Professional Documents
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WINDOWS
MOISTURE BARRIERS
Windows should be OR RETARDERS
installed so that they extend
past the exterior surface of the Wall plasters should be
plaster. Exterior window seals applied directly to the straw
EXTERIOR are potential points of moisture bales. No plastic, polymer or
Roof overhangs should be entry and should slope to help other barriers or retarders
extensive to protect walls from shed water. Windows should should be installed in wall
weather. Flat roofs should be have high quality pan flashing assemblies. In addition to
avoided because they’re more installed beneath them. trapping moisture in the wall,
likely to leak than sloped roofs. installing a barrier will limit the
The photo above shows a shear strength of the wall
future deck. It’s critical for PLUMBING assembly, which relies on good
deck/wall junctions to be Plumbing pipes should not adherence of the plaster to the
correctly flashed and sealed. be routed through straw bales. straw.
Pipes should be installed in the
floor, in waterproof channels
designed with a clear drainage
DIFFERENT SUBSTRATES
Plaster applied over different substrates, such
as straw and wood, may crack where different
materials meet for two different reasons…
1. differential curing rates caused by
dissimilar materials absorbing moisture from wet
plaster at different rates
2. differential thermal expansion and
contraction rates of different materials. One
method for preventing cracks resulting from
different substrate materials is to staple expanded
metal lath over wood framing members after the
second earth coat is applied. The lath is then
plastered with a coat of gypsum plaster. Once the
gypsum has dried, the next plaster coat of lime or
earth is applied uniformly over the entire wall.
THE ADVANTAGES TO BUILDING takes more water to bring these walls to the
WITH STRAW BALES point at which mold will start to grow than wall
assemblies that have less water storage capacity.
High Thermal Insulation Value
Because of the high permeability of the straw
Straw bale wall assemblies provide an R bale/plaster wall assembly, it is able to
value somewhere between 30 and 36 according efficiently release this water through
to authorities such as the California Energy evaporation (and to a lesser extent, diffusion.)
Commission and
Fire Resistance
Oak Ridge National
Laboratories. Actual The majority of
R values will very strawbale homes
depending on how which burn
well voids within during
walls are filled. A construction are
typical 2x6 exterior destroyed due to
wall assembly with careless workers
fiberglass insulation igniting loose
is approximately straw. Once straw
R-22. bales are
sandwiched
High Acoustic
between plaster,
Insulation Value
wall assemblies
In are extremely fire
conventionally- resistant. Because
framed buildings, the straw inside
framing members act walls is
as sound bridges, compacted, there
transmitting sound is little oxygen
through walls. available for
Because straw bales combustion.
are non-rigid, they
Properly
dampen sound rather
constructed,
than transmitting it,
plastered straw
creating a wall with
bale walls can
highly effective
withstand
acoustic insulating
temperatures of
characteristics. This
1800 degrees F. for up to 2 hours with little or
is one area in which loosely compressed straw
no damage. Fire resistance varies with straw
bales are superior to tightly compressed bales.
bale density, the effectiveness with which
The Ability to Store Water interior wall voids have been filled and the type
Strawbale walls are good hygric buffers. and thickness of the plaster. Walls plastered
This means that both the interior and exterior with earth and cement/lime have now passed 1
plaster and the straw bales are capable of and 2 hour fire rating tests respectively during
absorbing and later releasing large amounts of full-scale ASTM e-119 tests.
water while remaining below the levels at which
mold fungi become active. This means that it
Finding Qualified
Contractors More Resources:
Finding • Watch an actual Strawbale
qualified Home Inspection: www.nachi.tv/
contractors and episode15
subcontractors
• For more Green Building
is crucial in
resources for inspectors and
new
consumers, visit:
construction
www.nachi.org/green
and
remodeling. • Visit Kenton Shepard’s site at:
Much damage www.peaktoprairie.com
can be done by contact Kenton at (303)
workmen who 258-8289
don’t • Take InterNACHI’s FREE
THE DISADVANTAGES understand these homes. Green Building course at
TO BUILDING WITH Finding Qualified Inspectors www.education.nachi.org
STRAW BALES • Visit the Colorado Straw Bale
Finding home inspectors
Loans and Insurance qualified to inspect strawbale Association at:
Because strawbale homes homes is very difficult. This article
represent a relatively new is the only information available
construction method, lending directed at home inspectors. About the Author:
institutions and insurance Inspection of strawbale homes
companies in some areas of the carries high liability and you
country may be hesitant to loan on should expect prices for their
or insure them. The availability of inspection to be about twice that
ASTM test results and the efforts of conventional homes. If an
of organizations like the Colorado inspector offers a conventional
Straw Bale Association have price, that inspector does not
helped educate these industries understand these homes and will KENTON SHEPARD
and are good resources in applying not protect you. Many inspectors • InterNACHI’s Director of
for loans and insurance. won’t know what they don’t know. Green Building
Building Departments InterNACHI is the only • Certified Master Inspector
Building departments in areas professional home inspection • Producer at NACHI.TV
of the country in which few organization offering their
• Certified Course Instructor
strawbale homes exist may be members education about
inspecting strawbale homes. Visit • Inspection Course
hesitant in approving plans and Developer
worried about signing off on www.nachi.org/green for more
strawbale and green building • Author of Jobsite Phrasebook
construction details with which
they’re unfamiliar. Confrontation information. • Expert Witness Services
does not work well with building The author would like to acknowledge
officials. Providing them with contributions from Laura Bartels of
GreenWeaver Inc., and Colorado
engineering specifications or other
Straw Bale Association Executive
information which will allow them Director, Mark Schueneman.
to feel comfortable will help move
Design and layout by Valerie Green
things along and keep everyone’s
stress to a minimum. Copyright 2008 Kenton Shepard