Since starting our retaining wall project, we have been faced with lumps in the mix which would clog the hand held shotcrete sprayer.  That is because we had been using a cement mixer which isn’t designed to create a super smooth mix.  Mortar mixers are designed for just that. Since we will also need to be mixing lots of stucco and plaster, we decided to invest in a mortar mixer. As you can see in the picture, it’s not very pretty but it is electric instead of the more common gas powered units.  It has taken a long time to find one that is electric but we didn’t want to deal with the noise and upkeep of a gas engine.

It is great having this machine as it made the perfect mix for shotcrete.  It is also a lot easier to load with cement because you just break the bags on the grate over the barrel. (see the first picture)  We completed the East retaining wall and got most of the outer side of the root cellar coated.  We also finished installing the waterline that will be buried under the NE berm.

Tomorrow the contractor comes for “Stage One” of our shell waterproofing.