[Strawbale] [SB-r-us] Re: re: window construction (now other stuff)

[Jeff Ruppert]

David,

It sounds like you are an owner-builder, or will have some big role to 
play in building your home.  Load-bearing can suit a person in your 
position just fine. 

We constantly deal with contractors and subs who are expecting 
uniformity and square, plumb and level buildings from the start.  A 
frame takes the worry away that comes with a load-bearing structure, 
such as weather and sequencing concerns.

With a wide-frame system, I think we use the same amount of wood at our 
window bucks as in a load-bearing situation.  In load-bearing walls, the 
bucks are sometimes made with three 2x4's and plywood to create a stiff 
box around the window to resist the pressure of compressed straw.  The 
bucks in a frame don't need to be as stout due to the lack of 
pre-compression.  Although it is still a concern when stacking bales 
tightly.

Jeff




David Neeley wrote:
> Jeff,
>
> Thanks for your response. With a reasonable system of precompression
> of the roof plate, many of the issues regarding "non-level" box beams
> disappear.
>
> I must admit, though, that load bearing walls have always seemed to me
> to be far more elegant as a solution. Better insulation, less
> materials (if properly designed and detailed), easier all the way
> around.
>
> Regarding multistory, properly built load bearing walls are fine for a
> two-story residence. Again personally, I would not want to go higher
> for a house...and, at my age (soon to be 59), I'll stick to a single
> story. In fact, I am designing my attic so that I will not need nor
> have ready access to it, beyond some kind of limited access for
> inspection and maintenance. Even that will be extremely seldom, as
> none of the utilities will be run there with the possible exception of
> a single lighting circuit. As I plan on having about 16" of insulation
> on the floor, too, I would simply not want to compress it by walking
> around up there!
>
> (I am not currently sure whether I'll be using ridge vents or solar
> powered vent fans for attic ventilation. It depends, really, upon
> which roof style I opt for. Although a hip roof is more complex to
> build, it also distributes the load on the outside walls better than
> other designs--but has such a short ridge that it would likely require
> solar vent fans.)
>
> Regarding window bucks extending full height, too, that sounds like
> either using other materials above and below the window or having bale
> infill there--in either case a sub-optimal solution to me. Of course,
> you could have windows extending from at or near the floor level to or
> near the ceiling--a design used in some colonial Spanish buildings
> that was quite lovely but with the obvious reduction in insulation
> value.
>
> David
>
> On Sun, Apr 20, 2008 at 7:30 PM, Jeff Ruppert <jeff at odiseanet.com> wrote:
>   
>> David,
>>
>>  Many bale homes these days are being built by a contractor, and/or they
>>  are financed by a bank, which places some constraints on how things are
>>  built.
>>     
>
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