| Building Green on Your Own, Part 1 |
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With some capital and some time, a dedicated person can build a very comfortable green dwelling on his or her own. This is not meant to be a treatise on architecture and building materials. What I'm trying to do is give you some ideas. There are other sources that can talk you through the processes for each of these construction methods. Log Okay, we all want wood. It's chic, and a log home fastcash makes everybody think of you as the Daniel Boone of the modern world. But don't be fooled. Stick-frame, timber-frame, post-and-beam houses require heavy lifting, special tools, and a personal ability to justify the use of huge masses of wood. Log homes need a solid foundation that will lift the logs off the ground. Logs are de-barked and joined by interlocking corner notches, with spaces filled with chinking (cement, mud, etc.). Chinking is prone to cracking and needs frequent repairs. In chink-less construction, logs are notched lengthwise and the notch placed onto the log below to make a tight fit. Cordwood Construction consists of mortar (cement or lime sand) placed on a concrete foundation in two parallel lines about 6 inches apart. Cordwood is placed directly on the mortar lines, perpendicular to and spanning them. The cordwood can be either round or split, and is worked into the mortar to create a strong bond. Insulation (sawdust mixed with lime for protection from insects and moisture) is placed in the spaces between the mortar joints, and the process is repeated. The wall will have good thermal mass and insulation. Straw When considering straw constructions, remember the difference between straw and hay. Hay attracts rodents because it's edible. Straw, on the other hand, has no nutrient value. Also, hay is more susceptible to composting. Usually stacked-bale post-and-beam framing (the "fill-in method") or no framing at all is used. Bales from walls support the roof and upper stories, if any. This is called "load-bearing" straw-bale construction. Plastered straw-bale walls hold up well against fire. To be durable, bale structures must have good roofs with adequate overhang and solid foundations that prevent moisture from seeping into the wall.
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