Re: SB: Re: A couple of notes about no pin systems from Maryland

[Beeguild@aol.com]

Rene:
I very briefly considered putting the bales on the outside, but didn't for the reasons you mentioned and the fact that the foundation would have to be built out, the bales would be exposed to more direct weather, and extending the roof line would mean dropping edge of the roof so low that it would look funny and start blocking the view in the upper parts of the windows.  It wasn't worth it even if it was the only way to get bales on the building.

The argument for loss of interior space is one that many people bring up, but I think isn't as severe as most people realize.  The effective size of a room is more a function of the amount of linear perimeter than of the area of the interior.  Unless the room is very large people put all their funiture along the walls and the middle is simply walking space.  Interior bales decrease the perimiter relatively little.  What they gain are depth of windows (allowing for window seats, a cottage feel and sense of 3-dimensions and organic tecture that I find esthetically norishing) and bales protected from the environment.  

I don't think that moisture entrapment would ever be a problem in a retrofit in Maryland as the environment while very moist is relatively warm so you wouldn't get a dew point happening in the wall regularly enough to worry about.  Additionally, if you use earth plasters any moisture in there readily finds its way out.  

Next time you are over this way, come visit.

Sam



> Sam,
>
> > I retrofit an old house by ripping out the interior walls of the building
> > and adding bales on edge to the existing plaster walls on the interior
> side
> > of the exterior wall.
>
> I would be very wary of the above approach to SB retrofitting of an existing
> building. The best place, moisture wise, for the bales is on the outside.
> This does complicate things if the roof overhang is not big enough. In most
> cases you will  have to add extra roof. Besides this window framing should
> be moved out which is also quite a bit of work. The upside is you don't lose
> floor space and the interior walls can stay up.
>
> In certain climates (very dry) it could be acceptable to have the bales on
> the inside. In these cases it is still very important to make sure that you
> do something about the moisture barrier in the existing wall it should be
> interupted or removed. Before stacking up the bales as you describe puncture
> the the interior surface of the walls at regular intervals with a hole saw.
> Patch up the holes with a mesh to keep critters out. Butter the bales on the
> surface that will mate with the existing wall. The best method is one as
> used by Tom Rijven. He makes a thin clay slip. Creates a very shallow tub
> using a think plastic membrane wrapped around 2x2's big enough to allow one
> sided dipping of a bale in the slip bath. Put the bale out to dry usually
> this takes at most a few hours and if really hot less then an hour.
> Experiment with the slip consistency until you get good coverage and
> adhesion. Its best to chose a very hot and dry period to do this. The
> quicker the bale dries the better.
>
>
> Rene Dalmeijer
> From the reclaimed swamp at the mouth of the Rhine.