Dragon Scales Roof 001 - Tile Design Idea 

Love the endings, they are so

As an experiment a few years ago, I took 55gal plastic drums and cut them up into quarters vertically. I then heated the plastic and folded them slightly to make a plastic "Spanish tile" that interlocked. They were tough enough for my job, but I doubt 1000 years tough.

Hi Jamie, How about using a roll of thin metal to make the tiles. Stainless or copper is readily available (from 0.1mm thick), and relatively easily formed. You would be able to make a tile mold from hard wood and use a large hammer to stamp them to give them rigidity. The top of the tile could have perforations in it so they can be cemented to the roof.

Nice drawing to scale.

Concrete tiles have been used here where I live for generations now. They don't last forever at all. Concrete tile roofs usually are totally worn out after 50 years and they are surface treated with very tough paint from the factory. You can get acrylic roof paint to prolong the life of a concrete roof, and that is properly what you want for your DIY roof tiles.

Another great video 👍. Love your endings 😂. A commercial usually starts so I wait till they are done to see if you were cut off. You're awesome man 🙂

Build a ladder, tailor-made for the domed roof to make patch-repairs easy as possible for the next 1000 years... Think of maintenance/repair as looking after the building, like scraping the barnacles off the hull of a boat.

A sun beaten dome wrapped in 6ml plastic vapour barrier seems like a good recipe for mold growth. I suspect your current concrete skin allows for vapour transmission. Perhaps a breathable house wrap like tyvek /typar, etc. in the sandwich, would be less problematic.

Cool looking forward to seeing them develop!

So I have some advice, for context I am a tiler and ceramicist, I have to deal with the same expansion/contraction forces you're talking about. When I install tile it's with the same mindset as you, I want it to last for hundreds of years or longer. What you have designed is called a decoupling membrane, where it can move independently of the sub floor, in your case the roof. There is only one product that I would suggest here, and it's called "red guard", basically you can paint it on, buuuuuuut, it's designed to do exactly what you want. As long as you apply it in a thick enough layer; you'll need to paint it on four of five times, building up your layer and it will become one 'monolithic' membrane. You'll still want to follow the rest of your plan, just replace the plastic with "red guard." That being said it will be particularly expensive with the amount of square footage. But it will survive the heat/cold and handle the expansion and contraction indefinitely if applied correctly.

Super cool problem to solve, and even cooler solution to try. I mean, dragon scales!? Duhhh

You might be on to something, Jamie. Forty years ago, I faced the same problem with my 32' dome, so I used scrap (used once) aluminum print sheets, glued with roof sealant applied with a notched trowel and monel staples to hold them all in place, as if they were shingles. It was supposed to last twenty years, but has lasted twice that time so far. Your solution seems as though it might last longer, with a lot more work, but time will tell. Good luck, and thanks for the entertainment.

dude consider the MASSIVE weight your putting one your roof !!! would it not be a risk to have it all collapse ? why not try just metal roofing get flat sheets and cut out tiles that stuff last a long long time it's much easier to put up and relatively cheap maybe you can even find used sheets

Just my thoughts ! I think delamination will be the problem here over a very short time .

Great idea… love the dragon scale look. I know that you aren’t asking for suggestions but the larger the “shingle” the more you have to deal with the roof curves. Have you thought about your attachments? Better yet, you could build another glass dome around your current dome… like a giant glass bubble. And then another airtight glass bubble around that that you could fill will sea life like sharks, porpoise and sea turtles. Gosh, that would be amazing. 😃 All that BS aside. I really do like your idea. Thanks for sharing.

It would be cool if you could add some natural color to whatever you add. That, along with the scales, would help camouflage the place.

Do it the way you want, but remember that it's the underlayment, or coating that waterproofs the roof. The shingles protect from the UV. It is concrete, so you can't nail into it, so if faced with that task, I'd use polyurethane caulking (Loctite makes it for sealing concrete) to paste individually cast concrete shingles -- engineered with the curvature of the roof -- no netting, but plenty of reinforcing fiber, and dipped in a mold preventative (I have a homemade recipe if you are interested.) Great idea for fish scale effect -- like on Russian onion domes. St. Basil's is over 500 years old, but I think it's had a make-over or two. Polyurethane caulking cures into a flexible rubber that would give you flexibility between every shingle. It's kinda pricy, though. Just a thought...

And what about covering the whole dome in same way with solar panels? Maybe it would solve the problem of the leaking and obtain energy. Excelent job the hause.

Popcan shingles, they float to your house from the North.

compacted lime plaster might be an option.. since it is self healing from micro fractures. if you turned hydrolyzed lime into hydraulic lime it would even last longer. (done by making lime plaster and leaving it in it's puddy state in a bucket for months. it will be hard as first but you can work it into a puddy again without adding any new water. then apply it. it's breathable too so there is less chances of water getting trapped places and mold growing in those places.. bonus mold doesn't grow on lime. which is the main reason when i remodel my house there will be lime everywhere. patching holes, being used as a lime wash paint, and tadelakt (compacted lime/soap scum) for the kitchen and bathroom because it is the most waterproof in that form. I'm very excited about it, but it will have it's draw back of being very alkaline and needing to fully cover myself when i use it. and technically you could make it yourself, but i am not sure if you would want it... it's a bunch of sea shell collecting and then burning and the lime slaking process if kinda scary. but if you did a big enough batch of slaking and figured out how to get it chunky style, that you could make roman concrete. the difference between modern concrete and roman is that roman's had chunky pieces of lime mixed in, and the lime heals the cracks in the cement. this is why i was suggesting lime for being on a concrete surface. it would probably make the structure last longer and be less likely to mold in all of that humidity.

For the roof they have something called rhino armor it’s basically sort of like what they spray into the beds of vehicles and I think I’ve seen video where people have spread that stuff on both sides of block walls it’s basically like ballistic armor. The video that I saw showed someone put in explosive next to it it turned everything in between the block into powder but the Wall held it shape.

Novel, should work. Good plan to experiment. I thought about waterproofing minerals we put on or in concrete that crystalize into the cracks. Assuming there is to much movement to assume they will work. Hydrophilic calcium compounds, many brands. Possibly these would assist in the durability of the thin scale shell.

Well I like that idea you're talking about and I don't know if it would help any but when you do the cement with a fine sand maybe you can add some waterproof stuff in with that to help it stay waterproof and do it on both layers of cement just a thought but I like that dragon skill idea that would ensure to be waterproof for sure long as no typhoons or hurricanes blow any of the tiles off but some waterproof mixed with a cement should probably last a long time but it's your project we're just waiting for the updates everything you've done so far has been working great but it all has to do with trial and error.

Landscape weed barrier has like a furry side... I think concrete would stick to that forever... Like gum in your hair... Hahaha

I would want to have areas, within the roof material, where , if a spot fails, it does not all fail behind it , maybe spot every foot down in a circle from the top of the roof , that way , if a repair is needed , it should be contained areas. Just a thought

UV stabilised plastic is a necessity Jaime🤔😎

Overlapping dragon scales is the way to go. What I would do is make them out of fiberglass: make a big sheet, apply a coat of your choice weatherproof product, then cut the individual shingles. With 2 layers of scales you should be set for a long time. You can mount the scales on a long strip of the same material while on the ground, then lift and mount that whole assembly on the roof for easier installation.

Lanco products from Puerto Rico specially created for concrete roof in Caribbean weather.

That is an extremely easy answer: Lead Lead roofs last around 300 years before they need maintenance and then they are not even close to their end of life. Lead is also very easy to work with woodworking tools and you can make the sheets DIY from any lead source, be it ballast lead, wheel weights, or even old car batteries.

check out the Green Dream Project's roof, scales made from recycled large food cans. their dome is smaller but it looks great. thx for the videos/ideas.

could you use somekind of fleece used in gardens (edit: apparently its called weed control fabric). it can be sewed around the dome, those come in 4mm thickness i think, it could shrink and expland also protect the membrane... i dont know how durable it is tho edit 2: i forgot to say the important part, using it as net substitute because its basically a very fine mesh

Excellent Idea!! The weak area might be where the netting and plastic meet and are cemented to the roof. But it does accomplish many of the goals that you had for the new roof!!

Hi, a bit complicated, if you want to make a tiles better make them removable, (from clay or cement up to you) but if you want just to add another layer just apply some paint or mastic on your choice and protect them from sun by another layer of concrete no need to play with net and plastic.(some of mastic remain always flexible and can compensate expansion)

What about covering the dome in tyvek and then putting a thin layer of mortar (nylon reinforced) over the top of that ?

I imagine you having problems with the cement not adhering to the plastic properly creating movement and cracking and your roof looking like a snake shedding its skin in a few years, I think you can find a simpler solution, a material that can be cut into a tile that isn't effected by the sun and you can cement directly onto the dome rather than multiple layers and a lot more work. Isn't there a cement mix more resistant to water you can just apply another layer to the roof with?

I would have settled for truck bed liner.

Latexcrete, uses Latex paint as the liquid and mix it with portland. It lasts for many years. Search for it on you tube. I'm gonna use it on my dome.as a shell coat on my aircrete dome

You have clay. Make traditional recipe clay tiles. Perhaps chicken wire to strengthen. Clay or concrete would be heavy but that stops the wind from blowing them away, even clay tiles sometimes need re-positioning after heavy winds, i would look for scrap aluminum sheets like from an aircraft wreckage or something

Forgive me, my other comment was before I understood you were making individual shingles so to speak. I had a thought, what if you cast a mechanical fastener in the peak of each shingle? If they were mounted in this way, it would allow for expansion and if there was some damage you could theoretically replace only a small portion. But mostly so you could build them on the ground and easily hang them

What if you put a fiberglass yarmulke on it and clear coated or reflective white covered that every so often? Too often?

What about recycled plastic? When you add charcoal powder to plastic and mold it, it lasts a very long time. if you add in some zinc oxide to the plastic it will be UV resistant AND mold resistant. I make all sorts of things in my shop with this plastic.

how long wil the old school way of covering the whole thing with lime last? or how about glassing sand on top.

Why not a heavy duty tarp? They’re pretty cheep and super easy to replace/patch. It may not look as cool as tiles but you wouldn’t have to worry about weight or a large workload

And here I was thinking you hurt your hands with concrete or something. Either way, the colour suits you!

do you get condensation in there? How well is the floor sealed off from the ground? Is there a vapor barrier?

Lime base paint

I wonder how a rubberised solution mixed with concrete and a concrete cover over the top of that would work !?

No doubt you have a good reason considering it's what you did on the first house, but why not many thin layers of aggregate-free concrete? Most of the other options you have explored, the danger is delamination. So I think if you painted many watery coats of cement, because it will adhere both chemically and mechanically, you could build up layers, no? It seems like the net might abrade the plastic, but more importantly has the potential to break apart from impact because it is separated from the concrete structure. Perhaps an additive could make this cement more water tight? Like Ferro cement is something like 5300 PSI as opposed to 3200 PSI with normal concrete. This is usually good enough for lining ponds and such. It's biggest weakness is cracking, but a sphere is the ideal in this respect. If I'm not mistaken, this would also make the structure a little stronger with each application. There might be some advantages to adding a coat once a year even if you stick with the plastic. Like maybe there's not a technique that will last a thousand years, but rather there is a behavior that makes it last a thousand years. Sort of like when you live on a boat, as soon as you're finished painting it's time to start back at the beginning, essentially an endless task. I could see that being off-putting, knowing it is technically getting a little stronger every year would help motivate me

I feel like it may split AT the plastic?maybe,that's the thing about doing something new!I wanna see how you make the "dragon scales"lol

could you use Latex as your binder with the concrete?

Love the new gimmick of ending prematurely. Hope Dashaina does as well.

waterproof mortar Cementmix is a fluid that replaces water when mixing the mortar or concrete. The vapor permeability remains maintained, which is important for good climate and humidity management in buildings. With Cementmix, water can never penetrate into the reinforced concrete, which prevents concrete decay. With Cementmix you have permanent and complete protection against water penetration. Cementmix is people- and environmentally friendly and also helps to prevent the penetration of oils, fats and acids into the masonry and concrete.

maybe not such a permanent solution, depending on things, i had some success mixing white wood glue (Ponal, something like Elmers) with water-based concrete floor paint with some fine grit SAND ... got some very long lasting application outdoors (>10years tropics) ... fyi for other applications like oven, wood ash, clay, molasses, lime,cement are players ...

just paint it with some thing really good every 8 to 10 years, can you paint it in one day ?

flexi solar panels to cover roof dont no if it keeps the rain off

👍 ☔

Wrap the whole thing in aluminium foil and put cement over it?

Why not seal up from the inside - no uvs - work in the shade - help brighten up the space?

I was sure you were going to say stainless .. ... regular tiles from roman times are still arround

I think the goal would be to make molds maybe 10 or so of them. Then some sort of shaker table. Shaker table because this would help level out the concrete int he mold for the first layer using a more wet mix to kinda pour. Finding the right amount is key and keeping it about the same all the time. You pre cut everything if you are making tiles, which I guess you are doing. wet mix in the mold drop in plastic and then mesh and then pour in the next batch. leaving about an inch or more around the edge as with tiles your edges will not be in the way of the shingles. Yet I have a feeling this is not how you will do it. I think you are going to do big batches at once on the roof.

seems overcomplicated. I'd probably go with the first render coat and then a lime wash....no it won't las 1000 years but I have doubts an inner plastic film concrete scale will last that long either. Other than bespoke aluminum shingles crafted out of soda cans.

you already did this with fibreglass mesh and cement

dude your fingernails look BEAT!!!!

Don't you have access to lots of clay on ur Islands? Why not make your own roof tiles of that? Personally I don't like the plastic crap.

Flex Seal tape

solar roof tiles

Can those styro-cement roof 'tiles' support the added weight of your dragon scales? I understand a dome structure is strong but still...

Have you discovered the fountain of youth?

all you should have done is put some rubberized waterproofing membrane...

tar the roof

Roof tiles seems like a much better solution. There are tons of videos about installing them, and their production should be pretty obvious if you just look at one. The only innovation you'll need is figuring out how to deal with how to pattern them given the dome shape of the roof.

1000years? Tesla solar roof?

Ok, I had a long comment that explained all this, but I misclicked and it disappeared. If anyone cares let me know and I'll rewrite it. Just spackle the roof and/or cement wash it. Finish with a limewash coat made from freshly slaked quicklime. Limewash has been working for Bermuda roofs for 400 years, it will work for you too if you don't mind limewashing every few years. Nothing is forever, rain will erode cement and lime given enough time. Just have a look out for airconditioner condensate dripping on concrete and you will see what distilled water (rainwater) does to stone.

latex modified concrete its what the us government specifies for bridge decks

It looks a bit like a pineapple :)

There is simply, no such thing as maintenance free , under tropical sunshine........

why not just make regular ass fired roof tiles from clay

I was really grossed out by the blood on your fingernails but now I guess it's just fingernail polish that your kids applied?

0.6 . 6mm is quarter inch ish

Dude, the buildings you built are only going to last 40 to a max of 100 years. I know you talked about how the Romans built structures without rebar that's lasted for thousands of years and so on.. but that's only partly true. Because the Romans and the Egyptians used Geopolymer Cement and concrete, not the portland-ish concrete and cement you're using in your buildings. The difference is in the materials, not the engineering. Just wanted to make that clear.

It's only toxic modern chemical coatings that don't last. Whitewash, used chip oil mixed with clay and slaked lime. Super hydrophobic soaps of saturated fat and zinc, aluminium, copper, iron for an oil soluble seal coat. Magnesium or calcium saturated fat soaps for alcohol soluble superhydrophobic soaps for waterproofing fabrics and timber or other porous surfaces. Just dissolve some sunlight soap in a big of water at about 80C, add a solution of the metal sulphate or chloride you choose. The waxy precipitate is your stuff. Turpentine, white spirits kero or alcohol as thinners or melt and apply hot. Same for recoating. No sanding necessary. You mix a few different ones together to reduce crystallinity and brittleness, whatever fillers appropriate for the job, to get the hardness or plasticity you want. Tree resins are a good addition, some use beeswax as a plasticiser, but the used cooking oil is like boiled linseed oil and has a crosslinking function. You get a hot melt system better performing than epoxy. Certainly better than polyester. Longitivity and versatility, at a fraction of the price. Able to move with wood and concrete as moisture contents and temperatures change. You can crosslink vegetable oil by vulcanising it with yellow sulphur , for rubbery more flexible results.

Sorry, I don't see that as a good idea. Don't see that lasting a decade. Can only see trouble ahead with that idea. Too complicated and finicky with an untested idea. You're making life unnecessarily hard for yourself.

Clean up your home….

salt ! in the cement, dad used to make dams with salt in the cement , never leaked.

If you want to do it really cheap and if you have access to clay. Make your own roof tile. Go to Primitive technology's youtube channel for inspiration🙂

jamie i used this on underground building ,its also used on swimming pools . look it up its amazing it goes between the cement coat .you paint it on 5 mm thick then cement coat on top why its tacky . not had a leak in 25 years , and over the years ive used it many times JUST TAKE A LOOK and if you need any help getting it message me back . love what you do you got through some tuff times just take a look its called allcure damproofing .exeter ,devon ,england cheers karl