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I'm not sure I understand. If you're asking why my weird-*** idea hasn't been done yet, why people are still using more typical ways of finishing basements, then that is definitely one of the things I was wondering and asking about. If you're asking why my...

Yeah, I agree. I've seen rammed earth where when two layers meet there will be a darker portion. Of course, that might be due to there being heavier stuff there that settles during the ramming, I'm not sure. But... it could be an interesting look, allowing for some overlap in stains...

Unfortunately, those photos are of actual rammed earth. Which I'm only trying to mimic, not duplicate...

I do want it to at least feel like the color is an inherent part of the concrete. Even if it isn't. I know it's kind of a weird distinction, but I gather it is mostly the distinction between concrete stains vs paints (or so I gathered, looking at the Keim concrete stains and paints), so I...

I did look into the stains that are out there. Seems like there are options, though I wonder how the layers would look, compared to stucco. I'm mostly concerned that overlapping two stains would give me a third color, and I'm not sure I want that. It might look nice though... I'd have to see...

Really? They couldn't pour half of it, wait for half an hour or an hour, and then pour the next half? Somehow I imagined there was more leeway in the timing with concrete trucks (but obviously I know very little about all this)...

Ah, thanks ConCretin, that's really helpful. 8' per hour is good to know, and seems plenty fast for whatever I'd want to do. And oh boy, $300 per cubic yard is a bit more than I would want. I had assumed that earth tones would be quite inexpensive. I guess I need to look into that. My...

Thanks for all of that PopcornSutton. That's helpful to know about what a typical lift height is. Any idea how long it takes before another lift is added, usually? FWIW I'm not trying to get an absolute rule--I assume it depends on how the concrete is formulated and the weather. And I know...

Cheers, I appreciate the question, God knows it would be horrible design a whole basement around this idea of bare cement walls and exterior insulation only to find out that it won't work because I can't put that much insulation on the exterior. All I can say is that the architect I've been...

The problem I see with rammed earth--apart from not knowing whether it's used at all for foundations at all--is that it is really expensive. I generally see estimates around $450 - $750 per square meter ($42 - $70 per square foot) of wall face or higher online, but according to the local...

I don't have a number yet--I'd have to look at what is normally used in this climate. But my understanding is that, from a moisture control perspective, exterior insulation is much preferred to interior insulation for basements (or crawl spaces, if you are conditioning the crawl space, which...

I hear you--I am definitely a form follows function person, and I've certainly lived in some not-exactly-pretty-but-definitely-functional situations of my own making. For this project though, I'd prefer not to. Mostly because I love how rammed earth looks, but also because I think enough other...

If ready mix suppliers (I guess that means the people with the concrete trucks?) are willing to provide colored concrete, then does that mean just ordering several truckloads of concrete is an option if I pay for them to sit around for a bit? Depending on how long it takes to pour an 8' or 9'...

Googling around I see folks here have experience with having cement walls or foundations poured. I've got a question about that: I'm thinking of building a house on some fairly sloped land, and it seems like one way to make that work would be to have a walk-out basement. Since so much of the...