Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 20)

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 13:46:07 GMT

Last time I talked about preparing the walls for plastering. This included installing the baseboard where the walls meet the floor. Now it is time to install window seats and window shelves. A straw bale wall is approximately eighteen inches thick, which, when recessed, offers good opportunities for creating additional useable space. (Small homes need to take advantage of every square inch.) By creating seating areas below windows, the home becomes more functional and aesthetically pleasing. A window seat set into a thick wall creates a visual transition to the outdoors. It also acts as a light reflector, which helps to create a pleasant glow within the room. In the winter, the window seats not only absorb solar energy, they also help to reflect some of this radiant energy to the inner walls. The window seats in the entry hall of my home are used constantly. Not only do they serve the same purpose as chairs, they are also very useful for placing items I will be taking with me when I go out the door-and my two dachshunds love to lie there so they can look out the window and enjoy the warmth of the sun. The window seats make the entry hall seem much larger, since they increase the width of what would have been a relatively narrow passage. With the seats in place, the entry hall takes on the feeling of a separate room. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 19)

Sat, 08 Sep 2007 07:38:47 GMT

Slate comes in a wide variety of colors and can add visual interest to a natural home. Designing and building a green home requires quiet time-time to remove yourself from the semi-chaos of the actual construction so that you can re- focus on the design itself. A home designed and built using only the mechanical drawings that were created before breaking ground (even if they include green-building elements) risks having its aesthetic "heart" getting lost in the engineering. In other words, the design process should continue throughout the construction process. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 18)

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:36:27 GMT

Cellulose insulation comes compressed and packaged in jumbo blocks. The cellulose is broken up into loose material during the blowing process. In the last post I spoke about the process of insulating the roof. We opted to install the insulation ourselves, even though many people prefer to hire a contractor for a specialized task such as this. One problem that faces the do-it-yourselfer is the seemingly endless number of decisions which have to be made during construction-when you build your own home, you are faced with many choices, both practical and aesthetic, every day. With the construction of a conventional house, you can usually get a lot of helpful input from contractors so you can make informed choices, but with green building, contractors may actually have less knowledge in this area than you do. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 17)

Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:26:12 GMT

Cellulose insulation in the hopper of the rented blowing unit. Cellulose is a recycled material that is appropriate for green building. Before I start to talk about insulating the ceiling, I want to make one additional comment on the windows. As a general rule, windows that are hinged on one side-and therefore open and close like a door-are better at preventing drafts and air leaks than windows that slide in a track. Sliding windows are more apt to let air leak in because the seal must be loose enough to allow the window to slide back and fourth easily, whereas hinged windows press against a gasket which creates a nice tight mechanical seal. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 16)

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:27:06 GMT

In my last article, I spoke about the installation of the electrical wiring. Now we are ready to install the windows. This in one step in the building process that is very satisfying from a visual standpoint. Once the windows are in place, the various rooms-and the house in general-begin to have the feeling of a finished space. The purpose of windows is to allow light and fresh air to enter the home, to allow proper ventilation, and to keep either very hot or very cold air-not to mention rain or snow-from getting inside the house in summer or winter. Windows give one a feeling of protection from the outside world while still permitting a connection to it. Small window panes-set into the larger window space by horizontal and vertical strips of wood called "muntins"-create a soft divide to the view outdoors.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 15)

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:05:43 GMT

The straw bales are now in place, and it is time to complete the rough-in of the electrical wiring. In order to meet code requirements, an electrician is hired for this procedure. As I mentioned in a previous article, some of the wiring for the house had been placed within the adobe walls while the bricks were being laid. For the straw bale walls, a chainsaw is used to cut one-and- a-half-inch deep channels into the bales. The electrical wire is pushed into these notches and run to the electrical outlets and switches in each room. The wire can also be pushed into the seams between the bales. The end of a blunt wooden stake can be used to push the wire into the notches or the bale seams. The wire used here is called UF cable, which stands for Underground Feeder. This is a very durable and moisture-resistant wire that is designed to be buried underground. When a wire must pass from the inside to the outside of a bale wall, it is fastened with tape to a long needle or rod made from one- quarter-inch-diameter metal. It is pushed through the bale, the tape removed, and the needle pulled out, leaving only the wire in place. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 14)

Fri, 25 May 2007 18:02:53 GMT

This week's article will once again address the construction of the main house (the past few articles focused on construction of the workshop). At this point in the construction process, framing of the house is complete and we can begin stacking the straw bales. For this task, I decided to enlist the help of some volunteer workers. Over the course of a weekend, I held a straw bale workshop. I had placed several fliers around town to announce this, and on the first day of the workshop, about twenty-five enthusiastic individuals showed up to lend a hand and to get some hands-on experience with these techniques. A workshop like this benefits everyone involved. The homeowner saves a great deal of time and money (in my case, eighty percent of the bales were placed during the workshop) because he or she is essentially getting free labor, and the volunteers receive free instruction on how to place the bales and other related skills. There is also a wonderful feeling of community when a group of people get together for a project such as this-the obvious comparison is that of an old-fashioned barn-raising. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 13)

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 14:03:06 GMT

The small Japanese lamp (about 3 watts) is plugged into the same electrical outlet as the television and stereo system. This lets you know that there is power to the appliances. If you are not using the TV or stereo, the light reminds you to turn off the power, and thus the phantom loads. In the last column, I discussed the advantages of generating electrical energy for your green home by using photovoltaic panels that convert sunlight into electricity. Even if your photovoltaic system won't be added until well after the home is completed, it's a good idea to start thinking about the process now. The installation will be greatly simplified if you add a run of empty conduit going up to the roof of the house. Then, when you are ready to "go solar", the electrician's work will be much easier as the wiring can be routed through this pre-exhisting conduit. Not only is it less expensive to install this conduit during the construction phase, it will save you the trouble of having to break through the attic and walls to do the wiring after the fact. The conduit will run to where your inverter will be installed, which is most likely near your circuit breaker panel, etc. This pre-existing set-up will allow you to install a grid-intertie system at some point down the road with minimal modifications to your home.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 12)

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:59:19 GMT

The photovoltaic panels being installed on the roof. As my workshop was nearing completion, twelve solar panels arrived for the photovoltaic (PV) system. Six boxes-with two flat PV panels in each box- contained the entire electrical generation system for the house. The whole array would then be mounted on the roof. These panels do not burn any fossil fuels. They have no moving parts, and are therefore totally silent. Electricity is generated simply by sunlight falling on the roof-an elegant, uncomplicated process. Something is amiss in our world when such a system is not widely appreciated and utilized. Solar power makes a coal-fired or gasoline-powered generator-with its noise, fossil fuels, oil, and fumes-seem downright barbaric. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 11)

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:55:39 GMT

The completed workshop, with its use of natural materials, blends in with the surrounding landscape. It helps to learn construction techniques on a very small green building before starting on a larger home. Continuing with the construction of the workshop, the walls consist of adobe (mud bricks). The adobe work is very rewarding and the structure slowly rises from the earth in its finished form. We laid up to three courses of adobe per day. The height is determined by how fast the mud mortar hardens in order to support the weight of the adobes above without squeezing out under pressure. The mud mortar was a thick mix-about nine shovels of the premixed clay and sand to one gallon of water. This proportion will vary depending on the moisture content of the dry premix. For the workshop, the mud was mixed in a wheelbarrow. For constructing the larger home, we used an electric cement mixer that ran off the photovoltaic system. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 10)

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 17:57:12 GMT

A view of the workshop as it appeared last December. In the summer, rainwater from the roof is diverted to the cistern. In the winter, the steeply-pitched roof sheds off excess snow. Building your own home is no small task. It takes time, money, thought, perseverance, and the management of people. It takes research in multiple areas-aesthetics, green engineering, construction techniques, etc. Before committing a year or more of your time, and a chunk of money (even if you are using your sweat-equity to cut down on the cost), it is best to find out what it is like to be a builder before taking the plunge. This can be done by constructing a small structure first. Even if you know you are ready to build your own green home, building a small structure will give you experience in working with the same materials that you will be using for the larger one. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 9)

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 12:06:44 GMT

Depending on the area that you live in and the local building codes, the straw bale walls can either support the roof directly (load bearing) or the roof can be supported by a post-and-beam structure. There are many ways to construct a straw bale or green home. I chose a post-and-beam structure because it was required by code in this area. The advantage of this approach is that the roof can be completed before the straw bales are stacked. This will help to protect the bales from rain during construction. The advantage of a load-bearing straw bale wall is that the vertical posts are eliminated from the construction process, thus saving some wood. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 8)

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 15:19:58 GMT

The finished concrete floor after the application of stain and grouting of the score lines. As mentioned in article 1, thermal mass walls and floors help to heat and cool the home. The floor of this house is exposed concrete that has been acid-stained to a stone-like patina. Since the use of concrete should be minimized because of environmental considerations (it is energy-intensive to manufacture), careful thought was given to the pros and cons of various types of flooring. Some of the choices considered were: a concrete floor with excellent thermal mass properties that would also be a good conductor of heat from the embedded hydronic heating system (a backup heating system is required by code); an earthen floor that has very low-embodied energy; a brick-on-sand floor with the radiant heating in a sand base below the bricks; flagstone with a concrete or sand base; or a wood or carpeted floor.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 7)

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 14:36:21 GMT

In this article I will discuss the advantages of straw bale for the exterior walls. Unless you live in a climate where heating and cooling are not necessary, some sort of wall insulation will be required. Code will specify the minimal amount of wall insulation for your area. Although the bales will not be stacked until the post-and-beam framing is finished, the material will be discussed here as this will dictate how the house is constructed. Straw bale walls have many advantages over conventional insulative materials. First, straw is a waste product. Straw bales come from food crops such as wheat, barley, and oats. During harvesting, the upper nutritional part is removed and used for food. The lower part is usually discarded and becomes another waste problem. Many farmers are now selling this material for use in straw bale homes. When used for structures, the bales are tightly compressed and are held together with polypropylene string. Depending on the size of the bale, they will be either 2-string or 3-string. The 2-string bales, which were used for this project, weighed around 35 pounds each. Straw bales are not always available year-round, so you will need to check for availability well in advance. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 6)

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:05:29 GMT

Adobe blocks are stacked in alternating directions in order to obtain a thicker wall. As mentioned in article 1 of this series, thick walls made of a heavy material such as stone or mud help to heat and cool the interior of the home. Most of the interior walls of this home are made of adobe bricks, which are nothing more than mud that has been poured into a form and then dried in the sun. Another option would have been to have used rammed earth. This is slightly damp earth mixed with a small amount of cement (or other form of stabilizer). It is tamped into wooden or metal wall forms that vary from 18" to 24" in thickness. Once compacted, the forms are removed, and the wall is self standing and structurally strong. Pressed adobe block is made by compressing the raw earth in a mold under extreme pressure. If these materials are not appropriate or not available in your area, thermal mass walls can be constructed of stone, brick, or any other dense and heavy material. Ideally, at least 1/2 to 2/3 of the interior surfaces (floor and walls) should be thermal mass.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 5)

Wed, 07 Feb 2007 12:12:43 GMT

The design decisions that you make on paper for your green home will determine the impact it has on the environment. The ideal green home is one that will last for over 100 years, yet, when the time comes, will dissolve harmlessly back into the earth. Straw bale, adobe (mud bricks) and wood all meet this criteria. They came directly from the earth with minimal processing. Nature recycles everything, and the concept of waste does not exist. When a structure's life comes to an end, many of the materials will merge back into the soil with no harmful effect. Materials, such as plastics (used in pipes, wiring, etc.), paints, some flooring materials, etc., are a potential environmental problem. Others, such as portland cement (which is called concrete when sand and gravel are added) can create pollution during the manufacturing process. This article will discuss the use of concrete in foundations.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 4)

Thu, 01 Feb 2007 11:00:59 GMT

Continuing on with my last column's topic of designing a home that is compact, and therefore space-efficient, this week I will discuss sailboat design as an analogy to house design. Form and function merge in sailboats made for cruising. The craft must be able to cut through the water easily while being driven by the wind. With proper sail and hull design, the sailboat can travel for thousands of miles without fossil fuels by using a natural power source-the wind. The craft is durable, controllable, and comfortable to live aboard. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 3)

Wed, 24 Jan 2007 13:17:08 GMT

Last week I discussed the importance of orienting the majority of the windows of the home to the south (if you live in the in the northern hemisphere). This adds nothing to the cost of the home and can make it dramatically more energy efficient in the winter. Another element that adds nothing to the cost (and will even save you money) is to build the home only as large as is necessary. With a smaller footprint there is less space to heat and cool, and fewer materials and resources are used, which keeps more money in your bank account.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 2)

Wed, 17 Jan 2007 14:48:50 GMT

In the previous column, I gave a quick overview of the features of my solar straw bale home. I refer to this type of structure as a "hybrid home" because it makes use of the best elements of high and low technology. (More on this concept in a future article.) In this column, I will discuss the natural efficiency of solar energy, and two simple ways to take advantage of it. To some, the idea of using sunlight to heat, cool, and power your home is still looked upon with some suspicion. This apprehension ignores the fact that the entire earth runs on solar energy.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 1)

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 18:42:12 GMT

Hi, I'm Ted Owens and I work in the field of green and appropriate technology design. During the presidential elections a few years ago, I was watching one of the candidates as he was interviewed on a late-night TV show. The candidate was being asked about moving the U.S. towards greener cars and power generation, and increasing the overall energy efficiency of appliances. His reply was that it all sounded great; however, the technology was not yet available. At that moment I was sitting comfortably in the warmth of my solar-powered straw bale home that I had designed and built. The outside temperature hovered around thirty degrees F and there was still no need to turn on the backup heating system. The television was being powered by 100% sun-generated electricity from photovoltaic panels mounted on the roof. And my year-2000 66 mpg gas-electric hybrid car was sitting in the driveway. I sat there and thought to myself, "I wonder what technology he is waiting for?"... Read the full story on TreeHugger

TreeHugger Welcomes Writer Ted Owens

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 18:22:16 GMT

Ted Owens is an award-winning designer and filmmaker working in the field of green and appropriate technology design. He has lectured on sustainable design to many organizations, including the American Institute of Architects and the National Association of Home Builders. Ted was on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Green Development and he was chairman of the Green Building Standards Committee of that organization for three years. For more, see Building with Awareness.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Recent Posts by TreeHugger's Ted Owens, New Mexico, USA