Author Topic: A Straw Bale House?  (Read 24391 times)

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DigitalMind

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A Straw Bale House?
« on: November 28, 2007, 03:57:25 PM »
I'm pretty much just copying and pasting from a recent Blog entry of mine.  It seems to fit in here very nicely and could always use people's opinions.  I'm new to this and just learning, but would REALLY love to build my own home, and this seems like the only way I could actually pull it of myself.


In my quest to get myself land and a home for the least amount of money possible, I have discovered Straw Bale Houses. Essentially, they are houses made of straw that are better than traditional houses in many ways. They are better insulated, better fire rating (Yeah that one surprised me too, but it's really condensed straw, have you ever tried to burn a phonebook?), and better sound proofing. Obviously though, the walls are about 3 -4 times thicker than regular walls, so you lose some space. In my case I plan on having plenty of space to build on so it won't matter.There are 2 main ways to put up a straw bale house :



1 - the Post and Beam set-up. This involves putting up a wooden post and beam structure for the 4 corners that will hold up the roof. So basically you make the Frame for a house like you would any other house, and then fill it in with Straw Bales. (More on this later) This method is best because it's a lot easier to get the building permits and insurance after.


Image from Solarhaven.org


2 -Load Bearing straw bale design, essentially it's when you literally put the roof directly on top of the straw bale walls. This involves needing to compress the straw bale walls before putting the roof in order to compensate for the settling of the walls later.


The straw bales are obviously not left exposed. They are covered with a mix of Plaster like materiels (Lime or cement, plaster, etc etc) with multiple coats until they make a solid wall. These walls look perfectly normal. The finished houses look gorgeous. They can be big or small. Since the outside walls start out of straw, they can be cut and shaped very easily to make for very interesting house shapes and corners.


The costs involved in building a straw bale house vary a lot. It's not "cheap" to build, the materiels still cost a lot of money. You need concrete for the foundation, you need LOTS of straw Bales, you need WOOD for the frame of the house, you need the roof structure itself (Lots of choices for kinds of roof though), you need plumbing installed (Which is beyond what I know how to do anyways) and most of all, you need MANY MANY MANY hours of labour. That last part is where you can save the most money if you do a lot of it yourself, except if it means you're not at work because you're building the house, it's still costing you the money you're losing by not working. I'm a self-employed technician, so I can pick the quietest months of the year for me to build my home so I won't be "losing" too much money while building. (Plus I'll get income from the work that gets done by subcontractors for my customers while I'm gone)


A straw bale house is a definite possibility for me and I will keep looking into it. There are still lots of parts of the construction process that I'm unsure of. Although I do love the earth-friendly part of this kind of home (saving lots of tree's kinda thing) I will only be building this kind of structure of it does mean significant savings for me in the end. A traditional structure I'm sure would sell for more if I ever needed to sell, and I won't need to explain or convince the bankers / insurance / permit people that a straw bale house is safe and legal.


Here are some links to some sites I've used to study about this :


http://www.solarhaven.org


http://www.balewatch.com


Just GOOGLE "Straw Bale Houses" and read away !


Thanks for reading, checkout http://www.techienation.com for more interesting subjects.

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 03:57:25 PM by (unknown) »

WindHarvester

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2007, 09:10:54 AM »
We are also planning to build a straw bale home, just purchased 5.5 acres and we are planning to begin in the spring.


What part of the world do you reside in? Many places have workshops that you can get involved in, theirs one right up the road from me here on the Muskingum river in Ohio.


I have done hundreds of hours of research and have many good links if you would like me to email them to you, or I could post them here.


Lonnie

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 09:10:54 AM by WindHarvester »

DigitalMind

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2007, 09:17:51 AM »
I am planning on buying a few acres in New Brunswick, Canada.  I am currently in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  I have done alot of reading on the subject, and our neighbor province Ontario has TONS of workshops and groups, but I have found nothing in Montreal OR New Brunswick.  If I were in Ohio i'd love to come help with your "bale raising". :)


I always appreciate links to sites about this !!  Feel free to email them to me at              digitalmind  @  techienation  .  com  (remove the spaces)


When you start construction, let me know how it goes !! :)  

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 09:17:51 AM by DigitalMind »

GaryGary

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2007, 09:30:37 AM »
Hi,

I'd suggest you have a look at this book:


Building One House:  A Handbook for Strawbale Construction, N. Corum


This book is put out by the Red Feather group -- they do strawbale home building projects on Indian reservations.


The book is very detailed and gives a very clear picture of whats involved in building a bale house.  There are some sample pictures from it and TOC as well as some other good resources on building strawbale homes here:

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SolarHomes/constructionps.htm#Straw%20Bale


You could also volunteer for one of the Red Feather strawbale projects -- they fill up fast, but this would give you some hands on experience.


Gary

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 09:30:37 AM by GaryGary »

Willd37

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #4 on: November 28, 2007, 09:33:44 AM »
  You guys also might be interested in checking out loghomebuilders.org for a way to build a beautiful, efficient and cost friendly house. I've been to the school and they explain everything at the school. Still not sure you can do it? Well post a question or a concern on the members forum and you will have it answered probably within minutes and I gurantee within 24 hours by someone who has probably already dealt with it. It's a tight-knit group who all want to see each other succeed and try to help each other out. There is a link on the site "student homes" and you can see plenty of pictures of what people who have never built anything before have accomplished. Two women built a house without using heavy equipment. It will probably be the best investment I ever make in my life. By the way, we love otherpower over there, it's listed on our "million dollar rolladex" of resources. Keep up the good work guys!


   Will

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 09:33:44 AM by Willd37 »

WindHarvester

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #5 on: November 28, 2007, 10:14:34 AM »
Willd37 and GaryGary,


Thanks for the info!


DigitalMind,


I will be pretty busy this afternoon so this evening I will compile an email with all the info I've gathered, or should I post it here so others can use the resources?


If you like I could post a picture of the property and existing structure I will have to work with along with a few of our ideas.


Looking forward to sharing ideas!


Lonnie

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 10:14:34 AM by WindHarvester »

DigitalMind

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #6 on: November 28, 2007, 10:16:33 AM »
Sounds pretty interesting Will,  Log homes is actually what led me to straw bale homes.  I had come to the conclusion that a Log home would be too complicated, although you've convinced me to give it a second chance and do some more research.  (Starting with loghomebuilders.org)  


Thanks!

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 10:16:33 AM by DigitalMind »

finnsawyer

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #7 on: November 28, 2007, 10:24:04 AM »
I suppose one takes a different view on using wood when one sees the amount of wood that just rots in the forest anyway.  Besides, the wood used in a house could be there for over a hundred years.  A pine was just blown down in my dad's yard.  The trunk will be converted into lumber in due course.  I have a small stand of white pines that I have pruned over the years and hope someday to incorporate them into a log house.  My current thinking is to make the walls 10 inches thick and to use "D" logs, which I can make with my saw mill.  I will have to buy more logs, though.  Well, I would have hemlock available, but am not sure about using it for logs.  For those that can do it I think a log house would certainly be something to consider.


I've done my own wiring, plumbing, and mechanical (heat ducts).  In my opinion plumbing is the easiest.  Mechanical is the most interesting, because you can make your own ductwork when needed, so you can be creative.  For instance, I needed a cap for a 10 by 22 inch cold air plenum.  Rather than spending big bucks for a special order I bought a 10 by 24 inch by 2.5 inch half duct and made the cap from that.  Wiring is a pain.  But you can do all of this stuff yourself.  Well, enjoy the adventure.    

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 10:24:04 AM by finnsawyer »

DigitalMind

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #8 on: November 28, 2007, 10:25:26 AM »
Hi Lonnie,

  I'd think that for the interest of sharing, post it here so anyone wanting to know more about this can check it out.  Although I wouldn't put 500 links since it may annoy the admin's. ;)

   I'd also LOVE to see pictures of the land you plan on building on and hearing about what you plan on doing.


 

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 10:25:26 AM by DigitalMind »

DigitalMind

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #9 on: November 28, 2007, 10:31:01 AM »
Finsawyer,

   It would be great if the property I buy has enough usable lumber to make a house out of.  Where i've been looking, it seems like I may have that possibility too ! (Although I still have issues about cutting down lots of tree's, but maybe the land will not be cleared at all and i'll have no choice anyways)


   It's odd, for me, the plumbing seems to be the most complicated part.  

I'm a "cable guy", wiring is the one thing I won't have problems with. :)  

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 10:31:01 AM by DigitalMind »

scottsAI

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #10 on: November 28, 2007, 10:34:18 AM »
Hello DigitalMind,


If you like Straw bale have you looked at Papercrete?

Here is the best link many others:

http://www.livinginpaper.org/


I plan to use Papercrete for my next house. As the structural material.

I can get the paper free, by using magazines. Newspaper cost $.


Nice thing about it, you can make the bricks over time. Be ready for your down time and lay the bricks. Not hard many good instructions out there.


You should consider learning plumbing and electrical. Many think its difficult, it is only because you have never studied it. How much of your time is $2,000 - 4,000 worth? I think a reasonably intelligent person can learn enough with 20hr study to handle 90% of the homes plumbing. Subcontract out what you need help with. Same with electrical. I do not know the code for Canada, many cities let you do your own work, with a permit.


Have fun,

Scott.

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 10:34:18 AM by scottsAI »

DigitalMind

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #11 on: November 28, 2007, 10:40:47 AM »
NO WAY !!

  Wow that's a new one I haven't heard of yet !! Paper Houses .. wow ...  Thanks I will look into that.  I have no trouble with the electrical aspect, I am a cable guy / Phone Technician and I can figure out the electrical no problem.  I am considering learning to do the plumbing, I know I can figure it out if I take the time to learn it, it's just that that's just one of those things i'm not really interested in.  Although i'm pretty sure after I see a quote from a Plumber that I'll change my mind. :)  
« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 10:40:47 AM by DigitalMind »

finnsawyer

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #12 on: November 28, 2007, 11:00:06 AM »
Well, I'm a EE and I don't like wiring.  I mentioned hemlock.  I have 55 inch circumference around trees at breast height.  They say you can't use hemlock any more for joist or load bearing walls.  I've got a lot of hemlock in my current house.  So, what am I supposed to do with the stuff growing now?  Let it rot?  These days it's just going to waste.  You say you don't want to cut a lot of trees.  Well, they do regenerate.  Those pines I mentioned were very small when I was young.  Also, you can always plant trees.  Good luck!      
« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 11:00:06 AM by finnsawyer »

A6D9

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #13 on: November 28, 2007, 01:00:29 PM »
I would love it if you can send me those links too please


a6d9_darren@yahoo.ca


I'm also considerign this for future.


Thank you in  advance


   

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 01:00:29 PM by A6D9 »

scottsAI

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #14 on: November 28, 2007, 01:21:30 PM »
Hello DigitalMind,


Nice to see your enthusiasm!


Here is some help with the plumbing:

Start here.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/DIY/2006-06-01/Easier-Plumbing-with-PEX.aspx

General help with plumbing:

http://www.toolbase.org/ToolbaseResources/level3.aspx?BucketID=4&CategoryID=9

PEX the way to go for DIY new whole house plumbing:

http://www.toolbase.org/Design-Construction-Guides/Plumbing/pex-design-guide


How about the Roof?

http://www.umass.edu/bmatwt/publications/articles/i_joist.html

Great reading material:

http://www.umass.edu/bmatwt/publications/by_title.html


I have been working on this for a year:

http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/v40_2_07/article03.shtml

Actually don't like the link much but it states my goals.


Not found much interest here in the other aspects of homes.

Send me an email if you like.


Have fun,

Scott.

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 01:21:30 PM by scottsAI »

wooferhound

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #15 on: November 28, 2007, 01:34:40 PM »
Why don't you post the links here so all of us can benefit . . .
« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 01:34:40 PM by wooferhound »

kenputer

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #16 on: November 28, 2007, 04:34:52 PM »
Although i'm pretty sure after I see a quote from a Plumber that I'll change my mind. :)  


Not much to plumbing ( 36 yrs. in the trade) just make sure you drains are sized for load that it has to carry to prevent future problems,proper venting for the drains and not let sewer gases into your home,all drains are tied in with the proper fittings.  All that can be found in the code book,interperding it right might be the hard apart for a newby.

  The thing that a good plumber can do is be able to get all this together and out of site without having to built extra walls,drop ceilings and pipe chases to hide his hard work.

 as to electrician's, they would have stayed in school a few more years they could have been plumbers to :-)


Ken

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 04:34:52 PM by kenputer »

scorman

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Food for thought
« Reply #17 on: November 28, 2007, 05:25:25 PM »
been to this off grid house in Ontario this past summer ..very impressive

A lot more than just a straw wall construction ( which BTW is ONLY on the colder North face ...you want lots of glass facing south!)

http://www.greenpowertalk.org/showpost.php?p=3992&postcount=5


this house was planned right down to the special grass in the back yard ..solar radiant heating, soolar domestic hot water, solar PV, wind power, sod roof, concrete floors, Russian fireplace, cistern well for runnoff from roof


If you want any embellishments, I can provide details


Stew Corman from sunny Endicott

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 05:25:25 PM by scorman »

Volvo farmer

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #18 on: November 28, 2007, 06:36:45 PM »
We built our own house a couple years ago, actually moved in last summer.


I also did a lot of research, looked at straw bale, earthships, adobe, SIPS, and a few other things. We ended up building with conventional (2x6) techniques, and have been pretty happy with it.


You seem to have covered the three main drawbacks to straw bale, and they are labor, labor and labor. I know a lady who built a beautiful straw bale home in the neighborhood where I work. She did very little of the work, maybe some plastering of the outside with a group of friends. Her cost per square foot was about triple of mine. I do not think conventional construction would hold it's value more than straw bale, straw bales are truly beautiful homes. I wish I would have had the time and money to build one. The technology is advanced enough that I believe it's not that hard to get a loan on either. Around here, it all has to be post and beam. Straw cannot be a supporting wall.


Money was one of our main concerns and If I had done most of the labor, my guess was a year straight off work for straw bale. I could not afford to be without an income for a year. With the exception of concrete, plumbing and electric, A crew of three built my house: A smart carpenter guy, me and another grunt. I took 3-4 days a week off, for six months or so and it got done. A three man crew can get a stick built house dried-in in a matter of weeks, it's months for straw.


Your numbers might run out different than mine, but straw bale did NOT equal significant savings to me. They are truly beautiful, efficient homes, but not cheap IMO.

« Last Edit: November 28, 2007, 06:36:45 PM by Volvo farmer »
Less bark, more wag.

Willd37

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #19 on: November 29, 2007, 03:39:35 AM »
  We were taught that you should never cut into a tree unless absolutely necessary because you are breaching the natural defense against rot that the tree's growth rings provide. You may not believe me but this is true also. You can build out of GREEN logs and the house will NOT settle There are no screw jacks, no slip joints, none of that crazy stuff you have to do to deal with settling issues. I'm told there are houses in Scandinavian countries that are over 800 years old. I haven't heard about the no use policy on Hemlock but there is a company called TPI that will come to your logs and grade them if code requires it in your area. You usually only need around 60 to 100 logs to build a log house the way we were taught. Another good thing about them is that there are no load bearing interior walls so you can set up your floorplan however you want. I have bought plans from the Association because they come stamped by an engineer approved in Washington State and I think California. So if it is good enough to pass code there you shouldn't have much trouble with passing code in most areas. I have unlimited lifetime rights to build as many homes as I want and to modify them however I want. Also, the floor plans have a 2 bathroom and kitchen setup where you only have one wet wall. Most of your wiring you can hide behind the chinking. It's just amazing how well thought out the system is. Go to loghomebuilders.org and you'll find alot more info. I could write for days and not give you half of the info that you can find there.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2007, 03:39:35 AM by Willd37 »

DigitalMind

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #20 on: November 29, 2007, 08:26:50 AM »
"as to electrician's, they would have stayed in school a few more years they could have been plumbers to :-)"


Hehehehhe ... that's so mean ..   Although I gotta hand it to you guys, you really know how to hide your pipes. :)  I admit that what you plumbers pull off sometimes brings us cable guys to shame and makes our job look so easy all of a sudden. :)

« Last Edit: November 29, 2007, 08:26:50 AM by DigitalMind »

DigitalMind

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #21 on: November 29, 2007, 08:28:51 AM »
I always appreciate your feedback Volvo Farmer.  You're probably right that in the end, it'll be alot easier and quicker to put up a regular type home.  Hmmmm .. lots to think about here ...
« Last Edit: November 29, 2007, 08:28:51 AM by DigitalMind »

finnsawyer

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #22 on: November 29, 2007, 09:00:52 AM »
If you put the logs on end they will not shrink vertically, on their sides they will shrink 3%, guaranteed.  I've read that the logs should all be winter cut at the same time and used at 20% moisture content.  Are your designs rated for 70 pounds per square foot live loading and 10 pounds dead load?  That's the requirement here, and yes you can use trusses to avoid interior load bearing walls.  I've built my own trusses of 20 foot or less span for two houses with no problems.  I did buy 36 and 40 foot span trusses for two poles barns that I built.  One set of trusses that I built were scissors trusses, which give a nice effect.  I plan to have a basement and run the wires up through the first one or two courses of logs to each outlet box.  Lighting circuits can go through the interior walls.  I would not use chink construction nor vertical logs.  I don't like the logs all of the same height, so I would vary the heights probably from 7 or 8 inches to 14 inches keeping the same nominal 10 inch thickness.  I've cut "D" logs in the past, so I know what I'm doing.  You level the centers of the two ends and cut flats from two opposite sides.  That can give you good lumber for studs or rafters.  You then turn the log 90 degrees and cut down to the desired thickness (10 inches).  Out of a 16 foot log you might then get up to 12 foot usable lumber.  Of course, it all depends on the size of the log to begin with.


Concerning cutting into trees.  About 13 years ago I had some logging done at the Misery Bay property.  There were some yellow birch trees probably 200 years old still alive.  Someone had cut into one of these giants with a chain saw many years past.  The tree was hollow, so they gave up.  Rather than dying the tree had started growing over the (16 inch?) saw cut.  I doubt that it would live long enough to close up the gap as those trees were clearly near the end of their life, but it didn't seem to suffer from the outrage.    

« Last Edit: November 29, 2007, 09:00:52 AM by finnsawyer »

finnsawyer

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #23 on: November 29, 2007, 09:29:40 AM »
Well, I'd say plumbing is easier on the hands than either electrical or mechanical as long as you don't hit them with the torch flame when soldering copper pipe.  I had the inspector one time a bit upset because I had run a one inch PVC sink drain pipe about a foot and a half under the basement floor instead of using 2 inch pipe.  Oh, well, we can't know everything.
« Last Edit: November 29, 2007, 09:29:40 AM by finnsawyer »

elvin1949

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #24 on: November 29, 2007, 09:46:54 PM »
 Payday is on friday,crap won't run uphill.

That is what my uncle told me.He was a plumber.

later

Elvin
« Last Edit: November 29, 2007, 09:46:54 PM by elvin1949 »

Willd37

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #25 on: November 30, 2007, 11:58:29 AM »
  These are butt and pass style log houses, no vertical logs. I've seen several of them now, worked on a couple and you will NOT have settling issues if you build using the methods they teach. You can use green logs, but I wouldn't  want to because they are much heavier and check more but if you did they still witll NOT settle. Yeah, there's a simple, efficient system/trick to it. As far as cutting into the log I wasn't talking about a living tree with the cutting reference, I was referring to the ones your home will be made out of that can't heal themselves. By cutting the growth rings you are giving water and mildew an avenue to enter the log and destroy it.
« Last Edit: November 30, 2007, 11:58:29 AM by Willd37 »

WindHarvester

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #26 on: December 03, 2007, 12:31:33 PM »
Hello Folks,


Sorry it took me so long to get you this information, I have been very busy over the last week with not much free time.


These are in no particular order although DigitalMind may like the first because it is the Ontario Straw Bale building coalition, but I saved them all for a good reason.


http://www.strawbalebuilding.ca/gallery.shtml


http://oem-surplus.com/hs/index.htm


http://www.earthgarden.com.au/strawbale/faq.html


http://www.ahouseofstraw.com/photos1.htm


http://www.newtonhouse.info/straw.htm


http://www.coloradostrawbale.org/


http://www.solarhaven.org/SolarHavenMainPage.htm


http://www.thefarm.org/charities/i4at/lib2/strwbale.htm


http://livingindryden.org/images/westDryden/strawbaleBonePlain/


I hope you enjoy these resources, when I have more time I will post a diary on our plans, with photos of the property and existing structure.


Note to moderators:

If I posted to many links please delete and let me know, I also hope these are in the right format to work on the site.


Lonnie

« Last Edit: December 03, 2007, 12:31:33 PM by WindHarvester »

DigitalMind

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Re: A Straw Bale House?
« Reply #27 on: December 03, 2007, 01:06:28 PM »
Thanks Lonnie,

   I appreciate the links !! Looking forward to seeing pictures and hearing about your straw bale house construction !
« Last Edit: December 03, 2007, 01:06:28 PM by DigitalMind »

Drawbar

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Cordwood Home?
« Reply #28 on: December 16, 2007, 05:01:58 AM »
Have any of you considered building a cordwood home? I am not trying to talk you out of a strawbale home as they obviously have their pros and cons too, but I think from what I read, a cordwood home may be better suited for you.


With a cordwood home you can use any rot resistant wood, and if you have a lot of Eastern Hemlock, that would certainly qualify. All you need is a chainsaw, a woodsplitter and some sand, lime and portland cement and you are building. It certainly would not have the R value of a strawbale home, but the learning curve would be a lot shorter and if you add thickness to your walls you could certainly gain extra R factors  as wood has an R value of 1.7 per cubic inch (I believe anyway).


As I said, I am not trying to talk anyone out of anything, I am merely trying to give you an option that I think is more feasible for you. A nice way to build a low cost, yet easily understood construction method. Personally I love the look of them, and when I get the chance, plan to build a snowmobile building on my property here in Maine.


http://www.bbmuskoka.com/images/113_photo1lg.jpg

« Last Edit: December 16, 2007, 05:01:58 AM by Drawbar »

Kevin L

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Re: Cordwood Home?
« Reply #29 on: December 19, 2007, 07:05:42 PM »
Most hardwoods have an R value of 0.8 - 0.94 / linear inch, and softwoods have an R value from 0.89 - 1.48 / linear inch.  You have to keep in mind that there is a lot of surface area for the mortar and it R value range is only 0.05 to 0.1 / linear inch, thus additional insulation is warranted.
« Last Edit: December 19, 2007, 07:05:42 PM by Kevin L »

Tritium

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Re: Cordwood Home?
« Reply #30 on: December 20, 2007, 07:55:37 AM »
You can enhance the r value of mortar with addition of perilite.


Thurmond

« Last Edit: December 20, 2007, 07:55:37 AM by Tritium »

Willd37

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Re: Cordwood Home?
« Reply #31 on: December 21, 2007, 06:26:09 AM »
  Yeah, I have really thought about it. Piece en piece is another term I have heard it called. I'm going to build my house out of log and I'm really leaning toward a huge cordwood garage. I'm gonna sell the place I build eventually and by building both of them at the first property I can decide which one I'll build next time.


  Will

« Last Edit: December 21, 2007, 06:26:09 AM by Willd37 »

Hoskald

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Re: Cordwood Home?
« Reply #32 on: January 02, 2008, 06:02:15 AM »
Here is site that I have been following for several years about a double-walled cordwood home:

www.daycreek.com


Be sure to check the Journal and start at the beginning.  This guy has been working for years to get this house done, and it's beautiful! Tons of great ideas...


We were thinking about cordwood, but the labor involved is intense, it makes strawbale seem like kids blocks.

We have finally settled on strawbale since we stayed in one in Montana this last summer...103F outside and 65F inside! It was great.

The evolution of our plans are over at www.letsgoviking.com if you want to check them out.


Cheers, and keep us posted!

Hos

« Last Edit: January 02, 2008, 06:02:15 AM by Hoskald »