[b]Progress - Finally[/b]

[jbeegoode]

The stick and stucco houses around here are basically the same, but no plastic next to the drywall. There is a difference once outside of that, when you get to the block and brick. Southern Arizona doesn't do that much masonry anymore. It is just less labor to frame up the walls in a day with a crew. There is a veneer, a fake stone for looks, if anything, for decoration.

Mostly, when they get to that point, past the studs and fiberboard, outside, there is a layer of foam, some glorified chicken wire and then some thin spray-on fake stucco, or the real deal, then paint. Sometimes the outside layer of fiberboard is not used. Often, the thing preventing lateral shift in a two story house is just the interior drywall!

My house, is strawbale, walls over 2 1/2 feet thick. The bales are pinned with rebar, to keep it straight. It is very forgiving, just use a sledge hammer to make adjustments during construction. There is a layer of actual chickenwire sowed onto it with baling twine, which keeps it more straight and gives better purchase to the stucco cover. A pool guy friend came by with a crew and shot shock-crete, the super stiff a swimming pool material, at it with 200psi. That outside layer is about one to one and a half inches thick, with penetration between the bales.

Inside, the electrical wires were channeled along the gap at the edge of the two bales on the first course. I just tucked it in. The plugs are attached to the end of stakes and driven into the bale. I took the sandy loam soil from my front yard, mixed it with lime and stuccoed the inside walls to my own creative texturing. I built one in town where the walls support the roof. Mine was set up as a post and beam and then I infilled with bales, etc.

Building with strawbales naked is foolishness. The stuff cuts and stings and itches. I wore long sleeves. The plastering, I used gloves because of the lime. Carpentry, I always wear boots and gloves. Not a professional, I may not be fast, but at least I'm slow. Naked, slower still, but that's just me and splinters. Painting, drywall and texture, better naked and more fun. Easier clean up. I do wear a hat when painting.
Jbee

[eyesup]

I remember watching a small group of houses being built in 1968 across from my Jr. High School. At first it all looked normal as they poured the slabs. Then the 18-wheelers showed up and pre-assembled parts were offloaded and bolted to the slab.

In no time a complete house was there. But, as ric said, it took longer to do the finish work than getting the box assembled. They’ve been doing this for years.

ric, your description of the houses sounds pretty much the same as here. Stucco is cheap and easy and lasts well enough in a desert. But it is no good in a wet environment. Brick or stone veneer is almost required in a rainy climate.

Duane

[nuduke]

the electrical wires were channeled along the gap at the edge of the two bales on the first course. I just tucked it in. The plugs are attached to the end of stakes and driven into the bale.

Isn't that an apalliing fire hazard?  Is the straw fireproofed at all?
John

[jbeegoode]

the electrical wires were channeled along the gap at the edge of the two bales on the first course. I just tucked it in. The plugs are attached to the end of stakes and driven into the bale.

Isn't that an apalliing fire hazard?  Is the straw fireproofed at all?
John

Straw burns like a book and is sealed in. There is little of air pockets. It breathes, but only just enough to still be water proof, like a cement block, or floor. The wires are sealed in and not just dangling. There is no need for a tube to protect them, the rubber is sufficient. Conventional construction on the other hand has wires that will be bared to lots of air, and channels in the construction, just watch them burn. Strawbale homes are nearly fire proof, except the more conventional roofs. The fixtures are attached to the end of a 2x4, instead of nailed to the side of one, hanging. Earthen plaster doesn't burn, which is what the fixture is encased in, when done. The conventional drywall is coated in paper, which burns. The thick bale walls absorb incredible heat, no matter how hot the 2 inches of concrete on the outside gets. The inside walls of earthen plaster, equally as thick and more, don't burn, unless you coat them in something. The wires are entombed.
Jbee

[Greenbare Woods]

The wires are sealed in and not just dangling. There is no need for a tube to protect them, the rubber is sufficient.
Jbee

Wires produce heat when in use.  The electric code for size of wires considers a factor for heat loss (cooling) of the wire so it doesn't over heat and start fires.  Using too small of a wire, or preventing heat loss on a continuous use could cause fires. 

Straw bale construction is known for its thermal insulation properties.  I hope that tucking the wire between bales does not prevent heat loss from the wire. 

Bob

[eyesup]

I always wondered about the problem of having insects and rodents making nests in the straw.
Do you have that kind of a problem, Jbee?

Strawbale is similar in thermal performance as adobe. Thick walls made for a low heat transfer.

Duane

[jbeegoode]

I always wondered about the problem of having insects and rodents making nests in the straw.
Do you have that kind of a problem, Jbee?

Strawbale is similar in thermal performance as adobe. Thick walls made for a low heat transfer.

Duane

Very thoughtful point Bob. I don't know if that has been considered before. There is always a gap between two bales. This triangle is mostly filled in during plastering. This is where wires so conveniently tuck in. They may face a stucco surface. but the rest is wedged into bale material. The bale absorbs heat wonderfully. It is always consistently cool on the inside of the house, where the wiring stays. Outside plugs run from there, through the bale, to the outside.

Because fire requires air, it just doesn't burn. If it could burn, it would take weeks, maybe weeks before it was even noticed that the house was on fire. I have had difficulty burning strawbale flakes over a bonfire, loose on the end of a pitchfork. I suspect that to crispy a bale into flame, it might take a military torch and these bale walls are also encased.

I used wire to code, checked by a licensed electrician, inspected and finalized. The wiring surface parameters are well tested and thorough.

The outside may feel like an oven on the west side on a hot summer's day, but the inside surface is cool.
Jbee

[jbeegoode]

I always wondered about the problem of having insects and rodents making nests in the straw.
Do you have that kind of a problem, Jbee?

Strawbale is similar in thermal performance as adobe. Thick walls made for a low heat transfer.

Duane

No. They don't penetrate a couple of inches of earthen plaster, or shockcrete. I have had pack rats in the ceiling, which is pretty conventonal and plugged that up. During construction, there were problems with turtledoves nesting in the stacks. I remember waiting to move a stack, until a snake found them. I had a stack of extra out back for many years. When we got into them there were some packrat nest. We were concerned about uncovering rattlesnakes. There were surprisingly few insects. Maybe it was too dry. The ones laying on end molded, the others were generally fine sitting out for 17 years.
Jbee

[nuduke]

I guess if your wiring, JBee, was inspected by a competent electrical assessor, then what have we even to comment on?
My comment arises from the fact that such methods are, if not absent, then very uncommon in UK construction methods.  As mentioned elsewhere, we have eternally penetrating damp and cold weather to be protected against so brick, tile, glass and concrete face out.  Then there is an insulating layer, another cavity created by the wooden stud work that carries the drywall/plasterboard and plaster on top of that.  Wires are broadly speaking loosely clipped in the space between brick and drywall.  So they are generally well ventilated and not in contact with anything flammable (the wood frames they lay on and pass through are fire retardant).


I wish I had the bravery and skills to tackle such ambitious construction.


Petty Hymie has left the fold - he could have commented on standard US building practice.


John