SB: Re: skins of earth and cement

["Raquel & Greg" <eatrice@princetonca.net>]

Thanks for the input everyone.  I thought I would add a couple of details that I
left out earlier.  The house is indeed a Meany-designed post and beam, 2-story
house, with no pins in the bales (or exterior, for that matter).  My main
question for you good folks was about moisture in the bales and whether or not
the different permeabilities of the skins would matter much.  We did put lime in
the cement to increase vapor permeability, though I understand that it still
isn't like earth plaster.

As for the weather, we have a three or four month rainy season with about 25"
total for the year.  Hot, dry summers means daytime temps in the upper 90s and
100s F, and humidity levels around 25%, unless you are standing in a rice field.

> Also, there would probably need to be some means of preventing the
> wall from curling and becoming convex towards the inside,
> (not unlike the reason why a table top finished only on the top side will
> tend to curl upwards because of swelling on the unfinished side).

How does one accomplish this???

This is rice harvest season here in California, so I don't have time to actually
DO any work on the house, but I have lots of time to THINK about it!

Greg



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