Re: really wet straw

[John Fisher <jmfisher@cisco.com>]

Sarah,

In our workshop with non load bearing walls which were 18 ft high at max we had stucco wire on outside AND on the inside and these were wired together through the wall every 6".  It is pretty darn tight, out stucco crew who were experienced with SB cautioned us that the the wall be anchored at the top so as not to allow it to flex and push outward and crack the stucco when the wind blows.  This in addition to rebar at bottom, bamboo every 3rd course and lath "L"s which tied the wall courses to the posts for seismic purpose.  We still have to plaster the interior.

I think the wind forces caused your wall to push out and crack the stucco. It sounds like there was also no inside lath like the lath/SB/lath/stucco in my structure.  Before you repair maybe the design needs to be examined??

John Fisher

12:02 PM 1/20/00 +0000, you wrote:
>Hi everyone,
>
>Well, the drought has broken here in Israel, along with portions of my roof
>(90 kmh winds) and I've got some really wet straw in my house.  It is so
>wet it will have to come out.  So far only the outside of the house is
>plastered (cement plaster), the inside is bare. My question of the day is,
>if I want to replace the wet straw with new dry bales, do I have to cut
>away the exterior plaster and replaster the new bales in place?  Or can I
>just shove new bales in there, up against the shell of plaster? I am
>assuming the plaster should be cut away and the whole job done over from
>scratch.
>
>Another problem - really serious cracking in the exterior plaster, which
>has been repaired once and is cracked again.  I did not do this myself but
>contracted the exterior plaster to professionals.  Why is it cracking?  I
>would understand if the house were structural strawbale that maybe settled
>after plastering, or wooden structure with infill and expansiondifferential
>of wood with the cement plaster, but mine is infill in a concrete column
>and beam skeleton.  What is going on here? how can I repair this stuff? I
>am beginning to fear that all the straw in my house is jeopordized and I am
>terrified at the thought of tearing the whole thing down to start over with
>some other system - as has been suggested to me.  I cannot afford such a loss!
>
> Please advise!
>
>Thank you,
>
>Sarah
>
>