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Re: GBlist: Insulating a new stone house.



Hi Paul

Im that lister, part time lurker, who uses the stress skin panel
(SSP)scraps.  Our local SSP maker has lots of misorders, mistakes and just
scrap all of which is not much use to anyone due to its thickness (8-12")
and varied shapes. This SSP manuf is also a timber frame outfit and I think
they chuckle a bit when we show up........  Slipformers, you should know,
are the lowest form of mason :).  I did get some prices from this fellow on
new (plain)styrofoam insulation and it was quite cheap.  (But not as cheap
as a case of homebrew or a donation to thier demolition derby
car!)Styrofoam of course, is relatively low in R value but does not produce
HFCs and doesnt seem quite as nasty.  
 
There is probably a good chance there is a stress skin panel fabricator
near you, thier wieght tends to force a more regional network of manuf. 
Check out my web page http://www.slic.com/~barkeatr/, we are just finishing
the stonework now.  Our wall is a double stone wall in most of our house,
we have got the each wall thin enough that we feel both walls are working
together.   We are going to do a few of our last walls with a interior wood
finish.  In this case we will use SSPs with plywood on the inside and just
slipform the outside like normal.  
You will notice on our web page that our walls slope gently to the inside. 
This makes a wall thick enough to form it own footing at the bottom and
thinner and cheaper on top were less strength is needed.  It is quite
gracefull too.  

The stonework has taken two summers, largely by myself, part time.  I think
If you had more walls that were only one side of stone, and a crew of 2-3
and you could build very fast.  It is a nice way to build, you can still
spend time with your family ect.  It is very organic, as the house was
changing just ahead of what was cast in stone!

The walls will sit the winter unroofed.  The wall sits on two inches of dow
blueboard and our last thing to do before winter is to extend that
insulation on both sides of the wall 3-4 feet.  This will keep the ground
below from freezing, and allow us to save some money this winter for the
rest of the house.  We have spent a little more than 4000 dollars so far,
probably about as much as the closing costs and lawyers fees would be on a
store bought home!  

I am going to build the windows this winter, and I am keeping an eye on the
window thread.  We have large overhangs and I feel homemade windows will be
subject to less (or none) rain ect.  Anyone out there know of good sources
on homemade windows? Sorry for the long rant, its been a long summer
talking to stones!
take care
Tim McCarthy 
Barkeater Design Build Company


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