[Strawbale] Adobe for wet climes

Lysana Robinson lysana.robinson at virgin...
Fri Dec 6 12:56:37 CET 2002


Dear Barbara,

Many thanks for your helpful reply.  Maybe you remember, I wrote an article
for your magazine in Dec 2001, though of course that was before this problem
became so evident.

To answer some of your questions:

1    The render was sand and hydraulic lime which, unfortunately, was
applied during the build in mid-October 2000 (the wettest autumn on record).
The two coats were applied within days of each other, having scored the
surface of the first coat.  A wet, gale force wind on 19th October lashed
the SW & W elevations between coats, damaging it so much that the second
coat had to be reapplied in places.

2    The Hydraulic lime wash was applied Jan/Feb 2001, with a second coat
later in the early summer (I think).

3   Some details, eg windowsills, were amended late spring/early summer in
2001 and so the render around the sills had to be refurbished.  These areas
later broke loose.  The rest of the render has not deteriorated since, so as
you suggest maybe it did carbonate during the summer of 2001.

4   However, the lime wash has separated from the render on the bottom half
of the S, SW and W elevations and simply fallen off on its own accord in
quite large platelets.  It looks pretty unsightly but, more importantly, it
means that some render is exposed with no lime-wash protection.  I have
since read that the lime wash should have been done with lime putty - is
that true?

5   Meanwhile, readings of the humidity probes, placed in the middle of the
straw/clay walls at various heights, are showing that the walls are still
drying out successfully and that most are below 15%, only the bottom probes
show readings between 16% and 22%.

6   But the building is now going into its second winter with this damaged
render simply because repairs did not happen during 2002.  I would like to
find a way to get the rendering safely repaired in 2003, hence my enquiries
now in readiness.

Hope you can advise.

Best, Lysana


----- Original Message -----
From: <strawbale-request at amper....muni.cz>
To: <strawbale at amper....muni.cz>
Sent: Friday, December 06, 2002 6:36 AM
Subject: Strawbale digest, Vol 1 #141 - 4 msgs


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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: Warning (fwd) (Jan Hollan)
>    2. octagonal healing and meditation house (fwd) (Jan Hollan)
>    3. adobe for wet climate (fwd) (Jan Hollan)
>    4. Re: adobe for wet climate (fwd) (Barbara Jones)
>
> --__--__--
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 15:56:27 +0100 (CET)
> From: Jan Hollan <jhollan at amper....muni.cz>
> To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
> Subject: Re: [Strawbale] Warning (fwd)
> Reply-To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
>
> Sorry for the troubles, the second line of the recipe below had to start
> with a * . It did not, I'm falzifying the email to avoid anybody copying
> the wrong recipe. That way, the mail has been added to a folder of a
> non-existent user ``<''.
>
> I'll ``forward'' the next two emails from there as well. Sorry that these
> will have a wrong ``From'' address this way. I don't know another solution
> at the moment. I've been away yesterday and a friend of mine reported the
> problem just an hour before... I'll try to check the changed procmailrc
> next time after changing it...
>
> jenik
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 13:58:09 +0100 (CET)
> From: Jan Hollan <jhollan at amper....muni.cz>
> To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
> Subject: Re: [Strawbale] Warning
>
> I am sorry my spam measures let it through. You see, I'm learning the unix
> possibilities on the fly...
>
> I have added the following recipe into the procmailrc for mailingilists
> today:
>
> :0 HB:
> * < 50000
> * dollar
> * million
> * assistance|urgent|Nigeria|account|partner
> /tmp/millions
>
> ---------- break of Forwarded message ----------
>  the second line of the recipe with the limit of 50000 B for scanning the
> file
>  had been without the starting * before, a serious, even if not fatal
> error
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>
>
> It means that anything containing strings (case-independent) dollar
> and million and any of the words on the next line goes to the separate
> file in the temp directory only. Files below 50 KB are checked only,
> longer files shoule be held by the setting for the mailinglists itself
> (we have a limit of 20 KB for strawbale now).
>
> The previous recipe contained just dollar and Nigeria as conditions.
>
> The advantage of strawbale constructions is that their cost is mostly not
> in order of millions of $... so the recipe won't do any harm I hope.
>
> Another recipes discard emails containing Sese-Seko and Abacha...
>
> cheers,
>  jenik
>
> On Tue, 3 Dec 2002, Viaconsensus wrote:
>
> > Dear strawbale friends
> >
> > The message below came from the strawbale list; however, it is spam ...
>
> > Sincerely yours,
> >
> > Bas Roufs.
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: ERIC JONES
> > To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
> > Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 1:29 AM
> > Subject: [Strawbale] ASSISTANCE
> >
> >
> > SOLICITING FOR BUSINESS VENTURE AND PARTNERSHIP.
> >
> > MY NAME IS ERIC JONES CHAIRMAN OF CONTRACT AWARD AND
> ...
>
>
>
> --__--__--
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 15:57:10 +0100 (CET)
> From: Jan Hollan <jhollan at amper....muni.cz>
> To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
> Subject: [Strawbale] octagonal healing and meditation house (fwd)
> Reply-To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Wed, 4 Dec 2002 15:45:23 -0000
> From: Kevin Pettit <cloudmonkey at fujiama....co.uk>
> To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
> Subject: octagonal healing and meditation house
>
> hi,
> i am in the process of applying for planning permission to build an
octagonal healing/meditation house and am looking for details of roof
construction.i intend to build a foor with a clear dome in the centre to
allow light from above into the space.is there anyone who could help me in
this endeavour?
> kevin
>
>
> --__--__--
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 16:00:08 +0100 (CET)
> From: Jan Hollan <jhollan at amper....muni.cz>
> To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
> Subject: [Strawbale] adobe for wet climate (fwd)
> Reply-To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
>
> fwding it, I've changed the subject... to something meaningful. jenik
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Wed, 4 Dec 2002 19:47:42 -0000
> From: Lysana Robinson <lysana.robinson at virgin...>
> To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
> Subject: Re: Strawbale digest, Vol 1 #136 - 3 msgs
>
> Dear Strawbalers,
>
> Has anyone found link or how to get more information about the adobe for
wet
> climes as mentioned in message below?  I have lime/sand lime-washed render
> over cast straw/clay walls and the south-west elevation, open to driving
> rain and gales, is getting damaged and disintegrating.  Any ideas please?
>
> best, Lysana
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <strawbale-request at amper....muni.cz>
> To: <strawbale at amper....muni.cz>
> Sent: Saturday, November 30, 2002 6:36 AM
> Subject: Strawbale digest, Vol 1 #136 - 3 msgs
>
>
> > Today's Topics:
> >
> >    1. straw bale in Cyprus (=?windows-1255?B?+e7p?=)
> >    2. Re: straw bale in Cyprus (SVEN AERTS)
> >    3. Re: straw bale in Cyprus (Harald und Margit Wedig)
>
> > Message: 2
> > Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 17:16:28 +0100
> > Subject: Re: [Strawbale] straw bale in Cyprus
> > From: SVEN AERTS <aertssven at mac...>
> > To: <strawbale at amper....muni.cz>
> > Reply-To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
> >
> > SB building is only sustainable where there is straw available.
> > In Cyprus rocks are readily available.
> >
> > To learn how people build sustainable in Cyprus, visit the mountain
> village
> > restored by the United Nations. And find a good guide who can explain
you
> > about the special mixtures they used as concrete: a mix of adobe with
> > oilseeds to withstand the extreme differences in temperatures.
> >
> > I'm sure you'll find a link somewhere.
> >
> > --
> > I hope this letter finds you well,
> > Sincerely Yours,
> >
> > Sven AERTS
> >
>
>
> --__--__--
>
> Message: 4
> From: "Barbara Jones" <strawbale at lineone...>
> To: <strawbale at amper....muni.cz>
> Subject: Re: [Strawbale] adobe for wet climate (fwd)
> Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 17:50:23 -0000
> Reply-To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
>
> Hi Lysana
> If your lime render isn't holding up against the weather, I'd first want
to
> ask you how it was applied, in what weather conditions, and what time of
> year, what mix you used, the time between coats, protection of the lime
> whilst it carbonated etc. If it's not holding up it suggests that the lime
> had not carbonated sufficiently before the bad weather began, in which
case
> it won't until the temperature increases next year. There are several
> reasons why the lime may not have carbonated yet but we'd need to discuss
> the questions above to assess it. And if it hasn't carbonated you'll have
to
> keep the rain off it till next spring, when that process can happen. If
the
> lime render gets saturated with water (as it can do before carbonation)
> there's nothing you can do except let it dry out. Carbonation is not the
> same as it "going hard", lime can feel hard to the touch but still not be
> able to keep the weather off for quite a while, which is why it needs care
> to apply it and to look after it once it's on the wall. A lime render
should
> be able to protect the cast straw/clay walls, so if it isn't, you may have
> applied it too late in the year. I'd suggest protecting the walls
including
> the lime render in some other way over the winter.
> Best of luck, and write if you want to discuss it further,
> Barbara Jones
>
> Amazon Nails: Strawbale building, training, consultancy, empowerment.
>                    www.strawbalefutures.org.uk
> Building With Straw Bales by Barbara Jones £9.50 post-free from Amazon
Nails
> or from Green Books
>     Warning! Strawbale building can seriously transform your life!
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Jan Hollan <jhollan at amper....muni.cz>
> To: <strawbale at amper....muni.cz>
> Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 3:00 PM
> Subject: [Strawbale] adobe for wet climate (fwd)
>
>
> > fwding it, I've changed the subject... to something meaningful. jenik
> >
> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> > Date: Wed, 4 Dec 2002 19:47:42 -0000
> > From: Lysana Robinson <lysana.robinson at virgin...>
> > To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
> > Subject: Re: Strawbale digest, Vol 1 #136 - 3 msgs
> >
> > Dear Strawbalers,
> >
> > Has anyone found link or how to get more information about the adobe for
> wet
> > climes as mentioned in message below?  I have lime/sand lime-washed
render
> > over cast straw/clay walls and the south-west elevation, open to driving
> > rain and gales, is getting damaged and disintegrating.  Any ideas
please?
> >
> > best, Lysana
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: <strawbale-request at amper....muni.cz>
> > To: <strawbale at amper....muni.cz>
> > Sent: Saturday, November 30, 2002 6:36 AM
> > Subject: Strawbale digest, Vol 1 #136 - 3 msgs
> >
> >
> > > Today's Topics:
> > >
> > >    1. straw bale in Cyprus (=?windows-1255?B?+e7p?=)
> > >    2. Re: straw bale in Cyprus (SVEN AERTS)
> > >    3. Re: straw bale in Cyprus (Harald und Margit Wedig)
> >
> > > Message: 2
> > > Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 17:16:28 +0100
> > > Subject: Re: [Strawbale] straw bale in Cyprus
> > > From: SVEN AERTS <aertssven at mac...>
> > > To: <strawbale at amper....muni.cz>
> > > Reply-To: strawbale at amper....muni.cz
> > >
> > > SB building is only sustainable where there is straw available.
> > > In Cyprus rocks are readily available.
> > >
> > > To learn how people build sustainable in Cyprus, visit the mountain
> > village
> > > restored by the United Nations. And find a good guide who can explain
> you
> > > about the special mixtures they used as concrete: a mix of adobe with
> > > oilseeds to withstand the extreme differences in temperatures.
> > >
> > > I'm sure you'll find a link somewhere.
> > >
> > > --
> > > I hope this letter finds you well,
> > > Sincerely Yours,
> > >
> > > Sven AERTS
> > >
> >
> > ____________________________________________________
> >     European strawbale building discussion list
> >
> > Send all messages to:
> > Strawbale at amper....muni.cz
> >
> > Archives, subscription options, etc:
> > http://amper.ped.muni.cz/mailman/listinfo/strawbale
> > ____________________________________________________
> >
> >
>
>
>
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