Originally posted by troopy1
Thanks Honkey for your reply.
Don't get me wrong i give the Pivacs credit for trying to cut costs, manual handling and improving housing, but masonry bricks, blocks and concrete vary in size, they shrink when kiln dried they expand and grow with thermal and moist conditions hence why bricklayers use mortar to take up these differences. It's not a matter of where a brick is preprogrammed to be placed, but where a bricky can adjust the brick where it needs to be by using mortar. That can be seen in every video of the 105 and HX laying bricks.
People on here think the HX will rock up on site and build a home until complete and be so accurate, the fitout, joinery and tiles can be all pre ordered and fitted lol. They fail to realise all walls have got to be lined or rendered and will be fitted out the same way they always have been.
These are real builders concerns-
All masonry brick homes have a cavity that stops moisture ingress through to the inside of the building. The HX can't build cavity brick.
All brick homes now have soft mortar mixes to reduce cracking from thermal movement and foundation movement from soil moisture changes. We break up the brickwork now with control/expansion joints to avoid cracking.
How can a builder pre order a house full of window's and doors for a house that hasn’t been built when openings could be within +/_5 to 10 mm differences.
There's no means of installing head and sill flashings for window openings because there's no cavity for weather proofing. This is a must for habitable areas.
In single leaf masonry homes, they make us tie the roof to the footing with tie down rods to stabilize the wall and to tie the roof down against wind uplift how can the HX overcome this. Archistruct was made to do this for the Caversham house build. Photo's were posted here a couple of years ago. They had to make so many changes to the building it would be impossible for the HX to build. You wonder why we haven't heard from Archistruct.
I just can't see it being successful and can't see the HX programme progressing any further. It will be a very high cost high maintenance expensive piece of machinery imo.
Goog luck to all.
Thank you troopy for the detailed response and correlates to what builders have told me almost verbatim.I suspect the value issues you raise are the reason the MOU was probably extended. Surely FBR have been consulting with major home builders who have pointed thus out. I think the machine will work on a commercial scale eventually most builders tho think the tech is a long way of to mass builds that I spoke to .So I have to listen to expefienced builders like your self to .
Your comments should be taken on board given your vast experience in building homes we are fortunate to have you showing the holes in the machines story. I would say your points across the industry is the reason the SP is struggling. It is also the reason we are not seeing a lot of institutions getting involved lately. I would suggest instos would have spoken to builders like you.
This along with other builders saying the same thing as you leads me to be very comfortable in my decision to reduce my holdings by two thirds last year .I will review that when I see some commercial agreements to manufacture & profitable sales orders. What you have highlighted also dents my confidence. Thank you I am.becoming increasingly skeptical until I see binding agreements that wont change. Two years ago I thought this machin was revolutionary my discussions with noted builders since have tampered my outlook. I know zero about construction so I ask others who do. I have extensive experience using machinery and I'm here to tell you after decades John Deere New Holland and the likes are still developmemting & improving machinery & spending millions on R & D on new models. I think FBR have done incredibly well to get to here but are a very long way from profitability on a scale that will drive the SP. Time will tell if global giant CAT agree to produce the HX guess I would back that decision. Somehow tho I don't think that outcome given your concerns is any certainty .
Cheers Troopy your post resonates on so many levels
