Re: SB: SB in Minnesota - lots of questions

[Speireag Alden <Joshua.M.Alden.91@alum.dartmouth.org>]

Hallo.

     Sorry about the delay in replying.  Lots of overtime.

Sgrìobh mchx2:

>1. Has anyone built a house successfully without any prior S.B. or 
>framing experience, if so what was your greatest mistake?

     Yes.  Biggest mistake?  Underestimating what a pain in the rear 
it is to caulk where stucco butts up against wood.  In a heating 
climate, put the wood on the outside or embed it the wall completely. 
The caulking isn't worth it.

     Second biggest mistake?  Not exactly straw bale, but I built with 
an earthen roof (no problem there) and did *not* use an inverted roof 
membrane assembly.  My insulation went between the joists, which 
limited what I could use for insulation, and also exposed the 
waterproof membrane to temperature changes which cross the 
freeze/thaw line.

     There were lots of little mistakes, too, but those were the biggest.

>3. I have read "Build It With Bales ll" and "Serious Straw Bale" and 
>I am still unclear as to which framing method is the best (most 
>economical & easiest), what method have you all been using?

     You'll not get any consensus on that here.  All of the framing 
methods work, as long as you do your homework and understand them 
thoroughly.

     Don't forget to read the list archives at 
http://www.crest.org/discussion/strawbale/current/

     You can learn a lot there, and if my experience is any guide, 
it's essential to supplement the reading with the knowledgeable 
discourse on this list.

-Speireag.
-- 
Speireag Alden, aka Joshua Macdonald Alden

If the biota, in the course of aeons, has built something we like but 
do not understand, then who but a fool would discard seemingly 
useless parts?  To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution 
of intelligent tinkering.   -- Aldo Leopold, _A Sand County Almanac_ 

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