Pretty cool site, anyone else who is into natural building etc should give it a look.
http://www.simondale.net/hobbit.htm
http://www.simondale.net/hobbit.htm
Hobbit Holes etc
- Thread starter Roots317
- Start date
due to is being in Wales,for one,those straw bales will soak in the moisture,then it will become mold,Straw bales are ok to use,in the desert,anywhere else,you will get mold !
If you read more you would've known that you have to have an airgap beneath the straw so water won't collect, and the lime plaster/mortar they used is breathable and vapor permeable. Meaning that water wont build up, which means less chance of mold. Also compared to all the carcinogens and other shit that's in modern housing I would definitely choose a small possibility of mold.
Roots,I'm a carpenter by trade,started back in 78,so building is something I've been into for a few decades,need I say more !
That's wonderful but just because you've been doing something for a long time doesn't mean your good at it or know all the viable methods. A lot of 'natural building' techniques and research are fairly new in a sense, old techniques mixed with modern knowledge.
Some people can pull it off, but it is harder than one would suspect. I was helping a couple build a straw house, the trick is to have it totally finished and cured when it is nice and dry, have a huge overhanging roof to keep water away from walls, and really well planed foundation drainage. If any water gets into the straw you are totally fucked. We learned that the hard way. IMHO rammed earth is the way to go. The greeks did it and many of their monolithic structures are still standing today. That is one sick house. Duder who build it must be a smart cookie.
I looked into this kind of housing, but in the long term, this thing would DEFINITELY have water issues. If you want to build below grade, I think WOFATI is the way to go. Straw and plaster is pretty common in places up here in Ohio and it's pretty god damn wet. You just need a good "hat and boots." Below grade straw though seems like a terrible idea
http://www.richsoil.com/wofati.jsp
http://www.richsoil.com/wofati.jsp
SANDBAGS! JimH partially built a home out of sandbags. RanchoCostaNada!
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All you need are the bags and tons of free sand and labor. When I build mine, the location will be know here as temp squat place for all. View attachment 24304
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My brother and his wife have lived in a hay bale house, they built, since 1992. plastered it with 3 coats of Lyme based plaster. they have never had a mold problem. we get plenty of rain here, in nebraska, and no mold problems.