Cellular Concrete Panel HousesKen Land

Design documents · Wall system design basis

Cellular Concrete Wall Panels — Design Basis (v1)

What Ken stated, what the model assumes, and the open items for the engineer.

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Basis: Ken's description, 6 Sep 2026, plus the roof-panel system this is derived from (../roof-panel-animator/docs/spec-v1.md); roof Option 3 chosen from docs/roof-options.html the same day. Hand assumptions for the model and the cost sheet only — not for construction. PE to size the studs, the joint screws, the slab anchors and the fill.

1. Stated by Ken#

ItemValue
Panel size4' wide × 10' tall, giving a 9' ceiling (the extra foot covers the slab recess / top track / roof bearing zone — to confirm)
SystemSame build as the roof panel: cast flat in a form, cellular concrete finish layer, 6" cold-formed studs
FinishThe cast finish face goes to the inside of the building
SettingPanels set at 4' widths and screwed together through the edge studs
MEPWire and plumb in the open stud cavity after the panels stand
Cladding2" cladding of the same cellular-concrete material on the exterior
FillThen pump the walls full of lightweight (cellular) concrete
CustomerA different customer from the roof — separate animation and cost sheet

2. Model assumptions (change in public/config/wall.config.json)#

ItemValueWhy
Stack2" skin + 1.5" channel/mesh zone + 6" stud + 2" cladding = 11.5" wallMirrors the roof stack so the same steel details apply
Skin pour5" (skin + channel zone + 1.5" into the studs)Locks the studs into the finish layer before the pick, like the roof's 6.5" ground pour
Cavity fill4.5" between the skin pour and the cladding, 30 pcf"Pump the walls full"
Studs600S162-54 @ 16" (16 ga) — lighter than the roof's 68 mil because the fill and cladding brace the wallPE to confirm; jambs/headers at openings
Track600T125-54 top and bottom of every panel + a continuous top trackRoof bearing
Channel + mesh1-1/2" cold-rolled channel rows @ 48" with basalt mesh, in the skin pourSame as the roof
Cladding2" cellular-concrete sheet with mesh, cast in the same bed, screwed to the exterior stud flanges"Same material"
Joints8 × #10-16 screws per joint through the mating edge studs (assumption)"Screwed together"
Slab4" slab; 2 anchors per panel through the bottom track (assumption)
Building example10 × 7 panels (40' × 29'-11" outside), 1 door, 12 windows (docs/floor-plan.html)Ken's plan: living zone across the front, bedrooms and baths at the back; edit building.*
Casting4-panel bed, 7-day cure, 34 panels = 9 cycles; slots sized for the tallest (12'-6") panel
Weight at pick≈ 40 sf × (5/12 × 35 pcf + 3 psf steel) ≈ 700 lb per solid 10' panel; ≈ 880 lb for a 12'-6" wall-A panelForklift boom or small crane

3. Roof — Option 3, shed roof rising to the view (roof in the config, src/geometry/roof.js)#

Chosen from docs/roof-options.html (Option 3, 6 Sep 2026). One roof plane rising 1"/ft toward wall A (the view side) and draining to the back; the ceiling goes from 9' at the back to about 11'-6" at the front glass.

ItemValueWhy
Roof planeUnderside at the wall C top (120") rising 1"/ft over the 29'-11" footprint depth = 29.92" to the frontroofPlaneY(cfg, z); rise = footprint z / 12 × roof.slopePerFoot
Wall A panels150" (12'-6")building.wallHeights.A; walls B, C, D stay 120"The front wall carries the high end of the plane; the audit refuses a wall A that misses the plane by ≥ 1"
Clerestory band40" × 24" opening at sill 120" in every wall-A panel above its door/window (roof.clerestory) — 10 openings, 66.7 sf of glassLight and view without bigger panels; sits on the 10' line so the standard window framing is untouched
Framing on wall A4 channel rows (12, 60, 108, 138); the clerestory and the 40"-wide windows share jamb lines; cripples below the window, between the window head and the clerestory sill, and above the clerestory; a header and a sill piece for the bandpanelStuds, panelChannelRows(cfg, 150)
Rake infillTriangular cellular-concrete wedge on the wall B/D tops between the 10' line and the roof underside (0 at the back, 29.9" at the front), 11.5" wide, cast after the top track — 2.48 yd³rakeInfill(cfg); the B/D top track is sloped
Roof strips3 strips 14' wide × 33' along the slope (plan 42' × 32'-11" with 24" front / 12" back / 12" side overhangs), 1,387 sfThe roof-panel system: 2" cover + 1.5" channel + 8" 800S162-68 @ 16" + 2" cap = 13.5"; spans 15.5' + 13.5' over the interior bearing wall
Roof castingGround pour 6.5" flat in a second yard bed (27.8 yd³), craned onto the walls (heaviest pick 10,617 lb), top pour 7" on the roof (30.0 yd³), membranePhases roof_set, roof_pour, roof_membrane (12–14)
Roof steel36 studs @ 33' = 1,189 lf, 84 lf track, 9 channel rows per strip = 378 lf, 648 screws, 324 spacers, 24 lift inserts, 1,387 sf meshroofTakeoff(cfg)
EstimateROOF category: strips (studs at the 6" 68-mil list price as a proxy, track, channel, screws, spacers, inserts, mesh, ground + top pour at Ken's $200 + $20 per yd³), rake infill, roof liner + edge forms, clerestory glazing $60/sf, crane day $1,500, roof labor (0.12 / 0.03 mh/sf, 1.5 / 2.0 mh/yd³, 32 mh pick), Eco Finish membrane $8/sf on the roof only$49,969 before contingency; total walls + roof $92,177

Bed and pick: the 4-slot bed is sized for the 12'-6" panel (48" × 150" slots, 200 sf liner, 132 lf edge form); a movable end board shortens a slot for the 10' panels.

4. Open items#

  1. Stud gauge and spacing for a 10' wall with fill (PE); the 12'-6" wall-A panels are the governing case.
  2. Joint screw pattern and whether a joint strap or cast-in weld plate is wanted at corners.
  3. Slab anchor type (post-installed vs cast-in) and the base detail (recess, track on slab, or curb).
  4. Fill density and strength; whether the fill needs a mesh or ties to the cladding.
  5. Exterior finish over the cladding: excluded for the walls (Ken, 6 Sep 2026); the roof membrane is Eco Finish at $8/sf.
  6. Window/door frame anchoring to the jamb studs.
  7. Roof studs: 8" 800S162-68 @ 16" is the roof project's assumption for the 15.5' + 13.5' spans — PE to size (and price: carried at a proxy list rate).
  8. Rake casting detail: formed in place on the wall B/D tops vs a precast wedge; the sloped top track and how the roof strips bear on it.
  9. Clerestory frames: fixed glass in the 40" × 24" band, frame type and anchoring to the shared jamb studs; flashing under the roof eave.
  10. Taller panel handling: the 12'-6" wall-A panels in the bed (slot length, end board) and at the pick (~880 lb, taller lift, bracing until the roof is on).
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