Low Impact Housing - Straw Bale/Cob/Earth Homes discussion

[Ferrret]

For the past few months, on and off, I have been looking at the different styles of Low Impact housing. Some friends linked this [http://www.simondale.net/house/index.htm] on Facebook and I got curious and decided to learn more.

Looking at the different building techniques, it's pretty interesting, as well as a bit tempting. It would be a huge amount of work, time and plenty of money, but the idea has sunk in and hasn't let go. Many of the building styles look pretty simple to learn, which is part of why it's tempting, the work load, however, is daunting. I don't quite have the motivation to undertake such a project, it's still pretty new to me and I don't like jumping in uninformed. Before getting chickens I spent a few months researching care and coop building, even made a mini cardboard model coop. Silly and a bit excessive, but it gave me the knowledge I needed to feel confident in the task.

I really like the look of earth sheltered homes and tree house looking homes. Replaying some Legend of Zelda games as well as re-watching Disney's Tarzan has rekindled my interest in these more DIY style homes. The story book style drew me in, then learning about the benefits and ease of construction made me start to consider the possibilities.
BF and I have been looking at houses on and off for a little over a year. We aren't looking too seriously because we don't need to move, but we would like to have a little more land and to be farther out of the city. After finding great homes on crappy land and great land with crappy homes, buying land and building our own home has it's appeal. Odds are, it won't cost much less than buying a home on the market, but we could get what we want rather than settling for what we can get.

I figured a few people here might be knowledgeable about the subject, or might be as interested as I am, and that maybe we could get a decent discussion going.

 

[thaiturkey]

It's an interesting looking Hobbit house but I wonder how well it would stand up to the weather and time. Wales is a very wet country and that roof will stay damp for weeks at a time. The interior timbers still have bark and so probably aren't treated against rot and insects.

If you want to use wood for home construction, it must be hard wood and that's expensive. Even then, it will be subject to movement and shrinkage. The house in the ink looks like a fire trap, by the way. Note the position of the kitchen and wood burner. It must have passed inspection but it looks dodgy to me.

I once owned an old cottage in England the original part of which was cob construction - mud straw and pig poop probably. The heat insulation properties were up to modern standards but there were problems with it. Cob has to retain some moisture. The walls were rendered inside and out to keep dampness from the interior of the house but I had to put in skirtings of damp-proof concrete to avoid dampness from creeping in at floor level.

We plan to build a weekend cabin when we find a suitable piece of land by a lake we like and that will be of timber on concrete stilts. For a home that matters in the sense that it has to last and require the minimum of maintenance, I wouldn't use timber.

 

[chickened]

I would think mold and other pathogens would thrive in this home leading to health issues. Not to mention the bugs and critter battles to follow. It would definitely get one closer to nature.

 

[Bunnylady]

If you were to build a house like that in my neck of the woods, I'd give it 5 to 10 years before the termites had that roof coming down on you. But then, with the humidity issues that we have around here, you'd probably have moved out long before then because the mold would have made the place unlivable.

I've never really researched the subject of low-impact housing, though I have seen a few articles/programs over the years. I'd be curious to know how long these structures last, and how much maintenance they require. I think location may have a lot to do with it. Adobe brick is great in a desert, for example, but I doubt it would weather even one summer here, never mind a hurricane!

Interesting subject, though.

 

[mulewagon]

My dream home is a solar-oriented house of concrete blocks, filled with concrete, with roofbeams of telephone poles. It could be earth-sheltered or stuccoed. This would take some planning to fit the plumbing, etc and to make sure the foundation was drained and insulated so it didn't sweat. But it would never rot, would laugh at tornadoes, and would maintain an even temperature with low energy expenditure.

 

[thaiturkey]

Solar power is expensive to instal and needs a bank of batteries. Users might think that they are helping the environment but batteries are very eco-unfriendly in their manufacture and have to be replaced every few years. I looked into it a while ago and decided that it was just not on.

If the aim of eco-friendly purchases is to reduce CO2 emissions, it's futile. Man made emissions are very small compared with natural ones.

 

[chickened]

Solar power is expensive to instal and needs a bank of batteries. Users might think that they are helping the environment but batteries are very eco-unfriendly in their manufacture and have to be replaced every few years. I looked into it a while ago and decided that it was just not on.

If the aim of eco-friendly purchases is to reduce CO2 emissions, it's futile. Man made emissions are very small compared with natural ones.

You are correct but it sure makes them feel better.

 

[chickened]

I read an article a while ago about curly fry lightbulbs and that they have mercury in them that will eventually surpass the amounts used in mining by way of entering landfills.

 

[Ferrret]

I'm not sure Mulewagon was talking about solar panels. I think they might be intending a home with plenty of south facing windows to let sunlight in, as well the concrete should soak up all the heat from the sunlight and disperse it at night. By soaking up natural heat, and having a well insulated house, you can reduce your energy usage and save some money normally spent on utility bills. Homes used to be built with the sun in mind, but central heating and electricity changed how we build homes. People are now looking back at building to utilize natural light and heat.
As far as I have seen with solar and wind energies, they are too costly for the average person as well as fairly ineffective. 25 years from now it may be a different story, but as it is, I'm not going to shell out 30-40K for a less than stellar power source.

I don't think the Hobbit House was built to last, and I'm not sure of the state it is in now. There are accounts of straw buildings lasting decades without much issue but the biggest factor is how they are built. Tightly packed straw isn't going to burn in a flash like loose straw and if it has a good plaster coating it shouldn't even get hot enough to burn. Bugs shouldn't be an issue, as long as the home was plastered properly, since they can't get in or out of the bales. As for water, the plastering and long overhangs are meant to keep most of the moisture away, and many of the homes now are built with some type of vapor protection. People who have trouble with straw bale homes usually built them improperly, by cutting corners or simply not knowing how to do it.

After looking at many of the styles of homes, if built to code, they seem to have just as many manufactured products as regular homes do, especially earth sheltered homes. Plastic and rubber water barriers protect the walls and ceiling from water, as well as having fiberglass or styrofoam insulation to help hold heat in. The key phrase here is 'if built to code'. Some people choose to build outlaw homes, no permit, no construction consultation, outside building regulations, completely DIY, never inspected, and that is a detriment to the home itself. DIY is great, for some things, but professionals have their jobs for a reason, and regulations exist so you don't build a shack destined to cave in.

Many alternative homes are less about being sustainable and more about saving money on energy costs, by having a home that utilizes natural energy like the sun and conserves what you do expend. Some are also about appearance, people get tired of having the same house as their neighbors have and desire something different and unique. This isn't a benefit when your home goes up for sale, because unique homes don't have as much appeal to the general public, but for those who plan to live there until they die, selling is not as concerning.


On the topic of fire traps, insect infestations, pathogens and mold, nearly homes may be prone to these problems. House fires can get nasty very quickly, and a general rule is that if you cannot put it out with a home extinguisher, be prepared to lose your home. Many homes have mold and don't even know it, all it takes is an excess of moisture, which can occur in bathrooms and kitchens or from small floods. Mold can be a breeding ground for other disease causing agents, as well as provide an entrance for incests by softening the walls and wood. A bigger issue can be small animals living between walls and in empty unused spaces. It's not really fair to slight alternative houses on issues that can strike almost any type of home. The only homes that wouldn't really be effected would be bunker-style concrete homes.

I'll stop now before I write a whole novel.

 

[Ferrret]

Seems I killed my own thread.
Here are a few links that I found informative.
Some can be heavy handed on the sustainable side of things, others acknowledge when it is good to use conventional materials. As mentioned in the last post, many 'alternative' builders seek these methods more for cutting down utility cost, and having a more interesting home, over being as ecologically minded as possible.
Some out there have a 'holier-than-thou' attitude about being low-impact, but from what I have seen they are few in number. I imagine most advocating this type of housing are aware that they need to be friendly in order to get people to listen, and that putting themselves high up on a pedestal won't help their cause.

http://www.strawbale.com/strawbale-faqs/
http://www.lowimpact.org/index.htm
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Homes/2006-10-01/Earth-sheltered-Homes.aspx
http://earthshelter.sustainablesources.com/