Re: SB: Re: Re: Re: Question about strawbale house on stilts

[Alan Courtright <acourtri@linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us>]

On Sat, 27 Oct 2001, GuyW wrote:

> Bill: even with heavy equipment, its hard to achieve the same level of
> compaction as native soil.  Even 90%+ compaction is 90%+ of laboratory
> compaction, not native.

Seems to me that'd depend on the particular soil involved.

Years ago, I had a situation that involved having to dynamite a crown of
outcropping rock and filling in an area that amounted to about half a well
length (in the middle).  In the filled area, I used a mechanical tamper
and water, and gave it hell.  Then I put extra rebar in the footings, and
in a short concrete wall above that.  Laid block on it, and 15 years later
there wasn't even a crack in the mortar of the blocks, let alone any
cracks in the concrete itself.

The length wasn't that great, and I don't know whether I'd be inclined to
try the same thing over, say, half the footing of a fairly good-sized
house.  But I might, on a site I'm looking at now, because it's glacial
till that compacts ferociously, almost turning back into the hardpan that
some of it is.  I had some of it moved onto a sloped roadway that handles
a fully-loaded 10-yard truck without problems.
> 
> The settlement is only noticeable when you slab or walls crack  :o)



                         -|//*Alan Courtright*\\|=   
                                Poulsbo, WA
                             acourtri@krl.org
                       



-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from the list, send a message to:
   <strawbale-unsubscribe@crest.org>

or for the digest to:
   <strawbale-digest-unsubscribe@crest.org>

Please send any list administration questions to
strawbale-owner@crest.org