Re: Green construction materials
From: billc (billcgreenbuilder.com)
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 11:45:03 -0700 (MST)
>We are about to enter the wonderful world of home and site design.
>Our aim is to build affordable, environmentally friendly homes. ?ffordable
>is the operating word at this juncture because we have just purchased a very
>expensive piece of property. I personally am on a low budget, but I just
>can't envision a home with aluminum siding and fiberglass insulation, for
>environmental reasons as well as the lethal fumes given off in the event of
>fire.
>We have looked into things like straw bale and cob, but we live in a very
>humid climate and I don't believe it is suitable. Cob is also very labor
>intensive, and therefore very expensive. I spoke with Chuck Durrett about it
>at the cohousing conference last year in Philly, and he also agrees that
>straw bale is not for the East Coast.
>We are now looking at getting Deltec round-house kits. But there is still
>the  question of siding, insulation and wall infill.
>Does anyone have any ideas out there about "green" insulation and wall
>infill that won't break the environment, or our budget? Please keep in mind
>that we are in a very conservative area and we will be the fist cohousing
>community in Pennsylvania, so I don't want to get into anything that will
>hang us up at the zoning board any more than we have to. But I am willing to
>put up a good fight if I can keep the Pink Panther at bay.

Hi Marya,

Congratulations on a good decision.

First, the issue of humid climate vs strawbale may not be as bad as your
sources think.  This question has been brought up and rehashed innumerable
times on the strawbale list (see the archives at
http://solstice.crest.org/efficiency/strawbale-list-archive/index.html).
There are many instances of strawbale being used successfully in damp
climates, including a fairly well known mansion in Alabama that was built
in the 30s.  If you're careful about detailing your windows and other areas
where liquid water may infiiltrate, and you use a breatheable finish (which
can allow water vapor to pass out), and take a few other precautions, you
should be fine.  David Eisenberg of the Development Center for Alternative
Technology tells of one experimental SB that was built in Massachussets
with the bales laid directly on the ground.  They have done some moisture
testing on it and found to their surprise that it is performing quite well.
There are a number of people in the SB world who are doing extensive
research on the moisture question, and I'd be happy to provide contact info
for anyone interested - or you could find them on the SB list.

One big advantage about Strawbale is that you can get a lot done with
volunteer labor, which will help keep your costs down AND will build a
sense of ownership that isn't going to be there if you just hire
contractors to build for you.

If you're still nervous about the moisture issue, you might consider going
with an insulating concrete form (ICF) like Faswall or Rastra.  There are a
number of different types, but in general they're blocks made of a cement
slurry with some insulating filler.  Concrete is then poured into the holes
in the block, giving you both insulation and thermal mass.  I gravitate
toward the Faswall type myself, as the insulating filler is made of waste
wood chips (as opposed to many of the other ICFs that use styrofoam).  The
walls are breatheable too.  There are three Faswall homes in my
neighborhood and each came out real nice.

For a bunch of other pointers about green building methods and materials,
please visit our web site at http://www.greenbuilder.com.  You may find the
Sustainable Building Sourcebook particularly helpful - the whole thing is
online at http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/contents.html.

---

My apologies for not introducing myself in my earlier post about Right of
First Refusal.  I run the greenbuilder.com website and a handful of
associated listservs, and have recently rejoined the cohousing list after
several year's absence.  I'm a 15 year member of the Radiance community,
near Austin Texas.  We're not a cohousing group, but there are enough
overlaps in the concerns that it makes sense for me to participate here.
And there is a cohousing group that is interested in building along side us
- some of whose members are presently living in Radiance.  Who knows, I may
throw in with them when they start to build...

Bill Christensen
billc [at] greenbuilder.com

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