Alternate Home Building

This Page is about Alternate Building techniques. Most people build and/or live in stick built homes, those box shaped un-economic, un efficient, energy wasting, homes. However for thousands of years scocieties have build and lived in other forms of housing. Some people lived in cave dwellings, some in adobe houses, some in homes in the side of cliffs. Others in castles or palaces made with large stones. All of these have MASS. Heat or cool are absorbed by the thick material that made up the walls and slowly released it, thus keeping the structure a more constant temperature.

Still others lived in smaller dwellings such as tipi's or igloos. though it might seem they would be extremely hot or cold, depending on type and time of year, they were not. a small fire inside to keep them warm with a hole on the top to let the smoke out, or an open flap to let the breeze in.

Still there are others, however, modern materials and ways of building expand the type of home you can build and the way you can build it. There are also Many ways you can POWER hour house. See Alternitive Energy page.

Here I will breifly explain about Other types of building, and also have links to other sites and books or videos dealing with the same building type that explain the method furthur. Also you can combine types to have your own unique home.

Underground or "Earth-sheltered" homes are nestled into the earth, either totally or in part. The advantages of doing this are considerable. About six feet under the earth, you will find that the temperature varies by only a few degrees year round. While this temperature might be too cool for general living comfort, you can use the stability of the earth's temperature to moderate the thermal fluctuations of the house. This means that it will take much less energy to either heat or cool the house. If you dig into a south-facing hillside to build, or berm the north part of the house with soil, you can take advantage of this. The part of the house that is underground needs to be well insulated, or the earth will continually suck warmth out of the house.

The basic earthship design incorporates substantially bermed, passive solar architecture. The primary retaining walls are constructed with used tires, filled with earth and stacked up like bricks. The interior surface of the tires is then plastered with adobe or cement so the tires don't normally show. Mike has also pioneered the use of empty aluminum cans mortared into lightweight, curvable walls. Earthships often employ many ecological concepts, such as water catchment from the roof, reuse of greywater, composting toilets, indoor gardening, etc.

Strawbale buildings are all the rage in alternative construction today, and with good reason--they are cheap, easy to build, and very energy efficient. Strawbale buildings look similar to adobe, with massive walls, wide window sills and typically rounded corners, but with the added benefit of a higher insulation value. The soft, sometimes curvy edges of strawbale construction can lend a fairy tale look to the finished structures. The fun part of strawbale construction is that anyone can do it. Anyone can help stack the fluffy, oversized bricks in place.

Strawbale homes and outbuildings were first developed by pioneers in the Sand Hills of Nebraska where there was lots of straw, but few trees. The early pioneers built houses of sod, up until the late 1800's when baling technology provided the first compressed, string-tied rectangular bales. The next logical step was to stack those bales like bricks to make warm walls. Strawbale buildings from the early 1900's are still in use and in excellent condition today.

Due to publicity in the 1980's and 1990's there are now strawbale buildings popping up all over the world--in wet and dry climates, from hot southern environments to chilling northern extremes.

Strawbale homes are very well insulated. The orientation of the straw in the bales makes some difference in the insulation value. Bales laid flat (with strings running around the top and bottom) rate about R-2.4 per inch while those laid on edge (with strings running around the sides) rate R-3 per inch. However, the bales are usually wider when laid flat than on edge, giving a higher overall R-value. The bales are slightly stronger too, when laid flat.

There are two types of strawbale houses. One type has load-bearing walls, where the weight of the roof is supported by the bales, while the others are non-load bearing, where the roof is supported by a framework and the bales are filled in afterwards. There are advantages and disadvantages to either approach.

In a load-bearing strawbale building the windows and doors have to be placed carefully to avoid compromising the strength of the walls, and the roof has to be designed to equalize the load distribution to the walls. The size of the building, the height of the walls, and compression and settling of the bales under the weight of the roof and potential snow loads must also be considered. All of these obstacles are overcome when using an independent support structure for the roof. My neighbor built a very large load-bearing strawbale workshop, but it has only two doors and no windows. Two pictures of the building are shown in the pictures here. The details of the project are featured in Living Homes.

Typical support structures for non-load bearing strawbale buildings include conventional lumber framing as well as timber framing, framing with poles or logs, or concrete posts and beams. The support structure holds up the roof, taking the pressure off the bales (and the builder). Besides, a supporting framework enables you to put up the roof first, so that the rest of the work can proceed inside the shelter, protecting yourself, your tools and the strawbales from the weather. That's important since it only takes one rainstorm to soak the tops of the unprotected bales, quickly rotting out your good work.

On the other hand, a supporting framework often requires more lumber than you would use with load-bearing walls, and the framing tends to get in the way of the bales, requiring extra design work to position the framing for minimal interference with the walls, and/or to notch into the bales to fit around the framing. The strawbale home pictured here is a non-load bearing structure built by another neighbor. It is also featured in Living Homes.

Adobe is an amazingly versatile material. For hundreds of years, it dominated construction in the American Southwest and it can be used economically in a full range of structures. In recent years, modern building techniques have further increased adobe's flexibility

Building with earthbags (sometimes called sandbags) is both old and new. Sandbags have long been used, particularly by the military for creating strong, protective barriers, or for flood control. The same reasons that make them useful for these applications carry over to creating housing: the walls are massive and substantial, they resist all kinds of severe weather (or even bullets and bombs), and they can be erected simply and quickly with readily available components. Burlap bags were traditionally used for this purpose, and they work fine until they eventually rot. Newer polypropylene bags have superior strength and durability, as long as they are kept away from too much sunlight. For permanent housing the bags should be covered with some kind of plaster for protection.

What are insulating concrete forms?

WHAT ARE ICF'S?

Insulating concrete forms (ICFs) are hollow foam blocks which are stacked into the shape of the exterior walls of a building, reinforced with steel rebar, and then filled with concrete. ICFs combine one of the finest insulating materials, Expanded Polystyrene (Styrofoam), with one of the strongest structural building materials, steel reinforced concrete. The result is a wall system of unmatched comfort, energy efficiency, strength and noise reduction.

The forms, made of foam insulation, are either pre-formed interlocking blocks or separate panels connected with plastic ties. The left-in-place forms not only provide a continuous insulation and sound barrier, but also a backing for drywall on the inside, and stucco, lap siding, or brick on the outside.

Although all ICFs are identical in principle, the various brands differ widely in the details of their shapes, cavities and component parts.

Block systems have the smallest individual units, ranging from 8" x 1'4" (height X length) to 1'4" x 4'. A typical ICF block is 10" in overall width, with a 6" cavity for the concrete. The units are factory-molded with special interlocking edges that allow them to fit together much like plastic children's blocks.

Panel systems have the largest units, ranging from roughly 1' x 8' to 4' x 12'. Their foam edges are flat, and interconnection requires attachment of a separate connector or "tie." Panels are assembled into units before setting in place - either on-site or by the local distributor prior to delivery.

Plank systems are similar to panel systems, but generally use smaller faces of foam, ranging in height from 8" to 12"and in width from 4' to 8' . The major difference between planks and panels is assembly. The foam planks are outfitted with ties as part of the setting sequence, rather than being pre-assembled into units.

Within these broad categories of ICFs, individual brands vary in their cavity design. "Flat wall" systems yield a continuous thickness of concrete, like a conventional poured wall. "Grid wall" systems have a waffle pattern where the concrete is thicker at some points than others. "Post and beam" systems have widely spaced horizontal and vertical columns of concrete which are completely encapsulated in foam. Whatever the differences among ICF brands, all major ICF systems are engineer-designed, code-accepted, and field-proven.

BENEFITS TO HOME OWNERS

Comfort - Houses built with ICF walls have a much more even temperature throughout the day and night. They have virtually no “cold spots”, and sharply fewer drafts.

Solidity - The rigidity of concrete construction reduces the flex in floors and cuts shifting and vibration from the force of the wind or the slamming of a door. Concrete houses survive high-force winds like hurricanes far better than wood homes. And when properly reinforced, they should also withstand earthquakes well.

Quietness - About one-sixth as much sound gets through an ICF wall compared with an ordinary frame wall. This sharply cuts the intrusion of noise from outside.

Energy efficiency - The superior insulation, air tightness, and mass of the walls cut the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling by 30-40%. This can save $200-300 per year in a typical home. In addition, it allows the installation of smaller

heating and cooling equipment. That can reduce the initial cost of a house by over a thousand dollars.

Design flexibility - ICF houses can be completed with almost any interior and exterior finishes and can take any shape as easily as wood frame. In fact, some interesting effects, such as curved walls and frequent corners, can be less expensive to build into an ICF home.

BENEFITS TO BUILDERS

Versatile System - Flexible Designs
ICF homes can be designed in any style, and will accept any traditional exterior finish including vinyl or wood siding, stucco and brick. Because custom angles and curves are easily created, it's simple to build in bows, bays and radiuses. ICF systems accommodate any of today's most popular design features, such as tall walls, large openings, long floor spans, and cathedral ceilings.

Internationally Proven & Code-Accepted
Originally developed in Europe (where concrete home building is standard) ICF Systems have been used successfully around the world for more than 30 years. Thousands of ICF homes have been built in recent years throughout the United States and Canada. They have proven successful in every region and climate, from Orlando to Calgary. ICF systems are accepted by all the major model codes in the U.S., and by the R-2000 program in Canada.

Fast to Learn & Easy to Use
Although it looks new and different, anyone with construction experience can quickly get up to speed with ICF’s. An ideal crew has a mix of concrete placement and carpentry experience. Once the crew has some practice, each ICF built home requires less skilled labor and less total labor than a wood-framed home. ICF’s are very lightweight, so crews stay fresh through the day. Likewise, ICF’s present no problem for the sub-contractors who come after the walls are poured. Since holes, chases, and rectangles are easily cut into ICF’s with a knife or saw, installation of mechanical systems is a snap. The fastening of drywall and lap siding is just as fast and easy. And mid-course corrections, such as moving an opening, are no big deal - just saw it out and reform. It’s not more difficult to make changes to an ICF wall - it’s just different.

Cost Competitive
Over the last ten years, concrete priced have been remarkably stable. Recent price increases in other materials have generated interest in concrete building systems as never before. Labor savings and readily available materials make ICF’s, feature for feature, one of the most cost competitive wall systems in U.S. and Canadian housing markets.

Panels made from a thick layer of foam (polystyrene or polyurethane) sandwiched between two layers of Oriented Strand Board (OSB), plywood or fiber-cement.

These are used for walls, roofs, and floors. They resist loads caused by wind, snow, and seismic activity.

SIPs have 1-1/2" pre-cut wire chases in necessary locations. The horizontal wire chases line up with the wire chases in the neighboring panel.

Each panel is designed to assemble together using the tongue and groove as the connection point. Either grabber screws or 8 penny ringshank nails can be used to secure the panels by going through the OSB into the Metal spline making the connection even more solid

What are insulating concrete forms?

WHAT ARE ICF'S?

BENEFITS TO HOME OWNERS

BENEFITS TO BUILDERS

Panels made from a thick layer of foam (polystyrene or polyurethane) sandwiched between two layers of Oriented Strand Board (OSB), plywood or fiber-cement.

**What are insulating concrete forms?**