RE:WOULD YOU BUY AN ECO-HOUSE?

[CORDWOODGUY]

HELLO! I`M NEW TO THE BOARD BUT NOT ECO-BUILDING.ITS BECAUSE OF THE ORIGINAL POSTING ABOUT THE ECO-BUILDING POST THAT I DECIDED TO REPLY.BECAUSE CORDWOOD GOT NO VOTES.
I`VE LOOKED INTO MOST ALTERNATIVE BUILDINGS AND HAVE ALWAYS RETURNED TO CORDWOOD.BECAUSE ALL THE OTHER SYSTEMS WERE INFERIOR[MY OPINION] I HAVE A WEB SITE THAT YOU CAN CHECK OUT, I SET IT UP TO EDUCATE NEWBEES ABOUT ALTERNATIVE BUILDING SYSTEMS.CHECK IT OUT AND LET ME KNOW OF ANY OTHER PROS AND CONS.I FIND THE QUESTION TO BE UNFAIR SEEING AS THE CLIMATE WOULD PLAY A MAJOR PART IN WHAT SYSTEM ONE WOULD CHOOSE.IN A DRY ARID CLIMATE SOME ARE BETTER SUITED AS ARE SOME POORLY SUITED IN WET ENVIRONMENTS.

ALTERNATIVE BUILDING SYSTEMS PRO`S AND CON`S
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/group/alt ... e_building

MY CORDWOOD SITE,IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cordwood


NOW TO REPLY TO COMMENTS MADE IN THE ORIGINAL POST ABOUT IF I WERE TO INVEST IN AN ECO-HOUSE I WOULD BUY....

[1]STRAWBALE.....COMMENTS LIKE THIS WERE MADE IN THAT POST
[A]FIRE CAN NOT SPREAD IF IT IS STARVED OF AIR.
......[TRUE BUT NOT IN STRAWBALE] FIRES THAT HAVE OCCURED IN STRAWBALE HOMES SHOW QUITE WELL THAT THIS ISN`T THE CASE.THE FIRE WAS FED FROM THE AIR SPACES AROUND DOORS,WINDOWS,SILL PLATES,TOP PLATES,CRACKS IN THE WALL. ETC.ITS HARD TO STOP THE FLOW OF AIR.LETS NOT GET INTO ELECTRICAL FIRES IN THE WALLS AND THE RISK OF SPONTANIOUS COMBUSTION.
RATS AND MICE MAY TRY TOMAKE A HOME,ONLY IF THEY COULD GET IN.
.....LETS JUST SAY THAT IF A RAT WANTS TO GET IN....HE WILL GET IN.THEY CAN EAT THROUGH CONCRETE AND WIRE MESH.THEY CAN SQUEZZE THROUGH AN UNBELIEVEABLE SMALL HOLE.STUCCO WOULD BE A BREEZE.
[C]ROT IS ONLY AN ISSUE IF DAMP IS ALLOWED TO PERSIST IN THE WALL.SO A VAPOUR PERMIABLE RENDOR HAS TO BE USED AND MEASURES TAKEN TO STOP CONDENSATION.
.....IN A PERFECT WORLD THIS WOULD BE TRUE,BUT HOW DOES ONE CONTROL HUMIDITY,TEMPERATURE VARIABLES,AND PRECIPITATION AND MOISTURES ABILITY TO WICK?
REMEMBER THAT THE ABILITY TO BREATH AND MOISTURE TO P[ERMIATE IS A DOUBLE EDGE SWORD.THAT RENDER WOULD ALSO ALLOW MOISTURE IN.MOISTURE CAN WICK UP TO 5' ABOVE FINISH GRADE IN A MASONRY STRUCTURE...WITH THE STUCCO THIS SHOULD ALSO APPLY.EVEN A SLAB WITH A VAPOUR BARRIER BENEITH STILL ALLOWS MOISTURE TO PASS.REMEMBER THAT STRAW WILL ROT AT 19% MOISTURE AND THATS NOT ALL THAT HIGHER THAN THE EQUILIBRIUM MOISTURE CONTENT OF AIR.
NOW GOING ON TO OTHER THINGS,THERE WAS A STRAWBALE
HOME IN QUEBEC THAT COLLAPSED AND KILLED THE OWNER.MIND YOU THERE WAS A HEAVY SNOW FALL.

[2]COB,EARTHBAG,EARTHSHIP AND ADOBE........REMEMBER THAT THE 3' OF WALL IN EITHER COB OR EARTHSHIPS HAVE A TOTAL R-VALUE OF ABOUT R=3.6 OR A MAX OF R=7.2. [REMEMBER THAT SOME RIGID FOAM INSULATION 1" THICK WOULD EXCEED THAT.]

DOMES,SHIPPING CONTAINERS,LOG HOMES AND STONE HOUSES WEREN`T MENTIONED.


CORDWOODGUY
PS: AS YOU CAN SEE I DON`T HOLD BACK,I SAY IT AS IT IS. HOPEFULLY,MY POST IS CONSIDERED MORE EDUCATIONAL THAN
ABRAISIVE.

[Ellendra]

I'm planning on building with cob, partly because I can dig the clay from my own land and build the house for really cheap, but mainly because I want to build the house myself and don't have the strength for most other building techniques.

To each their own.

[CORDWOODGUY]

I'm planning on building with cob, partly because I can dig the clay from my own land and build the house for really cheap, but mainly because I want to build the house myself and don't have the strength for most other building techniques.

To each their own.

ELLENDRA...........CHECK MY HOMEPAGE ON ALTERNATIVE_BUILDING.
IN MY LINK SECTION I HAVE QUITE A FEW LINKS TO BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS OF MANY OF THE ALTERNATIVE BUILDING SYSTEMS.THERE IS A LINK FOR BECKY BEE`S COB EBOOK.

CORDWOODGUY
PS:CORDWOOD IS LIGHT AND HAS BEEN INCORPERATED IN COB.
TONY WRENCH HAS A BOOK ON IT.

[Clara]

OH AND I WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT HOW BEAUTIFUL IT WOULD BE TO BUILD A CORDWOOD COMPOST TOILET. OUR LAND IS MAINLY WOODED AND OH IS A TREE SURGEON SO THAT´S ALL SORTED

JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU HAD EVER SEEN IT DONE AND ANY TIPS YOU MIGHT HAVE FOR BUILDING SUCH A SMALL SPACE THIS WAY.

CLARA

[frozenthunderbolt]

Please dont type in CAPS it is very hard to read

Regards,

Jeremy

[Clara]

Please read Cordwoods signature line....that explains it.

[CORDWOODGUY]

THANKS CLARA.....I`M GETTING GOOD COMMENTS ON OTHER BOARDS ABOUT IT.WHO EVER CAME UP WITH CAPITALS BEING SHOUTING WASN`T A SENIOR.I`M SQUINTING READING MY OWN POST HERE.

CORDWOODGUY

[Annpan]

TRY HOLDING DOWN THE CTRL KEY, AND PRESSING THE PLUS OR MINUS KEY TO ZOOM IN TO THE SCREEN IT MIGHT HELP WITH READING POSTS IN NORMAL FORMAT...

HOPE THAT HELPS YOU

[Ellendra]

YOU CAN CHANGE THE TEXT SIZE BY CLICKING ON "VIEW" AT THE TOP. DEPENDING ON YOUR BROWSER IT SHOULD HAVE AN OPTION FOR EITHER "ZOOM" OR "TEXT SIZE".

IF YOU HAVE A MOUSE WITH A SCROLLIE WHEEL, YOU CAN CHANGE THE TEXT SIZE BY PRESSING THE "CONTROL" KEY WHILE SCROLLING DOWN.

[CORDWOODGUY]

ANNPAN ....THE CTRL KEY WITH PLUS AND MINUS DOSN`T WORK

ELLENDRA........WHEN I CHANGE THE TEXT SIZE IT REVERTS TO THE SMALL LETTERS WHEN I EDIT OR WRITE.THE SCROLL WHEEL DOESN`T WORK ON MY COMPUTER.

CORDWOODGUY
PS:THANKS FOR THE HELP,I PLAN TO BUY A BIGGER MONITOR NEXT TIME I UPGRADE.

[CORDWOODGUY]

OH AND I WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT HOW BEAUTIFUL IT WOULD BE TO BUILD A CORDWOOD COMPOST TOILET. OUR LAND IS MAINLY WOODED AND OH IS A TREE SURGEON SO THAT´S ALL SORTED

JUST WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU HAD EVER SEEN IT DONE AND ANY TIPS YOU MIGHT HAVE FOR BUILDING SUCH A SMALL SPACE THIS WAY.

CLARA

CLARA.......IT WOULD BE MUCH SIMPLER TO BUILD WITH A WOOD FRAME.

CORDWOODGUY