would be easier/better? Would PC hold bolts for gates or would it be necessary to imbed something like 4x4 cedar posts where I need gates and at corners? Am I insane?
Thanks!
diane in MO
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