| Eco-Building |
| Building Terra-Tiles in Montana |
| Basically a mix of cement, fly ash and dirt. You can cut them in any way you like (like cookies) and put mosics in them |
| "Buildings, too, are children of the Earth and Sun." - Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Building with Cob |
Left: Stomping cob - mix of sand clay and straw
Above: Cob balls
Above: Cob balls
Above: Wall thickness
Left: Wall niche and
limestone coating
Right: Window framing
Left: Wall niche and
limestone coating
Right: Window framing
| "At some point in life, the world's beauty becomes enough." - Toni Morrison |
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Eco-Flooring
- Bamboo - Highly sustainable, matures in 3-5 years. Available in many colors.
- Cork - Highly sustainable, can be harvested without harming the tree
- Salvaged Wood - May be higher quality than new wood. Costing $2-$3 per square foot, plus
installation. - Natural Linoleum - Marmoleum: Contains wood flour, pine, rosin and linseed oil.
- Kirie - Made from sorghum stalks which grow quickly and are an agriculture byproduct.
- Concrete - made mostly from limestone, but also from fly ash, slag cement and silica fume, as well
as waste products from power plants and steel mills. After its use can be crushed and recycled for
new uses.
Eco-Insulation
- Recycled Denim
- Recycled Tires
- Mineral wool
- Sheep’s wool
- Cotton, including old blue jeans
- Cellulose
- Soy Based
Eco-Countertops
- Richlite - a natural fiber composite from renewable and recycled products
- Concrete - made mostly from limestone, but also from fly ash, slag cement and silica fume, as well
as waste products from power plants and steel mills. After its use can be crushed and recycled for
new uses.
| ECO-INSULATION latitudeinsulation.com biobased.net bondedlogic.com |
| ECO-COUNTERTOPS coveringsetc.com durat.com eleekinc.com enviroglasproducts.com icestone.biz renewedmaterials.com richlite.com totallybamboo.com |
| ECO-FLOORING wicanders.com bamboomountain.com duro-design.com ecofriendlyflooring.com ecotimber.com expanko.com themarmoleumstore.com corkfloor.com plyboo.com teragren.com terramai.com |
| Short Summery of Straw Bale Construction by: Bonnie Andrich Straw bale structures are quite fire resistant, even without adobe/ stucco finish. They greatly exceed building code requirements for burn through times. Building with straw bales makes for a super insulated home that breathes, and as a bonus, has a relatively fast construction time Load bearing straw bale walls: A concrete slab foundation is poured and waterproofed. (Often, the next step is to build the frame for the roof using the bare foundation as a guide. This is usually faster than assembling the frame elsewhere.) Rebar sticks up around the perimeter of foundation ~12" high. (Use bales bound with 3 strings.) Bottom bales are water proofed by being wrapped in polyethylene and impaled on the rebar. Bales are laid in layers, like giant bricks. Rebar is driven into select bales, pinning them to the layer below. Plumbing is generally placed in interior frame walls. Electrical wiring is done on or recessed into bales after the wall is up. Electrical outlet boxes are attached to wooden stakes driven into bales. Preassembled window and door frames are set in place as the walls are constructed. Frames are pinned to the surrounding bales with dowels to hold them into place before stucco is applied. Niches and window seats are simply carved into the bales, leaving much room for creativity. Walls should be protected from moisture damage by a well drained foundation, a good gutter system, large roof overhang & stucco painted with NONLATEX paint. **latex could cause moisture trapping. Look into natural, clay based paints. Add roof and leave to compress for ~ 6 weeks. Then, wrap the outside of walls with stucco mesh or chicken wire. Plaster can be used on interior walls, and stucco, cement or cob applied to the exterior. ** look into natural lime plasters. Non load bearing Straw Bale If you want a more conventional look, or need to comply with restrictive building codes, but still want the benefits of straw bale, consider non load bearing straw bale techniques. Stick framing can be adapted to accommodate straw bales. The bales are covered with clay slip and laid as insulation inside the stick framed walls. Real Goods Solar Living Source Book (12th edition) --- John Schaeffer Living Homes: Integrated Field guide to Design & Construction by Thomas Elpel Also, check out: Serious Straw Bale by Paul Lacinki & Michel Bergeron. as well as The Straw Bale House by---??? For lots more info, go to: http://www.grisb.org/sbcertification/index.htm |