Building an eco home in maine (Pittston: house, disposal, land)

[chaosX5]

Originally Posted by zazeem

Hello everyone i live in Central Maine and i wanted to know if anyone knows the regulations toward building an eco round house in Pittston Maine? Are there codes that it must meet up to? Here is a link to what the house is like,

A Low Impact Woodland Home

except mine will have a concrete slab and foundation. but i do plan on insulating with hay bales. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

I love this house!!!! and yes I love Hobbit houses too If I lived there I would have to adopt the Hobbit lifestyle as well, first breakfast and second breakfast then two lunches of course.......then there's tea.......

[reindeerlady]

Originally Posted by chaosX5

I love this house!!!! and yes I love Hobbit houses too If I lived there I would have to adopt the Hobbit lifestyle as well, first breakfast and second breakfast then two lunches of course.......then there's tea.......

ME TOO!!!! Oh, how I love this house! Strawbale building is coming on strong in Vermont, and for a good reason. Properly built, the fire resistance rating in superior to stick-built, drywall walls. Like previously suggested, be sure to just contact the local code officials first, but before you do even that, you might want to have the stats on why they are having no problem passing code in AZ, New Mexico and California. I am building a library of info to use when we build our addition or free standing strawbale house, and my two best books so far are: A HOUSE OF STRAW-a Natural Building Odyssey (by Carolyn Roberts), also SMALL STRAWBALE (by Bill and Athena Steen and Wayne Bingham). The technology is light years ahead of the original book BUILD IT WITH BALES, and indeed, many of the older techniques have proved very flawed. BUT, some of the older books give you lots of great examples of just how fire-resistant properly done strawbale can be - a favorite being a photo of a plastered, strawbale outdoor bench that survived a California wildfire intact, while the stick-built house it was near burned to the ground! (this is in the book THE STRAW BALE HOUSE (also by the Steens, et al). Another suggestion, check out the archives and/or join SB-r-us online. It's a group similar to this one, but they discuss the latest in insulation, building methods (this is where I learned cob isn't a super option in cold climates) and codes. I also have Andrew Morrison's dvd set on foundations, framing and bale infill - he is extremely detailed. There might even be people near you who live in one - I've googled strawbale in Maine this week and found three in the lower part of the state. Hope this is of help...

[reindeerlady]

Forgot to add - STRAW bales, not (NEVER) hay - for many reasons including: mold, mildew, vermin and structural instability. Hay stays wet too long, whereas straw, having that hollow core, dries quickly if you provide a decent overhang in terms of roofing.

[bluemute]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I like hobbit houses.

I'd like a hobbit house too. Would be easy to keep warm especially with a nice pair of hairy hobbit feet slippers.

Here's a link to a couple's straw bale house in Freeport:
Apartment Therapy Re-Nest | Green Tour: Nord's Straw Bale Home

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by bluemute

I'd like a hobbit house too. Would be easy to keep warm especially with a nice pair of hairy hobbit feet slippers.

Here's a link to a couple's straw bale house in Freeport:
Apartment Therapy Re-Nest | Green Tour: Nord's Straw Bale Home

I have never built a strawbale home. However I how been present during the construction of one, observing how it was done.

Considering the very low R-value of a straw bale home, I am not convinced that such would be easy to heat.

Especially when compared to modern construction and insulation methods.

[gcberry]

I would make sure to have radon testing done.

[forest beekeeper]

Radon needs to be tested anytime that you have a lot of concrete.

I like CO monitors also.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

One project for next summer is to pressure wash my old laid up stone foundation in the cellar, let it dry for a month or more and foam insulate it. I would do one or two walls at a time.

[BacktoNE]

Originally Posted by reindeerlady

Forgot to add - STRAW bales, not (NEVER) hay - for many reasons including: mold, mildew, vermin and structural instability. Hay stays wet too long, whereas straw, having that hollow core, dries quickly if you provide a decent overhang in terms of roofing.

**sigh** Here I come with the dumb city princess question... again.


There is a difference between straw and hay?


Explain please

[BoundtofindME]

Here's a link to definition of straw bale vs. hay: Sourcebook Straw Bale