Bill wrote in with this straw bale question:
We are looking at both log home kits and straw bale construction for our
retirement home in east Texas.
I like the look of logs, my wife and I like the "adobe" look of straw bale.
My concern is the humidity factor with straw bale. Is it enough to use wide
roof overhangs? Is the humidity in the air enough to be concerned with?
Bookmark/Search this post with:
Straw bale and humidity
Hello Bill.
I shared the same fear with you when I first pondered the idea. Living here along coastal Maine isn't exactly aired. As I read through the literature, I found the key component here is speed of evaporation. As I understand it, you want to use a lime-based plaster for the foundation coarse at least. Here in Maine, we could use it on the entire exterior. Anyhow, lime is one of those materials which simply evaporates moisture faster than it absorbs moisture. If you look at old stone buildings in Ireland, you will see they "lime wash" their foundations every couple of years to keep them fresh. This is their waterproofing. I would expect we would need to refresh our straw bale foundations too.
Check out these sources, alt.architecture, and www.dirtcheapbuilder.com and www.strawbale.com.
Good luck!
"Go Green" ----------------- Aron Buterbaugh Building Green TV Contributor aronb@buildinggreentv.com Meeting House Designs Principal 192 Mussey Street South Portland, Maine 04106 aron@meetinghousedesigns.com
Like the previous person in
Like the previous person in Texas, I am very interested in Straw Bale construction but for in the heat and humidity of West Central Florida. I am also wondering if the straw bales would be able to survive our wet summers. Any thoughts?