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  • From: Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] metal homes
  • Date: Wed, 09 Nov 2005 18:48:06 -0600


What we now have is not a proof that metal homes can't be built right.

What is your criteria for being built "right"?

>They tend to be cold
> and lifeless. Metal conducts heat and cold very quickly so needs special
> insulation and ventilation design to disallow condensation and subsequent rot of interior wood.

I don't agree. I like metal a lot.

What is it that you don't agree with, the first or second sentence?

What is special insulation?

Don responded to that. Any insulation next to a metal skin must be unaffected by moisture or it loses its insulation value. When warm, moist interior air hits cold metal, the moisture condenses out of the air and clings to and runs down on the metal. Any untreated wood--like purlins--that is continually wetted will rot, and informed people do not want treated wood inside their homes. Any insulation such as fiberglass becomes soaked and looses its insulation quality. One solution is to leave a dead-air space next to the metal and to have adequate insulation and interior air-tight barrier to keep the warm, moist air inside the structure and away from the metal. I suspect that in a humid climate there will be a problem in certain weather conditions unless there is good air flow just under the metal skin. But, unless the residents are willing to live in a totally metal structure, there will be wood connected to the metal at some point, and almost certainly at doors and windows because metal frames on doors and windows are highly energy inefficient.

Availability is the number one factor(some shelter is better than no shelter). Safety is number
two factor.

Well, as to availability, tents go up much faster than metal buildings and can cover much larger areas.

After that, it's anyone guess.

Are you serious? Far from guesswork, many factors are well known. The design features of homes are vitally important to human health and happiness. There are a large number of factors that make houses homes. Architects spend much time studying these factors and learning how to incorporate them into the houses they design.

Back to my question that you did not answer: Have you spent much time in a totally metal building?







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