# Green Building Options



## offgridbrandon (Mar 7, 2008)

I have some experience with strawbale, cob, and green lumber building, but what other methods are truly viable? Cordwood sounds interesting, but of the few people I know with experience half sing its praises, the other half wouldn't do it again. Has anyone worked with rammed earth or earth bag? The thought of using plastic bags isn't exciting, but if the longevity of the house was great enough perhaps the trade off is worth it... what do you think?


http://www.lifeunplugged.net
'...working jobs we hate to buy stuff we don't need'


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

just curious...what is the goal? do you wish to use materials that are renewable quickly and don't result in timber harvest? do you wish to build a well insulated home? i only ask because i am wondering if there is a system that uses recycled products in lieu of new.


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

I have seen a lot of rammed-earth homes. They look pretty cool.

Personally we went with a steel building.

2400sq ft for $16,000 was just too good a deal to pass.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

This is one of those things that depends on what is available in your area. Adobe would be green building for the southwest but not after shipping 2000 miles to the northeast or anywhere else? Regular lumber would be green if it's harvested in the local area. So what's available by nature in your area to build with?

That said I like cave houses:

http://www.escapeartist.com/OREQ11/Cave_Houses.html


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## michiganfarmer (Oct 15, 2005)

wy_white_wolf said:


> This is one of those things that depends on what is available in your area. Adobe would be green building for the southwest but not after shipping 2000 miles to the northeast or anywhere else? Regular lumber would be green if it's harvested in the local area. So what's available by nature in your area to build with?
> 
> That said I like cave houses:
> 
> http://www.escapeartist.com/OREQ11/Cave_Houses.html


me too


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

Green building. http://www.usgbc.org/

The city of Greensburg, Kansas was pretty well destroyed by tornado last year. They have pledged to rebuild as "green" as reasonable. 
http://www.greensburgks.org/

http://www.bnim.com/fmi/xsl/press/index.xsl?-token.arid=69
http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/07/23/leonardo-di-caprio-to-build-eco-town-in-kansas/
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/news/a...s-into-the-future-as-it-rebuilds-under-the-c/
http://www.alwaysbuildgreen.com/greensburg.html


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## strawhousefarm (Feb 27, 2008)

offgridbrandon said:


> I have some experience with strawbale, cob, and green lumber building, but what other methods are truly viable? Cordwood sounds interesting, but of the few people I know with experience half sing its praises, the other half wouldn't do it again. Has anyone worked with rammed earth or earth bag? The thought of using plastic bags isn't exciting, but if the longevity of the house was great enough perhaps the trade off is worth it... what do you think?
> 
> 
> http://www.lifeunplugged.net
> '...working jobs we hate to buy stuff we don't need'


I have experience with strawbale too, but considered cordwood for a bit. I backed away because of the wood shrinkage and the thoughts of all the exterior walls leaking in cold air. 
I also have played around with earthbag construction and was pretty pleased with it. It was very cheap as the only cost was the bags that I bought for .30 a piece from the local feed store and a leftover roll of barbed wire. It was very stable but also very labor intensive. 50lb. sacks of damp dirt take their toll on you after a while. I have used this method for a retaining wall and the fondation of a building that I have since tore down but I was able to reuse all the bags. I think this method definitely has it's place if you have the back for it. Also the bags we used were the white woven feed sacks, very tough.
Check out some of our strawbale projects at.
www.freewebs.com/strawhousefarm
The next method I would like to try is like rammed earth but using slipforms on a framed wall which you pour with clay slip just like concrete slip form.


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## offgridbrandon (Mar 7, 2008)

My expectations are pretty unrealistic, but I acknowledge that...

I guess I am wanting a house that I can build at my own pace using materials that I can gather myself if possible, or buy cheaply if all else fails. Using locally available materials is important, as is an end product that is as green as possible. I also think the structure should also be serviceable for at least three generations or 100+ years (with regular maintenance). I expect to compromise on some points after weighing costs and benefits, but those are the ideals I am starting out with.

I think my dream house would be an earth sheltered at least partially due to the moderating benefits in temperature. Less heating and no cooling expenses or emitions sounds pretty hard to beat. If I went this route, I would think poured concrete walls would be the best choice but I am concerned by the CO2 produced in the manufacture of concrete...


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

offgridbrandon said:


> ...I think my dream house would be an earth sheltered at least partially due to the moderating benefits in temperature. Less heating and no cooling expenses or emitions sounds pretty hard to beat. If I went this route, I would think poured concrete walls would be the best choice but I am concerned by the CO2 produced in the manufacture of concrete...


You might want to research earthships, baghouses, and papercrete


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

offgridbrandon said:


> My expectations are pretty unrealistic, but I acknowledge that...
> 
> I guess I am wanting a house that I can build at my own pace using materials that I can gather myself if possible, or buy cheaply if all else fails. Using locally available materials is important, as is an end product that is as green as possible. I also think the structure should also be serviceable for at least three generations or 100+ years (with regular maintenance). I expect to compromise on some points after weighing costs and benefits, but those are the ideals I am starting out with.


A wigwam,

or a sod-house,

or an adobe home, maybe?





> ... I think my dream house would be an earth sheltered at least partially due to the moderating benefits in temperature. Less heating and no cooling expenses or emitions sounds pretty hard to beat. If I went this route, I would think poured concrete walls would be the best choice but I am concerned by the CO2 produced in the manufacture of concrete...


Everything makes CO2.

With concrete do not forget radon.

If you encase yourself with concrete, you may create an environment filled with radon for the next century.


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## Explorer (Dec 2, 2003)

When I lived in New Mexico, two young men built a house about 25' x 40' over about three months. They had a mud, adobe, pit where they added straw and water to make adobe. Placed it in form and sun dried the bricks. Over the course of about two months they made the bricks (about 4"x"12"x'16") and built the walls. They used smaller blocks for the interior walls. That was over 50 years ago and that building is still in fine shape.


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

Timber frame and sips panels.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Start planning to come to the MREA Energy Fair in June.
Every one of the above options will have a workshop or two or three. 
These workshops will be conducted by the good people who have been there and done that.
Mark Morgan will do strawbale.
Rob Roy will do cordwood.
etc. etc.
Invaluable information to be gleened from those folks.

see you there . .???


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

offgridbrandon said:


> I guess I am wanting a house that I can build at my own pace using materials that I can gather myself if possible, or buy cheaply if all else fails. Using locally available materials is important, as is an end product that is as green as possible.


You may wish to look into papercrete building, also known by other names. 
You could build keywayed blocks as you have time and then assemble when you have enough. You would probably want to store inside however so a building to work in might be nice so you could also work during foul weather.


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