Hello everyone!
The whole process of planning and building is really difficult and slow. At every new step, I feel like no one can tell you the right way to proceed, and a lot of it is learning by doing...
Well, we managed to complete a design draft with our architect that we like. I will share it in another thread soon. Now I am focusing on how the house could be built. Ideally, I would like to build turnkey with a local general contractor (GC), alternatively by contracting individual trades – but looking at the price expectations from the architect and the structural engineer, that might be too expensive for me...
I would like to build a “healthy” home for my family. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not obsessive about it. But when I read brochures from companies like Baufritz and others, it makes you think. Wall construction is one thing – I prefer solid construction and no polystyrene, that already makes me feel quite comfortable. But what about all the sources of volatile substances, adhesives, PU foam, and so on...
What can I do, and what have you done, to ensure the healthiest possible living environment? Do windows have to be installed without foam? Should parquet flooring not be glued? What should the homeowner keep in mind?
Thanks,
Gerddieter
The whole process of planning and building is really difficult and slow. At every new step, I feel like no one can tell you the right way to proceed, and a lot of it is learning by doing...
Well, we managed to complete a design draft with our architect that we like. I will share it in another thread soon. Now I am focusing on how the house could be built. Ideally, I would like to build turnkey with a local general contractor (GC), alternatively by contracting individual trades – but looking at the price expectations from the architect and the structural engineer, that might be too expensive for me...
I would like to build a “healthy” home for my family. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not obsessive about it. But when I read brochures from companies like Baufritz and others, it makes you think. Wall construction is one thing – I prefer solid construction and no polystyrene, that already makes me feel quite comfortable. But what about all the sources of volatile substances, adhesives, PU foam, and so on...
What can I do, and what have you done, to ensure the healthiest possible living environment? Do windows have to be installed without foam? Should parquet flooring not be glued? What should the homeowner keep in mind?
Thanks,
Gerddieter
S
Seppl's Häusle10 Sep 2021 21:19nordanney schrieb:
This is a concept from the 1920s, when windows were still made and installed in a way that caused drafts. And in fact, you didn’t even have to open the windows anymore. The concept is more relevant than ever and suitable for anyone who wants to critically question whether a house, built like a plastic bag, is really ideal.
RotorMotor schrieb:
I can imagine that some building materials can absorb and release moisture temporarily, but I would also be interested in the actual numerical differences between the materials.
So how much better is clay plaster? 1%, 10%, 100%? It’s not possible to give a general answer to how much better clay plaster is.
First of all, the question should clarify in which property and better compared to which reference building material.
Clay has a thermal conductivity of 0.91 W/mK, a temperature diffusion coefficient of 19 m²/h, a water vapor diffusion resistance factor of 8, a heat storage capacity of 600, a thermal penetration coefficient of 77, and a moisture sorption capacity of 30 kg/m²h^½.
These are values of a fundamentally solid building material, good in all aspects and even top class in moisture sorption capacity and water vapor diffusion resistance.
I think the mix makes the difference.
A lot of wood, cork, clay, and gypsum already contribute significantly to a positive indoor climate.
N
nordanney10 Sep 2021 22:10Seppl's Häusle schrieb:
The concept is more relevant than everFor whom? No one in Germany, because you simply can’t build like that there and nobody wants to either. Who would want a drafty shack with high heating costs? What you’re saying is nonsense.
Seppl's Häusle schrieb:
I think it’s all about balance.
A lot of wood, cork, clay, and plaster really contribute positively to the indoor climate. I agree. I have had good (and expensive) experiences specifically with clay plaster. However, that has exactly zero to do with air exchange or similar. Even a house outfitted like that on the inside will quickly become stuffy and musty if it is not ventilated.
H
hampshire11 Sep 2021 00:25RotorMotor schrieb:
Please be more specific at last.
Posting a randomly selected book cover does not support any of your claims. I tried to go through Chapter 6, “Unsteady Moisture Transport in Building Components,” from page 427 onward. I have to admit that the differential calculations there overwhelm me at first, and I am unable to explain them here in my own words.
Besides, you yourself have not provided a single plausible explanation for your position. That’s as far as “specific” goes.
S
Seppl's Häusle11 Sep 2021 09:09nordanney schrieb:
For whom? No one in Germany, since you can’t build that way at all and nobody wants to. Who would want a drafty shack with high heating costs? Please think first, then write.
We are talking about vapor-permeable, not airtight. These are two different things that should be considered separately in this context.
nordanney schrieb:
You’re writing nonsense. Just because it’s not your opinion and contradicts your attitude?
nordanney schrieb:
But that has absolutely nothing to do with air exchange or anything like that. Even a well-equipped interior house will become musty immediately if it’s not ventilated. That may be true for vapor-tight buildings, but with vapor-permeable buildings you won’t detect any mustiness, even if you grill kilometers of shrimp with garlic inside.
There are such houses as holiday homes, try it out sometime 😉
R
RotorMotor11 Sep 2021 09:29I think wood and clay are excellent building materials, especially for the environment, but the magic you describe here about vapor permeability is not real.
I couldn’t find any evidence, and neither have you provided any, that CO2 passes through certain walls in any significant way. The same goes for other unpleasant odors. Only water vapor passes through, and very slowly at that. It is said to be about 1–2%, which is practically negligible.
I couldn’t find any evidence, and neither have you provided any, that CO2 passes through certain walls in any significant way. The same goes for other unpleasant odors. Only water vapor passes through, and very slowly at that. It is said to be about 1–2%, which is practically negligible.
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