RE: SB: Small, cheap, easy, and temporary

[luc <luc@meadowdance.org>]

Hi all,

Tim said,
> How about Foundations, roofing, plumbing wiring, flooring?

Plumbing and wiring are not a concern for this structure because we don't 
intend to plumb or wire it.  We may even go with some kind of packed earth 
floor as well, although that seems pretty undesirable to me.  Maybe a 
sealed earth floor, though -- that would be interesting.  I've heard tell 
of (but have no specific knowledge of or experience with) a material that 
can be bought and mixed with earth to harden into a firm, pleasant flooring 
material.  Does anyone have any experience with this?

I'm in absolute agreement that costs will be highest for the foundation, 
roofing, and probably flooring, and am hoping to get some more ideas here 
as to how to minimize those expenses while still addressing the needs of 
the structure in a satisfactory way.

Bill said,
> The stucture will be a significant fire hazard unless you plaster it. 
 You
> can probably use local clay/sand, or buy clay and/or sand very cheaply. 
 You
> also will want to keep out bugs, rodents, etc. Plastering is highly
> recommended.

Well, plastering would certainly be an important part of our education, but 
it may push the amount of effort required to complete this small project 
over the line for us into "don't have time for right now."  Does anyone 
have comments on how important it would be from a learning perspective to 
plaster this structure?  Do you suppose we could get away with doing only a 
scratch coat if we did plaster but didn't need it to last for a very long 
time and didn't mind if it were a bit ugly?

In planning to go with unplastered walls, I'm working from some scant 
information from the book _The Strawbale House_ (Steen, Steen, Bainbridge) 
that discusses temporary structures, such as temporary barns, made with 
unplastered straw.

I've been under the impression that straw bale fire resistance comes not 
from the plastering but from the compactness of the hay.  Working from that 
same book, here's a quote from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, 
albeit discussing bales in the context of (I believe) a mortar matrix.

"The straw bales hold enough air to provide good insulation value but 
because they are compacted firmly they don't hold enough air to permit 
combustion."

If anyone's experience, reading, or research disagrees with this, by all 
means tell me now before I build something dangerous!

Best wishes,
Luc Reid
luc@meadowdance.org
Meadowdance Community Group, LLP
www.meadowdance.org

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