Questions

Hi all, I need help please. I'm going to be making my own lime putty plaster for an exterior application over old painted "cinder blocks". It's a big project and I don't want to screw it up too badly (3 buildings worth min.) My main question is this: what are proportions for an application that could survive in new england? It is not a structural app, but I don't want it to wash off as my first attempt did. Can I add clay/dirt/ash for color? Secondarily, I'll also be working with half timbers cut from the property...how, if at all, can I get this plaster to "stick" to both the cinderblock and the timber. (I also have timber framed windows and had a B**** of a time repairing and filling gaps between the timber and the existing render. End all result was less than stellar and painfully time consuming (kept staining timber). Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

My husband and I are planning to move to our ranch in East Texas. Our dream is to build a green self-sustainable home and utilize solar for electricity, rain water catchment for watering our garden, as well as using our own well for drinking water. However, one issue we are contending with is the high humidity factor in East Texas. We have discussed several options, 1. building a timber framed home with SIP panels, which utilizes far less wood than a traditional wood home, 2. a straw bale home, which is very well insulated, 3. as well as building separate attached buildings that enable you to cool/heat only as needed.

We've seen several TV shows on building green homes, but haven't seen one built particularly in a hot, humid type of environment. Please let us know if you have any suggestions.

Thank you!

I coordinate a green collar training program for young adults in NYC and I am interested in expanding their knowledge in the green world. We have been through the forestry and restoration fields and now Im looking into green roofs and other sustainable technologies.

I would like to connect with a company (private or public) that can potentially offer some workshops or tours of green roofs and special projects in NYC.

Is there anyone out there that can offer me some advise on where to look?

Thank you

~P.M

I just finished watching season 1 with the straw-bale house in Santa Barbara. What is the status of follow up episodes? Also, was season 1's house affected by the recent wildfires in SB? We had a huge fire that destroyed several homes in San Luis Obispo county over a decade ago and the only thing not burned was a straw bale bench! That sold me on the technology, but I find the rammed earth wall much more aesthetically pleasing. Looking forward to more episodes soon.

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

I am getting ready to re-finish the wood floor in our house. The floor currently has a poly-urethane finish that is getting weak. We have a 6 month old baby and I am looking for a product with low VOCs. The last time I finished the floor we were not living in the house and their was plenty of time to allow the poly-urethane to cure and gas out. Can anyone recommend a durable finish with LOW VOCs that can be applied over the current poly-urethane topcoat.

Not sure how to make my long question short...

I am in a situation where I am trying to purchase a lot that recently came up for sale in a great little area for a VERY reasonable price and specifically to have a local company build an affordable green home. As to be expected lenders nowadays are hesitant to do any sort of lending and certainly need a good chunk of money backing it and I only have a fraction of that amount or a VA backed loan for the final product. Furthermore in these tough times I would love to support a local builder I strongly believe in that deserves a fighting chance to survive through the housing crisis. They build affordable, modular, LEED certified homes typically designed for in-fill lots in the city.

If I am going to commit my life and income to a home I can only imagine doing it the right/healthy way which for me means green purposeful building. Any suggestions for lending institutions or special programs to back or assist with green building?

I spend a lot of my time looking through what others have to say.....Everyone has great looking posts...I mean seriously I would like to think I am able to upload a pic or two....why cant I get anything to line up and look like it makes some sense?....Thanks....Kevin if you have any specific advice please share.

I need to find a paint or primer that has been proven to control or prevent the emission of urea formaldehyde from wall paneling. We have been trying to build a safe, green addition to our old farmhouse, but we really slipped up with the decision to panel the walls. We thought the safe choice would be to use all wood paneling instead of paneling with mdf, but we failed to do our research. Only after the installation was almost complete did I discover that the glue in the paneling contains urea formaldehyde (glue bond type II HPVA-HP1-1994). In searching for a solution to the problem, I found the following:

Q&A Part 13: Cabinets, Doors, and Trim ... most sealers are imperfect at blocking emissions. Benjamin Moore Paint Co. has a sealer called Impervo that was tested in Canada and found to block 100% of formaldehyde ... Healthy House ... 07/07/2008.

But when I called the Canadian Benjamin Moore office to ask whether I should use high gloss or low luster Impervo, they did not know about those research findings, and the rep said he doubted that any BM product could stop formaldehyde emissions. Can anyone confirm the research about using the BM oil based paint successfully and whether it should be the high gloss or the low luster Impervo? Maybe there is something even better to use, but I cannot find it. My painter comes after Thanksgiving to begin painting the paneling, so I have only a few days to find a product. I contacted Healthy House Institute several days ago but have not gotten a response yet.

I am doing a science fair project on if Dryer Balls reduce drying time. I was woundering if anyone could give me some information on the science part of it.

I live in the greater Sacramento area and I've recently learned about straw bales and earthen plasters. I'm completely in love with the beautiful simplicity of using the earth right beneath our feet to construct our dwellings and I'm looking for a community of people to promote this with. I searched for contractors with expertise and the picking is slim to nill from what I found. Is there not a market for this here, or is this one of the beautiful situations where the supply has not reached the demand?

If anyone from this area reads this and would like to start a small company in earthen plaster artistry, please contact me because I'd really like to brainstorm with you and possibly get something going.

Hey Kevin!

A short while back, I saw a clip from the show on Youtube. That particular episode showed you guys pouring a formed limestone window sill cap. I'd be interested in knowing the ingredients in the mix and the ratio's used? I'd considered using quarried stone, but this looks to be a better, less expensive choice. Any details you can supply would be greatly appreciated...

Regards,
Mark aka: Spuds

I'm in the early planning stages of building my dream green home. I've been working on a solid plan for a little over a year now and have considered a tire home, underground home, and a straw bale home. After looking at 'final' projects straw bale won out in a land slide. The looks of the home are beautiful and still retains all the green features I am looking for. My question is about the roof. I understand the simple stuff like the color of the room matters, it only makes sense that a back roof will be hot while a light colored room will be cool.

But what do you make the roof out of? What is the material you use? I want to know everything from what is the supporting structure made out of to what goes on top of that and finally what is the final covering made out of? It seems everywhere I look it talks about the wall of the home being straw with a earth plaster but very few references to what to make the roof out of or choices when it comes to making a roof? Can you guys put together a simple guilde to the best ways to make a green room including what they are made of and the insulation you use on them.

Thanks,
Gregg Webster
Iowa City, IA

We have an 1893 Queen Ann Victorian with lovely stain glass windows. Is there anything that we can do to keep the stain glass but add more insulation around the windows? There used to be a product that allowed you to cut the weights and add insulation but I haven't seen it around in quite a while.

Hello there, wanted to ask whether you guys know where to buy the buy ECO products for men's personal care products.

Thanks.