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permaculture - [permaculture] re: gabions, earth brick and strawbale construction in cold climate

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  • From: "storm30" <storm30@telus.net>
  • To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] re: gabions, earth brick and strawbale construction in cold climate
  • Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:29:52 -0700

For the longest time I was thinking of sprayed concrete (shot-crete) and
domes. Think Monolithic Dome - especially since I wanted to create a passive
solar, earth bermed home with earth roof. Yesterday surfing Google I came
across cement prices/shortages. For example in 2004, China used over 50% of
the world's cement, creating shortages elsewhere. (this is an internet fact I
do not verify it's correctness) But it did get me thinking about alternatives
to cement. It can only get worse from here on in.

I know the thread of gabions came up a while ago, I believe the gist was
hard, heavy, time consuming work and one doesn't want to have to fiddle with
the wire. When searching gabions on Google a whole plethora of sites come
up. The metal cages most sites have look easy -ish and interesting.
http://www.terraaqua.com/
http://www.weld-mesh.com/homepage.htm

Has anyone had experience with them? The one thing I can't find is even a
ball-park price. I looked at pictures of projects - Jubal used gabions and
then straw bales. I think about straw bales (insulating) because I live in a
cold area close to wheat farming.

Mike Jubal's Straw bale vault uses gabion foundation:
http://www.potkettleblack.com/natbild/jakubal.html

Sun Ray's Son's House:
http://www.potkettleblack.com/natbild/sunray4.html

What I really like is Sun Ray's son's house, strawbale/earthplaster with a
living roof. Does anyone know how the straw bales stay dry with the earth
roof and if it provides enough insulation value? I would love a dome shaped
living roof. My main idea was to use earth brick to build a 20ft across
circle to waist height and then inflate a re-usable dome shape. Use the curve
and support to finish dry laying earth bricks and plaster the outside and
then the inside (once form is deflated) for strength. The idea is from an
African web-site I can't find the link to right now. In desert climates this
would be the end of construction - hot in the day and cold at night the mass
of the structure provides the heat at night/cool day of course. My situation
is different.


My climate is cold and stays cold for months at a time (Alberta, Canada). I
live close to the rocky mountains, so rocks for gabions and clay soil is not
a problem. My problem is that I haven't found any way to insulate earth
brick. Even though my climate is dry, my desire to blend my home into the
environment and protect from tornados/hail ect and passive solar benefits by
berming - earth on earth brick and insulation may be too damp, and I haven't
heard any experiences of straw bale and earth berming with earth brick -
which would be ideal.

I would love to do an earthbrick dome interior for passive heat benefits and
then a strawbale exterior for insulation covered in an earth plaster - I
could forgo the living earth exterior but if there was a way without risking
moisture damage I would have the best of both worlds. (I also have to plan
for snow sitting on top of my dome) Yes I could seal everything up with a
chemical, but then I lose the breathability of straw and earth and risk
trapping moisture between the layers. Tire crumb is easily availble, which
I've read is excellent for drainage in place of gravel, as for insulating
with it...


Any way, hope I start a thread...my dilemma at the moment just runs around my
head like a hamster in a wheel. Any thoughts would be appreiciated.

Thanks Storm30


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