You have cement but to make genuine concrete you need to mix in gravel or sand or crushed brick. Everyone has an opinion on proportions but, generally speaking, the formula of 1 part cement, 2 parts sand, and 3 parts gravel is a good bet!

Mix the dry ingredients first and then slowly add water. You want “workable” concrete. As you add water the concrete will go from unworkable to workable to sloppy. You obviously want workable, but what is workable???

To test take a cup and fill the cup with your concrete solution. At first, as you add water it will retain its shape when turned over and the cup removed. As you add water the test cup of concrete will settle more and more. You want it to settle to about half of the original height. If you add to much water the concrete gets too sloppy spreads out more and the only way to fix that is to add more cement and sand to your concrete.

Remember that water is the key ingredient. Too much water makes a weak concrete. Too little water results in a concrete that is not workable. It is somewhat of an art when doing all of this the first time. Do not just jump in and do each step on an industrial scale the first time. Start off small and once you have all the steps done successfully on a small scale you will then be able to more confidently move to a larger scale, so that you can actually make a house foundation or whatever it is you are planing on making with your concrete.

Some other tips include paying attention to CO2 in the atmosphere. It reacts with the cement in your concrete and it reverts back to limestone! Also, river sand is different, a bit smoother, than sand from dirt. The sand from dirt yields better concrete than river sand.

Also, concrete that includes embedded metal is called “reinforced concrete.” Who knew?

More info on this potential home-building material go to Survival Manual. If you do not want to merely have a home made of wood cement and concrete may be the way to go!