walls

SoyCrete

SoyCretetm is an acid-free, non toxic concrete stain alternative that is ideal for all interior and exterior porous surfaces such as: concrete, masonry, brick, stucco, fiber cement, rammed earth and natural stone surfaces. The soy dispersion technology replicates the permanent absorption results like motor oil, but with an unlimited array of natural variegated color effects. The advanced technology will provide you with more than double the spread rate (400-600 sq.ft. p/gal) compared to competitive products. You simply can't find a safer, more flexible or more affordable decorative concrete stain.

Well to make a long question "short". I have been working on getting financing for my Eco Friendly cafe for the past 2 years. Every bank I approach has denied my loan request because I am a start up business. I have proven through my exhaustive research, in my business plan that just such a business would thrive in Bloomington Indiana. I have a proposed location that is being built and the developer is going for LEED certification (the location of the building is in the downtown Bloomington area next to Indiana University).

What I need to find out is if there are any places out there that I can acquire a business loan based on the "green" aspect of my cafe. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated in this. The location that I am interested in will be finished by summer of 2010. So I have a little time, but I really want to get this going ASAP!!

Sincerely,

Chip Hartleroad

Celtic Quest Cafe

www.myspace.com/celticquestcafe

stcafe

The Photovoltaic roof consists of a set of solar panels assembled to cover the surface of the roof of a house or a building. Don't confuse it with the pool solar heaters, they are used to hot water and not to generate electricity.

There are no moving parts, maintenance requirements are reduced to the minimum terms and consist, mostly in periodic checks of the accumulator battery.

The photovoltaic modules that make up the solar panels, transform the energy received from the sun into electricity used for domestic use in partial or total replacement of conventional supply.

This solar system is feasible even on complex already built but is considerably cheaper, obviously, if already part of the plan for a new building.

Of course, the main advantage of these systems is in the use of an inexhaustible energy source, free and clean. The energy produced by photovoltaic panels is included in the existing electrical system and connected to the supplier of electricity.

Therefore, a practical example is that when it produced more energy than required, the system can assign an energy surplus to the electricity distributor.

The market is increasing its penetration, the experts for the magazine "World Renewable Energy" have estimated a change of 1000 kW in 1990, 2000 in 1993, 7000 in 1996, 36,000 in 1999, 60 thousand in 2000, 800 thousand in 2010.

From the second David Day's fabulous casa ti house kit design was laid before me, I have dreamed, imagined myself in my future home. Which bedroom will be whose? Where will the dining table go? How to furnish it?

(Luckily, for myself, an avid thrift-er, I have kept an eye out for good finds and amassed a basement full o' furniture over the years with which to trick out our prefab-ulous house. Here's an example of just a few o' the things I've collected & reused over the years!)

I have imagined all sorts o' frugal, crafty solutions for the interior wall. See, drywall just doesn't "do it" fer me; I like natural, I like patina, and, even the green alternatives for drywall were a little too smooth for me. (Watch out, there's Bryan Adams in them thar link!)

So when a friend on twitter messaged me that a historic college, Virginia Military Institute, had torn up it's maple basketball floorboards and was auctioning them on GovDeals.com, I *jumped.*

Let's just say... those salty builders bidding against each other had no chance. In the last 12 seconds, I swooped in and stormed off with over 5,000 square feet o' solid maple history.

So our casa ti interior will now be lined with beautiful, durable, historic maple boards, reflecting my passion for history yet maintaining a natural, modern design.

Now lissen here, you crafty VMI alumni or lovers of reuse: I am not going to need 5,000 square feet o' boards. Certainly I can find ways to use it all, but if anyone is interested in adoring the history and natural beauty of this maple in their own home, direct message me. : )

Part 11 of our 15-part Q&A series on all aspects of green building from the publishers of HealthyHouseInstitute.com. Click here for the introductory post and furthur details.

Question: I’ve heard that plaster is a healthy material. What are its advantages and disadvantages?

Answer: You buy plaster as a powder, mix it with water, then apply it to a surface where it hardens. Once completely cured, the plaster is very inert and rock-like. Although most people can’t detect any odor after a few days, a few sensitive people have said that they’re bothered by a slight odor for a month or so.

In the past, 2-3 coats of plaster were commonly applied on top of thin strips of wood lath. In some commercial applications it’s still applied in a similar manner, but it’s usually put over to metal lath instead of wood. However, the most common way to use plaster today involves skimming one or two thin coats over a gypsum-board material. The gypsum board has a blue paper face, so it’s usually called blueboard.

Most of the time, plaster walls are painted. For sensitive people who are bothered by paint, plaster has the advantage of being hard, durable, and scrubbable enough that you can actually leave it unpainted. While most plaster is white, it can sometimes be tinted (before its applied) with the same kinds of mineral pigments that bricklayers use in mortar.

As far as drawbacks, plaster is more brittle than drywall and, if it ever cracks, it’ll no longer be airtight. Plaster costs more than drywall, primarily because of the skilled labor required. In some parts of the country, plaster is widely used. But, in other areas, it’s been totally replaced with drywall.

Question: What makes drywall different from plaster?

Still considering green alternatives to drywall... So I decided to harass the fantastic eco furniture designer and green materials distributor, Anthony Brozna, to see what he thought. Now many of you may have seen Anthony's beautiful furniture in Dwell, HGTV, Town & Country, and more. But Anthony also has a green materials business, EcoSupply Center, which promotes green, energy efficient, sustainable building materials. He immediately launched into DragonBoard. According to him, DragonBoard

"May even eventually replace drywall. I think it could even be the answer to Portland Cement / lime based cements. It's made out of magnesium oxide & chloride, and is cold pressed. It has a 4 hour fire rating, submersible in water, you can paint on it, clay it-- one side is smooth, the other rough, so it works well for either application. It's also anti-macrobial. And they make tons of products- subfloor, exterior OR interior..."

The DragonBoard web site had even more great information:

Meet DRAGONBOARD the only UL-Approved construction panel that is:

• Fire-Proof (UL 055 and ASTM-Tested and A-Rated)
• Waterproof (Freeze/Thaw-Tested for 36 months)
• Mold/Fungus/Bug Free (Non-nutrient to mold, fungus, insects ASTM G-21)
• Impact-Resistant (ASTM D-5628)
• NYC Approved (MEA # 359-02-M)
• Silica/Asbestos Free
• Florida Hurricane Tested
• STC-Rated 53-54
• Ready for all 2007 ICC criteria
• Ideal for Flooring (3/4" = 21/2" poured concrete!)
• Guaranteed to Offer Substantial Cost Savings*

Our Commitment to the Environment DRAGONBOARD US is concerned about the environment. DRAGONBOARD is manufactured from mineral components and water. DRAGONBOARD contains:

• No organic solvents
• No oils
• No toxic ingredients
• No heavy metal salts
• No asbestos

DRAGONBOARD sawdust may be safely buried in a landfill without contamination or environmental damage to land, streams or bodies of water. No energy is consumed in manufacturing DRAGONBOARD. The entire patented process is conducted at room temperature and scraps or drop-offs are reground and used in the production of DRAGONBOARD.

EcoSupply is an east coast retailer of DragonBoard, so if you are interested in purchasing it, please feel free to contact them directly.

EcoRock's not out yet, so it looks like it will be DensArmor Plus® Paperless Drywall by Georgia-Pacific for the prototype. You can pick it up easily in most Lowe's.

Again, cost at Green Modern Kits is everything: we celebrate affordable great design!

To compare prices, I trundled over to Lowe's and see the following:

Georgia Pacific 11/32" 4' x 8' Ply-Bead Classic: $16.97

Ok, so that's a standard plywood solution.

Now for cheap-o traditional drywall:
1/2 4x8 $6.75

And the DensArmor Plus® Paperless Drywall?
1/2 4x8 $10.98

And oh yes, I checked, it is actually in stock in my local store.

I will also mention that the cute guy I spoke with paused and said,

"And just so you know, if you work with that stuff, be careful with it! Me and my buddies had to unload it and my arms were on fire!"

"Oh you poor dear! Yeah, that's probably because there's fiberglass in it."

So don't forget:
It may be paperless, but
(cue in Bryan Adams here) it Cuts Like A Knife!
(na na na naaaaah na nah, na na...)

This is what happens when my husband goes away... he really does keep me sane, you know.

Until recently, I could brag that our office only used *at the most* three reams of paper a year.

And then the children went on a drawing binge.

It's driving me bonkers- on one hand, I cringe, "Don't waste paper!!!" then cringe at myself: "How dare you call their artistic pursuits wasteful?" So I stack the drawings in a corner, guiltily...

Today I was pondering over how to finish our casa ti interior. I've always envisioned it with sleek, organic, simple plywood, which I thought would look really good with the more industrial concrete flooring. But I like to consider all options, and even published a post on how to make SIPs stew.

And then I thought... "Why not recycle those drawings?"

They are mainly scribbly ink drawings on notebook paper left over from college days, or grabbed from our office shelf. So the overall effect would be clean, white, but with scribbles and occasional bursts of color... I could easily attach it directly to the SIPs walls, then maybe minwax / beeswax it once hung... just for... fun!

I still see the end result eventually being plywood... but to in the meantime reuse the paper / childrens "art" for our house? Fantastic!