Saturday, October 28, 2006

New block may be made in Belen

Jackie Schlotfeldt News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jschlotfeldt@news-bulletin.com

Los Lunas When you think of lava, do you envision rivers of molten fire making its way down the side of a smoking volcano, devastating everything in its path? Or perhaps you think of a brand of hand soap.

Regardless of what comes to mind, what would you say if someone told you that soon you will see homes being built out of it?

Ken Detjen, the inventor of Lava Living, is doing just that. Seeking alternatives to construction with his prototype lava blocks, he's found that homes can be built cheaper, they are more cost effective when it comes to energy consumption and use, and the material is strong enough to withstand even the strongest forces of nature.

"This is really history," Detjen said. "We're running out of trees in the United States, and in 100 years, the population will double, and for each 100,000 people, it takes 30,000 houses."

Detjen used a prototype machine he designed to make lava blocks that are 24 inches long, 12 inches wide and three inches thick. Each block is made out of 99.9 percent lava, he said.

With each block weighing 25 pounds, Janet Anderson, Detjen's daughter and treasurer of Lava Systems, the parent company of Lava Living, said they are very light and the thousands of little holes in the lava blocks provide insulation.

The blocks are eight times stronger than wood structures and are able to withstand natural disasters such as flooding, wind and hurricanes, Detjen said. No insulation, drywall or sheetrock is needed and the savings on utility bills can be as much as 50 percent.

Right now, Detjen is able to make about 500 bricks a day with the first equipment he designed. With new machinery, he will be able to fabricate 1,000 bricks a day.

With his recent purchase of a batch plant and silos, Detjen said he'll be able to mix all the material into one formula that will allow all the blocks to be the same.

Since 1996, Detjen has been working at perfecting his product and recently partnered with Lava Systems of Las Vegas, Nev.

Lava Systems will be the company that will construct the homes, while Detjen and Anderson's Lava Living will manufacture the lava blocks for them. Anderson said they are looking at acquiring some property in Belen and, once they do, they plan to be in full production within 90 days.

"He's (Detjen) very passionate about it," Anderson said.

Detjen said that, in 2002, the University of New Mexico conducted tests on the lava blocks and found no heat penetration whatsoever through the blocks.

"I can heat the inside of the block to 150 degrees and, in five or six hours, you will not notice any difference on the outside of the block," Detjen said. "The workability of this is just great."

Detjen said he also contacted an educational institution about a year ago and received some interest from them. At that time, they discussed having NASA conduct an infrared reading on the walls, once Rey Baca's house is completed, to determine the R-factor, or insulation factor.

"I will go back to them when we finish Baca's house because I won't be satisfied until I get that infrared reading," Detjen said.

What's different in the construction of a lava block home is, instead of mortaring the lava blocks together by hand, he fills them with slurry, which is comprised of smaller lava blocks, cement and other things made into a liquid. Detjen is currently working on designing a machine made specifically to pour the slurry.

The parent company, Lava Systems, which is helping fund Lava Living, is planning on going to New Orleans and setting up a plant there where they will be able to build approximately 60 houses a month.

"These houses can be completely submerged in water and while you may lose the (belongings) inside of your house, you will still have your house," Detjen said. "The walls will also sustain a 300 mile per hour wind.

What's interesting about the lava house structure is you don't need chicken wire or wire mesh to stucco the outside of the walls, and plaster can be used on the inside walls, Anderson said.

"It adheres real good," Detjen said "And if you don't like stucco, you can put aluminum siding on it."

Baca, of Los Lunas, is currently building a 2,500-square-foot home out of the lava blocks. Although he still has a way to go before he completes it, he is sold on the lava blocks and the ease at which the walls have gone up.

"One man can lay 250 blocks a day," Detjen said. "This (Baca's) house will use about 3,200 blocks. Five people could put up the blocks in one week."

Detjen said the first manufacturing plant will start here in New Mexico, and they plan on getting into every state in the United States.

"We're on the way, and our goal is, in 10 years, to be in every state in the U.S.," he said. "We have lava up and down the Rocky Mountains down to the Panama Canal, and the Hawaiian Islands are made of lava. These houses will be around for many years.

"There is hardly any maintenance on this house, and I guarantee it will last three lifetimes," Detjen said. "I tried to burn it down and I couldn't do it. When they find out how good this material is, they won't want to build it out of wood."

Detjen referred to the new lava block style homes as the next generation to adobe homes, and said the amount of money saved in construction, energy costs and the stability of the structure is tremendous.

"It's for the benefit for the people in the U.S.," he added. "And I hope I live long enough to see the benefits."

For more information on Lava Living and its product, call Ken Detjen at 505-571-9703.

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