SB: A Better Mousetrap

["Mike Rubey" <Rubey@starband.net>]

Good Morning,
I would like to share the technique with which we built our home. It is
called the Big Heart Balecage and is named after Big Heart construction of
Gainesville Texas. The bale-cage part is that you literally create what
looks like a huge cage. This idea was developed by Bob Skinner and he has
given me permission to share it with you. There is a lot of room for
improvisation in how you employ this technique. Please be open minded, this
is really different.
You may well see, as we have, that it is indeed a better way.
Below are the steps we went through in building our home.

The construction is done in all light gauge galvanized steel with red iron
reinforcements in critical areas such as corners and large headers, and OSB
(oriented strand board). Steel is approximately half the cost of lumber for
any particular application and is likely to be made from recycled products.
It takes longer to work with, to cut and to screw together but is
astronomically stronger.
There is virtually no dimensional lumber involved in the structure
whatsoever.
As the steel framing structure is assembled, all desired lathing attachment
points at the base and tops of walls as well as corners and next to doors
and windows are there, there is no need for installing additional material
or deadwood for lathing. Bullpanel is used for lathing so the bales can be
placed either flat or on edge as they are held firmly in place by the rigid
lathing. (there is no pinning or any other form of joining the bales at all)
It is in fact preferable to place them on edge so that the bullpanel lathing
can be pigtailed to the bale wire, (wire rather than string on the bales is
also preferable)
Bullpanel lathing provides a very straight wall which undulates only
slightly and is easy to install cabinetry on with a minimum of scribing.
Bullpanels are four by twenty foot panels of 3/16" galv. wire welded on 4"
centers. They are available at any farm and ranch store. In the stucco they
are like a 4" OC grid of rebar.

We used the best self tapping screws we could get.

What we did is this:

1.Ramset 20 gauge 2"X4" galv. angle to the slab along chalklines to define
both out and inside of walls.
We put a large bead of tar underneath as an insect barrior. Be sure to leave
door passes.

2. Build I columns of wall width OSB with four pieces of 20g. angle, two
running up each side to make an I-beam looking structure for columns that
will be buried in walls. For columns next to doors or windows do the same
except only on one side of OSB.

3. Install and brace columns on each side of door and large window sites.
Small windows only need one column. We also installed I columns with the
angle screwed to both sides wherever we had unbroken bale runs longer than
twelve feet.

4. Install 18 gauge 2X4 metal stud material as top plate on both in and
outside of columns. Brace.

5. Window bucks and headers are made basically the same as the columns but
leave tabs extending past the corners on the steel angle so that you can
screw the corners together and so that you can attatch the bucks and headers
to the columns. Use 18 gauge material for headers and install 2X3 red iron
angle underneath the light gauge angle in any headers that are longer than
36".

6. Install 6X6 angle with red iron reinforcing on the inside and out side of
all exterior corners.

7. Install vertical metal stud track for attachment point for all interior
walls.

8. Screw expanded metal lathe to all flat metal surfaces on columns and
bucks.

9. Make sure everything is plumb and level and brace accordingly.

10. Install bullpanel lathing to entire exterior of structure using homemade
very light gauge metal clips folded over wire and screwed to structure. Cut
out doors and windows using bolt cutters.

11. You can now stack bales against the exterior lathing. You have created
pockets with the base plate angles, the columns, the headers and bucks. The
structure holds the bales in place.

12. Install interior bull panel lathing and cut out doors and windows.
(screw all blocking for cabentry etc to inside of bullpanel before it goes
up)

13. Install all electrical boxes and conduit on bale walls, tied to
bullpanel with pigtails. Poke conduit well out of top inside of walls for
access and to keep mud out. Put a square of foam in every box to keep mud
out.

(We have no plumbing in our balewalls, we brought any plumbing on exterior
walls in through the foundation underneath the cabinetry. The vents are all
in interior walls)


14. Pour bond beam.

15. Create any chases through bale walls for airconditioning lines etc using
4" PVC.

16. Drive copper ground rods into the ground three or more places around the
house and ground the structure to them using standard grounding wire. This
will eliminate stray currents.

17. Stucco walls. (If you are planning on using the foundation as the finish
floor, staining it, then be sure to cover it with a half inch or so of sand
before you stucco.)

18. We framed our roof using 18 gauge metal stud and made trusses just like
wooden trusse, installed on 2' centers. A metal product called hat-channel
(also 2' OC) is used as stringers for the r-panel roof.
It took a very long time and is way over-built. I am proud of it though.
People go up in the attic and their jaws drop. If I were to do it again, I
would explore using large steel purlin beams like they build large metal
buildings and barns with. It would be plenty strong enough and much quicker.

Basically, thats it.
I am happy to field any questions.

Mike Rubey





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