Re: Innovative tech- RoseWind input | <– Date –> <– Thread –> |
From: Lynn Nadeau (welcomeolympus.net) | |
Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2000 21:34:14 -0600 (MDT) |
Here is a collection of miscellaneous observations about "innovative" stuff that has been done in private homes, or the common house, at RoseWind Cohousing in Port Townsend, Washington. ================== Zero VOC (volatile organic compound) paint is readily available in name brands---in my house I used Benjamin Moore's "Pristine" line. It cost about the same as other quality interior latex paint, and even after the drywallers had sprayed the whole house with it, you could hardly tell there was new paint in here, by the smell. ===================== We have homes here that are "alternative" , including one big dome, and a 2 story load-bearing strawbale. But none of them are miraculous solutions, to my mind: Dome: covers space in a way that is touted as economical in terms of the rib-cage frame. But then any economy is gone, and costs go over conventional, as one has to custom cut and fit and bevel hundreds of pieces of materials for walls and roofs, with extra labor time and material wastage. Windows too have to be special. The resulting home, with a second floor mezzanine, is very beautiful, with an artistic owner who has used bright colors and art works throughout. But it didn't save money or materials. Strawbale, and EnerGrid( Rastra Block) are represented in 1 straw home and 2 rastra houses, plus the common house. Both are touted as offering fabulous insulation. In the Pacific Northwest, fabulous insulation isn't the plus it might be in Vermont or Arizona, and the overall ability to insulate is compromised when, as in our common house, you add walls full of glass windows, plus 5 doors; and most of the heat goes UP, so the insulation of the roof is as important, or more so. To my mind, the "sacred" quality people experience in these spaces is a matter of thick walls and window reveals. Me, I'd rather get what little sun we have, inside as quickly as possible! Both methods do allow for amateur owner involvement in construction, and have afficionados who will sometimes come volunteer in order to learn more about the techniques. Straw: In some places, straw is an agricultural waste product, which may be burned, I'm told, such as rice straw. In the Northwest, straw is a market commodity that commands a fairly good price, from mushroom farmers, horse owners, and Japanese mat makers. The more affordable kind, I forget which but it's what they used for Japanese mats, but seconds, comes in larger, heavier bales which are harder to use for amateur owner-builders. Rastra Block- blocks made of concrete mixed with ground up recycled styrofoam; kind of long lighter-weight cinder blocks. Has channels which are filled using rebar and poured concrete. Cement is very energy intensive in its manufacture. The EnerGrid block material currently has to be trucked from Mexico, again not an environmental ideal. All of the above spare trees, though wood is still typically used for interior framing and many other aspects of the building. Rastra and straw typically get stucco on the exterior. Stucco is very durable and low maintenance: it is costly to have done professionally; a lot of work to do yourself, but can be done by amateurs with strong shoulders and some knowledgeable guidance. ================== We looked at bamboo flooring for the common house, but at the high price, it seemed too risky, when there were stories around about warping, difficulty sanding evenly, and so forth. But it is gorgeous, and very renewable. We are using natural linoleum, Marmoleum, in some of the common house rooms, as many of us have also used in our homes. Costs more, but is environmentally better than vinyl and looks and feels good. In our great room we are using "Smart Wood", a certified product with a full disclosure of every step of its production and preparation. Costs more, of course. But the devastation of logging is an everyday sight around here, and we welcome the chance to decrease it a bit. ============ Several homeowners have used concrete floors, with radiant heat in them. One used an acid-wash technique which was a lot of work, but gave a beautiful mottled orange-brown finish. =============== Sidings have included silver sheet-metal, with wooden batten trim, and another house with stained plywood for siding. As well as lots of homes with locally-typical cedar siding. ============== What we seem to have made the best use of is re-used materials. Many of our homes include salvaged stone, cabinetry, bathtubs; all the interior doors in my house came from a demolition job in Portland, via a local salvager. Our common house has brick trim with salvaged bricks, and some of the flooring we want to use was also salvaged. When the local bowling alley sold, the maple alley floors became kitchen islands all over town. Two of our houses are actually halves of an old bingo parlor that used to be at the fairgrounds nearby, with much work to fix up the shells into habitable homes. ====================== Hope there has been some useful bit in all this for someone... Lynn Nadeau RoseWind Cohousing, Port Townsend WA
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