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Suggesting that some third world construction approach is somehow environmentally more friendly than modern construction is just silly. Third world living often produces substantial pollution and horrible indoor air quality.
A wall made of solid wood, plastered with clay based plaster and painted with chalk-lime mix is by far superior to any first world miracle material and paint air quality wise. You simply can't forget that freshness. Adding first world ventilation to that is rather trivial. It does take time, if you make $10/hr hiring out that to professionals is not an option. Besides, most of the lower end building contractors serving plebeians are in for a quick buck, they avoid anything challenging and nonstandard. If you make $10/hr it makes much more financial sense to save and take a break from the wage world than to work in order to be able to afford the professional help.
A wall made of solid wood, plastered with clay based plaster and painted with chalk-lime mix is by far superior to any first world miracle material and paint air quality wise. You simply can't forget that freshness. Adding first world ventilation to that is rather trivial. It does take time, if you make $10/hr hiring out that to professionals is not an option. Besides, most of the lower end building contractors serving plebeians are in for a quick buck, they avoid anything challenging and nonstandard. If you make $10/hr it makes much more financial sense to save and take a break from the wage world than to work in order to be able to afford the professional help.
It costs more money and it's less energy efficient. It only make sense to DIY if you can build to code. Most $10/hr DIYers can't.
It costs more money and it's less energy efficient. It only make sense to DIY if you can build to code. Most $10/hr DIYers can't.
I lived in all kind of "up-to-code" buildings, it's my solid opinion that one couldn't get much lower energy efficiency than that, not speaking of noise and nasty stuff in the air. I have clay, wood, and sand. I don't know how you could claim it's more expensive DIY if one has to pay arm and leg for a tiny sheet-rock cage, not speaking of the rest that comes with a stick and plastic box. It's outrageously expensive to make financial sense for those at the bottom.
I lived in all kind of "up-to-code" buildings, it's my solid opinion that one couldn't get much lower energy efficiency than that, not speaking of noise and nasty stuff in the air. I have clay, wood, and sand. I don't know how you could claim it's more expensive DIY if one has to pay arm and leg for a tiny sheet-rock cage, not speaking of the rest that comes with a stick and plastic box. It's outrageously expensive to make financial sense for those at the bottom.
I understand that you don't have any technical background. It is still the truth.
[quote=RememberMee;27826286]A wall made of solid wood, plastered with clay based plaster and painted with chalk-lime mix is by far superior to any first world miracle material and paint air quality wise. quote]
But to heat it will have far greater envoronmental impact than to have built a code compliant home.
And codes today are far from where they were. They are far better.
And these comments are not just armchair quarterback comments, I have built a number of homes, and have spent the last three years researching Sustainable homebuilding technologies. A Sustainable home is built far better than code, not less.
I understand that you don't have any technical background. It is still the truth.
I have more technical background than I would like. I do have first hand knowledge too. You must be in trades or something to defend indefensible. Construction costs are well known (add there significant probability of rip off on quality and price), average wages are well known too. If you are a proverbial "nice guy", seriously consider diy (not necessarily 100% of diy) because you'll be ripped off to shreds, it's a price of being "nice" to people.
We could argue about exact numbers. In my opinion if one makes anything less than $25/hr, it makes financial sense to save for a construction sabbatical instead of working for many, many, many years to pay off for construction/upgrade of your sheet-rock palazzo. Of course, many careers don't allow for sabbaticals, many locations don't allow for diy and/or "non traditional" designs, and so on, in that case get ready for 10+ years of peonage to pay for shelter that less developed savages could construct in a few weeks/months debt free. It would be really nice to have friends, neighbors and family to help you out, but that's more of fairy tale.
A wall made of solid wood, plastered with clay based plaster and painted with chalk-lime mix is by far superior to any first world miracle material and paint air quality wise. quote]
But to heat it will have far greater envoronmental impact than to have built a code compliant home.
And codes today are far from where they were. They are far better.
And these comments are not just armchair quarterback comments, I have built a number of homes, and have spent the last three years researching Sustainable homebuilding technologies. A Sustainable home is built far better than code, not less.
I don't quite understand what codes you are referring to. I lived in traditional plastered log homes, they are very well insulated. It didn't take much of fuel to heat a house like that. Unlike a stick house (even well insulated) plastered homes have substantial thermal mass. There is no need for AC in the hay day of summer in the climates comparable to that of Columbus, Ohio. It's actually cool inside.
Sure the homes like that have their share of limitations. Most importantly, home building (even in less developed lands) becomes a wage occupation (instead of a communal enterprise) this sends prices skyrocketing. This leads to embracing less laborious designs. Solid pieces of wood are rather expensive too, thus all kinds of bricks are used instead of wood (don't try this in USA though, you'll be broke). Clay plasters and chalk-lime paints are laborious too, they almost extinct substituted with modern materials and techniques (including dry walling of brick homes). Brick is more versatile and it allows for construction of much more spacious homes, brick has relatively high thermal mass but it conducts heat better too. Uninsulated brick homes are cold in the winter but they are cool in the summer. With little bit of insulation (the right kind of brick) that could be fixed. Again, this sort of brick&mortar homes are unaffordable for an average American.
As for American home construction biz, I think it's balancing on the edge of absurd. All sorts of chemicals, plastic, etc. are used to save on labor in order to make stick homes affordable. Yet, home construction/renovation prices are at the levels making DIY and rolling back to basic materials and alternative designs very tempting, especially if you live in the sticks and you make average wages or less. Same with energy costs. Masonry heaters (had I have one) would save me substantial $. Costs of installing and operation of the modern heating systems makes financial sense only to the successful attorneys or something.
Most building codes are there for a reason. These houses don't meet building codes. If you want to live a third world existence, move to a third world country.
My 80 acres IN THE US has no building code excepting the septic....
Why shouldn't someone build a house DIY? Take Falling Water. $155,000 to build and around $11.5 million to restore. It is an architectural marvel but there were always structural problems with the build. Frank Lloyd Wright thought it would be cool to put a house over a creek in the woods. He didn't sweat the details.
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