Applying Earthen Plaster 'building without borders'

Building Green TV has a great video clip with information on earthen plasters, the primary sealant for straw bale construction. These plasters are available in several finish colors, eliminating the need to paint the house upon completion of plastering. Some plasters are all-natural and contain no toxic ingredients (something we definitely recommend that you look into when your builder is specifying which plaster you use). I also highly recommend, if you are researching straw bale homes, you pay attention to Building Green TV’s excellent resources. Check out the earthen plasters clip here.

This report includes a fan letter from someone who believes that the housing crisis will have a positive outcome: buyers are more aware of the importance of home durability and energy-efficiency. Click the video to play.

Q: What Are SIPs and Are They Environmentally Friendly? The original question was more simple, but I felt the need to elaborate. Matt asked, “Who makes the compressed straw panel?” that I had made a comment about in response to a reader’s comment about styrofoam homes… anyway… long story cut short.

A: SIP stands for Structural Insulated Panel. The most common SIP is made by sandwiching expanded polystyrene board (styrofoam) with OSB (oriented strand board) into which openings are cut for doors and windows. The panels are assembled together to form the walls/roof of a home. This is a good, short video of standard SIP construction. There are a few things that set off alarms here: phenol formaldehyde resin used to bond the wood chips and (the more obvious) styrofoam. Off-gassing formaldehyde is no good for indoor air quality and styrofoam is not biodegradable, although expanded polystyrene SIPs have good insulating qualities. There are several reasons that buildings are made with SIPs instead of wood/stick frame these days. There is a big push to find other methods of building homes than wood, simply because deforestation devastates huge areas of the earth, annihilating fragile ecosystems and species of plants and animals. SIPs provide increased insulation, reducing the amount of fuel/energy a home takes to keep heating and cooling year round. SIPs are manufactured in a facility before they reach the site, making on-site construction incredibly quick (think a couple of weeks instead of a several months).

Agriboard Compressed Straw SIPs

The ecofriendly award for the SIP that has the least impact on the environment from production to disposal goes to a compressed straw SIP manufactured by Agriboard. This product has excellent insulating and fire prevention qualities. Check out Agriboard’s video to see how it is made by compressing straw with fifteen thousand pounds of pressure and how it stands up to various structural and fire tests (hint: it stands up very well to these tests). Agriboard is also sandwiched between OSB, so sadly formaldehyde is still present in this product. The major benefit is avoiding the use of styrofoam which is notorious for cluttering landfills and is estimated to take over 900 years to decompose. Straw is a biproduct of cereal grain production and will decompose very quickly- it comes from the earth and goes back into it without any trouble. Man-made chemical styrofoam is just not so nice.

Q: I have looked into installing solar panels on my house but the price is not within my current budget. Is there an alternative to the common big name companies I have contacted that offers solar panels at an affordable price?  LynneMarie

affordable energypeak solar system

A: While at the AIA (American Institute of Architects) Convention 2008, I visited a vendor that represented EnergyPeak Solar Systems for standing seam roofs. This product is a solar energy collector that is manufactured as a dark woven material that can be easily installed between seams on standing seam roofs. The rep told me that the product is 80-90% as efficient as traditional glass solar panels but can be purchased at 50% of the price. This product is my suggestion for an affordable solar solution. I like that the product adheres to a surface, eliminating the awkward look that solar panels can give to a home’s roof. These solar mats are durable enough be walked on, so if you have a deck that receives a lot of direct sunlight, that may be a good location to install. Of course, the angle of the sun is a huge factor when installing traditional solar panels, and I’m not exactly sure what how this effects the return rate for EnergyPeak’s system. It’s worth checking them out! You can do so at EnergyPeak.com .

Q: I’ve seen "LEED" all over the place but none of the articles I’ve found directly address what it is. Can you go into some detail about what exactly LEED is for me? Sorry- I’m a newbie. Thanks! Allison

A: Allison, no apologies needed. LEED is quickly becoming a well known word in the building industry, but for people who do not work in this industry, it is likely to be unfamiliar. Good for you though, seeking knowledge about green building practices! This page has your answer, plus gives you great reasons why people should choose to get their home design LEED Certified, including energy savings and tax incentives. Visit the page here .

Q: I’m in Arizona. My living room has four large windows and the sun just pours in. The place is like an oven. I’ve tried to put an AC unit in a window but it is getting expensive and looks awkward (it looks pretty ugly smack in the middle of my nice view). Any suggestions on what I might do instead of the AC unit? Thank you!

Bart L., AZ

A: Hi Bart,

Instead of trying to counteract the heat gain you are experiencing from the sun through your windows, you might want to try a few things that are more pro-active and will give you better results. Here’s what I suggest:

-External shading devices over windows (such as louvres or canvas awnings)
-Install UV-blocking film on windows: more info
-Mitsubishi Electric’s Mr. Slim ductless A/C unit : if you still require cooling, this is the way to go without having to place a unit in your window

Hope you can use this info! -Suzy

Q: These green affordable ideas sound great. What can one expect to pay for say a 3bed 2bath 2000 square foot abode?
Adam W.

A: Adam, studies have shown that the cost of green homes is around 3-5% more than homes that are not green, which is pretty negligible. The cost of building varies from location to location and the type of construction and some other factors play a huge role in how much the end product will cost.  The factors that affect home cost include the price of your materials, appliances, finishes, fixtures, lighting, hardware, etc. Bathrooms, kitchens, and other rooms that require fixtures and appliances use a large portion of the budget. Therefore, adding additional rooms of this type will drive up your cost. For instance, the more bathrooms you want, the more your home will cost.

If you can find good deals on these products/materials then you can greatly decrease the final price tag of a green home. This is very possible but takes a lot of time for research. If you or someone in your family can do most of the research, then you don’t have to pay your designer to do it for you, cutting the design fee and keeping your money in your own wallet. Other aspects of home design that have a significant impact on the cost of the project are the structure of your home and the level of difficulty for constructing it. If your home has a very elaborate structure then it will undoubtedly take longer to build and be very frustrating for the builder. I can assure you that they will make you pay for their time and frustration. If you work with your builder through the design process, then you can use his excellent knowledge for structural ideas that will help you best reach your project goals and tailor the design to match his skill set. This will help make sure that the construction goes smoothly, takes less time (so labor cost are less) and also heighten the quality of the craftsmanship because your builder gets to build in a way he is most comfortable. He will also appreciate your ability to hear his opinions as well as your acknowledgment of his expertise. All too many construction projects end up in arguments between the designer/builder/owner because there is a lack of respect for what the construction crew does: they deserve respect and should have good communication with everyone on the project team.

Some modern affordable homes are being built with very little addition of traditional home features on both the interior and exterior, like molding around doors/windows and roof/eave decoration. These details cost money, and by omitting them, you can leave more room in your budget for things you would like to upgrade. This may be a deluxe stove/range because you love cooking, better quality lighting that uses less energy, or solar panels to heat water or generate electricity. In general, building green adds an average of 3-5% to your overall costs, but like I said, if you  are careful to avoid excess space and details that you do not need, you can reach your goals effectively well within your budget.

Your designer can help minimize budget waste on the most costly part of home building : doors and windows. It is important when designing for a strict budget that windows are placed in the most strategic places to get the best quality daylight in your home and to maximize the effect you want, such as framing a special view or to allow plenty of fresh air in living spaces.

Your best bet for finding out exactly what your home will cost is to get in touch with a designer and discuss your goals and expectations of your home project. That way, they can help you determine which parts will be the most costly or best deal and prioritize (cut out what you don’t need/add more of what you do need) until a solution can be reached within your budget.

The average cost for US home construction is $100-200 per square foot. The more expensive options you choose (cherry cabinets, marble floors…) the higher the cost per square foot of your green home. Material costs differ from place to place. A little piece of information to get you thinking about how location affects construction price: in Panama, the cost per square foot to build a home is around $40-50 dollars.

US 2000 sq ft home: $200,000 - $400,000
Panama 2000 sq ft home: $80,000 - $100,000

In general, this is due to wages in Panama being a LOT less than what we take to the bank. I don’t want to give the impression that they are getting more for less. It all evens out- unless you work here and build in Panama!

Q: I have heard that straw bale homes are far greener than wood frame. My husband and I are retiring and planning to build a home in Vermont. We are considering straw bale. Do you think that this is what we should do? What are the differences between wood and straw?

Candace, VT

A: Candace,

What a great question to kick off this Q&A session! The problem with the question is that there is no clear answer, but there is a discussion we can have about “the sustainability of wood and straw bale construction, where the materials come from, the consequences of harvesting the materials, and the benefits and restrictions associated with each.” There are a surprising number of consequences of straw bale construction that people do not consider, purely because they do not second guess that it is a green building technique.

Both types of construction can be carried out in green ways. Location is key to determining if wood or straw bale is more appropriate for your site. Please see ThinkDwell’s WOOD vs. STRAW BALE page for detailed information regarding specifics. Hopefully this will help you gain more knowledge and determine what is the best choice for your home.

Check out more Q&A posts .

The ThinkDwell Blog is holding an open Question & Answer forum: an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have in regards to home projects you are thinking of undertaking and have professional home designers respond. We specialize in issues facing the affordability and sustainability of home construction projects, chemical-free mold remediation techniques, green building product specification, and energy-efficient home design. We are happy to supply any information we can about your small or large projects and point you in the right direction!

E-mail your questions to pubs@thinkdwell.com with "Q&A" in the subject line. We will try to post all questions and answers on the blog.

You can see responses to this post by clicking on the title , and you can see the answers to specific questions by visiting the Q&A Category .