From the Ground up, by a Single Mom

This is a great video from a single mom who built her own straw bale home for $50,000 while working still full time and living on the land.  She gives some excellent advice here for anyone who is considering building their own straw bale home, from labor, to coding, to construction.

She also has a great website, HouseOfStraw.com, which I definitely recommend to anyone who is considering straw bale construction for their home, or sustainable green building in general.  You will find great information, from someone who has been through it all.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Straw Bale Construction.

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It’s easy to finish construction of even the most environmentally sound building, and even easier to demolish one, without regard to the waste products of construction.  Astonishingly, building waste accounts for nearly HALF of all trash in landfills across the United States.  This can be quite easily avoided—and should be.

Salvaging and recycling materials from old construction projects is one of the most important steps in the green building movement.  To reduce landfill accumulation AND the need for raw materials…now that is green.   Fortunately, there has been an increase in material salvage services to sell and to take second hand building parts.  Habitat for Humanity is always looking for used home improvement goods.  Another option is to check out your local freecycle.com to buy and sell reclaimed materials!

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Build and Rebuild—Then Resalvage.

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Trying to figure out how to heat your house without wasting energy? Try installing direct heat beneath the floorboards or in the wall panels.  Known as radiant heat due to its transmission of thermal energy from one object to another (i.e. heat flows from the floor directly to objects and people), this type of system is more efficient than traditional baseboard heating since much less heat energy is lost in the piping system.  The other environmental advantage of radiant heat is that it is often electrical or hydraulic, meaning that it is possible to use solar and wind generation to supply the energy.  No fuel burning necessary.

This method of heating usually involves pipes or coils in rows directly beneath the floor.  Of the three basic types of radiant heating systems (air, electric, and hydraulic), the hydraulic seems to be the most economically justifiable.  They are usually cheapest to install.   Moreover, water is thousands of times more efficient as a conductor than air is.  Make sure not to use copper piping, though.  PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) tubing is a much better alternative due to its high insulating qualities.   Install a solar hot water heating system on your roof to power your radiant heating, and you can reduce your energy usage even more.

Installing a radiant heating system can help qualify you for LEED credits for your new home or remodeling.   The Radiant Panel Association has been working with the US Green Building Council and National Association of Home Builders to promote the connection between energy efficiency, economics and the environment.   Besides increased efficiency, radiant heating systems also may reduce the materials needed for traditional ducts.   The Association also notes that people with severe allergies have a more comfortable lifestyle with radiant heating since there is no air coming out of ducts into your living spaces.

Efficiency is awesome.  Especially when it involves renewable energy.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Increase Energy Efficiency with Radiant Heat.

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So you’re building a new home, or adding an addition, and you want to pursue the most sustainable options available.   Surprisingly, soy and bio-based materials have recently been spotlighted by the green building industry as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional insulation like fiberglass.   Home and Garden TV recently featured a home being sprayed with white goop in between the 2-by-4s of the new walls that expands as it dries.  Soy insulation is apparently safer for human health and for the environment.  It might even cut back on the amount of wood needed for construction, as the substance’s insulating properties are so great.  And, as a biopolymer, soy won’t support the growth of mold or attract hungry critters living in your basement.

With bio-based building products, there is no risk of coming into contact with formaldehydes or VOCs (volatile organic compounds).  It has proven very effective for people with severe allergies. As far as energy efficiency, it has a high thermal insulation capacity to keep heating bills down and fewer resources used for energy generation.

The United Soybean Board is working hard to promote the application of soy in industrial and building projects.  Currently, BioBased Insulation is one of the leading manufacturers of the soy foam insulation that is used in new construction projects.  The product is sprayed on in liquid form, dries and expands up to 100 times its original size, completely filling in all holes and giving your home air-tight protection.

If you’re looking to build up LEED credits, the soy-foam insulation can count significantly towards your certification.  Apply it towards a number of different LEED categories: Energy Efficiency, Low-Emitting Materials, Rapidly Renewable Materials, or Innovation in Design.

Another word about safety—bio-based insulation is virtually fireproof.  It has a class I rating according to the National Fire Protection Association, meaning that it won’t go up in flames.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Soybeans for your Home? Bio-based Insulation.

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Although there are some quality natural alternatives for finishing walls on the market today it seems that the most natural and longest lasting alternative is clay plaster.  American Clay, located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has developed a beautiful suite of clay finishes and colors that seem to bring out a look, feel and texture that paint could never achieve.

One of the amazing characteristics of clay plaster is the fact that the material is incredibly dense and that it aids in maintaining a higher level of negative ions within a structure.  It seems that all things electronic emit positive ions creating a less natural environment.  Just the simple addition of a clay wall finish could help to counteract the negative effects of all of the electronic gear we find so essential today.

American clay has a nationwide network of trained applicators.  For those of us who want to do it ourselves there are numerous opportunities to learn the basic technique of clay application.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Natural Clay Finishes From American Clay.

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We’ve talked about straw bale constructions here before, so we know this is a realistic form of construction.  They don’t blow down as easy as the storybooks say, and the houses are quite beautiful.  But is it really safe?  Isn’t straw highly flammable?  What about earthquakes?
There is actually evidence to suggest straw-bale accommodations are SAFER than current methods of home design.

First off, when it comes to fires, straw bale housing is extremely fire resistant.  Sure, you don’t want a lot of loose hay coming out of the walls near an open flame, but if properly constructed, trying to burn down a straw bale house is like trying to burn through a phonebook.

This is due to the fact that a well-constructed straw bale house is packed airtight using special tools and techniques.  This ensures that there is no settling after the roof is finished, that pests stay out of the airtight wall cavities, and, most importantly, that walls are fire resistant. Once the bales are fastened together, wrapped, and covered in plaster, there is no room for oxygen to feed a burn.  In fact, tests performed throughout North America show a traditional wall can be devastated by a fire in half an hour to an hour while a straw built wall holds strong for two hours before the flames burn through.

Straw-built walls are also better for earthquakes.  I know you are imagining tumbling hay stacks right now, but not so fast.  In the load-bearing structures, which still do not pass regulations in many locales, the walls are particularly strong.  Scientists have begun to point out these are actually the ideal building practices in earthquake-prone regions like the California coast where frame houses often shake apart.

Third, a straw-built structure is better for your health.  While most people might see this as a stretch, straw bale houses are healthier because they are more soundproof.  Studies show repetitive noises like traffic, which we tend to tune out after long exposure, take significant years off life span, even if not consciously heard.

Additionally, materials usually used for insulating and building a home can be hazardous to human health by aggravating allergies and causing Sick House Syndrome.  Most sufferers never even realize their home is making them sick. Straw bale houses do not have these hidden enemies, as you know exactly what is in the walls.

As you can see, building your house out of these bulky Lego-like blocks provides a safe, healthy living environment.  In America, 200 million tons of straw go to waste or get burned every year, producing ghastly amounts of CO2, while we create more pollution manufacturing traditional housing materials that are hard on the environment in incalculable ways .  Not too mention all the energy consumed to transport materials when straw is often a local, untapped resource.

So set your concerns aside. Straw bale housing really is a safe and eco-friendly alternative.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Are Straw-Bale Constructions Safer?.

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Cob is an ancient building technology being rediscovered for today’s green home.  A gob is a clump of dirt and fiber that can be tossed from builder to builder on a cob work site.  If throwing mud isn’t enough, try squishing it between your toes.  Cob is traditionally made by mixing sand, clay, straw, and water with bare feet in a labor-intensive yet rewarding process for the do-it-yourselfer.

Building with cob (also called earthen building or natural building) is easy to learn, requires few manufactured resources, and no power tools.  Cob walls are very forgiving, and the material is nontoxic, so kids can help with the project.

Because cob homes are hand-sculpted, they lend themselves to unusual shapes and curves.  They are a good fit for passive solar design because their one to two foot walls provide impressive thermal mass that keeps the interior temperature stable.

Pipes and wires are laid directly in the wall, and there is no need for vapor barriers, sheetrock, or painting.  Different mixtures of the same basic cob materials can produce plasters, floors, and interior structures like sleeping platforms.

Cob builders are typically aware of the benefits of building with local and natural materials.  They often incorporate recycled and locally salvaged materials into dwellings that are both beautiful and affordable.  Check out these cob homes handbuilt by  MudGirls Natural Building Collective.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Do you want to toss a gob? Build with cob!.

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The noble hempseed provides a beautiful and natural floor finish product, although the floor will require a bit more maintenance.  Homestead House Paint Company sells a hemp oil wood finish that is solvent-free and 100% natural.  Reapplied to the floor every two years, hemp oil lends water resistance and a rich finish.  Unlike products that apply a surface film, hemp oil penetrates throughout the wood, so there is no brittle top layer to scratch and chip.  Hemp oil is petrochemical free and perfect for the chemically sensitive.

Bioshield’s oil finishes are primarily linseed and tung oil based.  They are mixed with resin and highly breathable and elastic. Their floor solutions are a bit tougher than oil alone but still low in toxicity.

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Houses built out of foam sandwiches are both eco-friendly and strong enough to withstand earthquakes.  Meet the SIP, or Structural Insulated Panel–a thick layer of foam insulation pressed between two sheets of plywood or oriented strand board.

SIP homes are so airtight that the EPA has waived its blower door test requirement for SIP houses.  Because the amount of insulation is consistent throughout the panel, SIP walls have better insulating qualities than traditional walls with fiberglass insulation applied onsite.  SIP homeowners can save up to 60% in energy costs.

For those who prefer natural materials, SIPS with a straw core made from renewable agricultural waste are available, but the foam insulation outperforms the straw.  The foam is 98% air, free of ozone-depleting CFCs, manufactured using heat and steam, recyclable, and “requires only a small amount of petroleum to produce,” according to the Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA).  SIPA asserts, “The average SIP home saves nineteen times the energy it took to make the EPS insulation in the first year of installation.”

The versatile SIP can be used for walls, roofs, or flooring.  Because SIP homes require no structural lumber, they use far less wood than a traditionally framed home.  The trees used in the oriented strand board are fast-growing and harvested young, so no old-growth lumber is used.

SIPs are prefabricated and custom measured for each project.  SIP manufacturers often recycle their waste foam into other products.  The panels install easily and produce little construction waste.

A SIP building costs about the same as a traditional structure.  The SIPs themselves are more expensive, but the cost of labor is less.  Homeowners are often pleased to see how quickly their SIP homes take shape.

With SIPs, you get energy efficiency, waste reduction, and resource conservation–not bad for a foam sandwich.

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Looking for earth-friendly way to build walls. Simple. Take a bag and fill it with dirt.  It’s cheap.  It’s simple.  It’s also a versatile and fun green building technology.

Filled with dirt, earthbags lend tremendous thermal mass to stabilize the temperature of the structure.  Filled with lighter material such as rice hulls or vermiculite, they serve as insulation.  What to use for the actual bag?  Affordable propylene sacks offer superior strength and water resistance, and they can even be purchased as recycled grain sacks.

Earthbags lend themselves to both traditional and dome shapes.  Because earthbags can be domed (think igloo-type construction), it’s possible to build without the wood or steel needed for framing or roofing.  Earthbags also promote creativity.  Curvy walls would be pricey in a stick-built home, but they represent no problem for the earthbag builder.

Once the bags are stacked, the structure is covered with plaster, which can also be made from dirt onsite.  Earthbags are suited to building projects of any size.  If you’re considering a small building project such as a shed or root cellar, check out the earthbag possibilities.  This simple technology is accessible to anyone, and the results are surprisingly beautiful.

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