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Thanks,Rob and Carey!
Rob,I will let my builder talk to you .I'll just waste your time because you will have to explain me a lot of things which is for the most people here is common knowledge.Like,what is SIP?
Anyway,I always like to learn.
In general I would prefer something natural,like brick.But I suspect it is not for my budget.Buy the way,any brick houses on BI?
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Way back at the last century, any goods, cattle, wood etc was dropped of ships and floated to shore in Mahu Kona "harbor" North Kohala side! The cattle and horses swam in, but building materials floated (or sank) in the harbor till the owner could pick them up. I painted a building in Kapaau for it's 100th birthday. A kitchen and clubhouse was built in the back of the property, from the old Hawi Jail which was even older! Most of both buildings were pine, and had never seen chemicals, just seasalt! The building is Tong Wo, and it was 100 years old in 1975!
Gordon J Tilley
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Brick is not natural to Hawaii Island (no clays on the island, yet), but there are homes built with shipped in bricks. (container shipping is based on volume, not weight, so a container of bricks or feathers cost the same to ship....) There is the fact that bricks are not really earthquake happy...
There are some homes that are built with lava rock, very natural, just need a good rocksmith..... and to get on Pele's good side for that! (and have heard pros & cons on lava rock.... esp. in regards to earthquakes...)
SIP is 'structural insulated panel', a way of preforming wall panels that are joined together.
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quote:
Originally posted by Rob Tucker
I am a distributor for a number of alternative building materials and can direct you to my web site for more info. http://www.castleblock.com or you can call at your convenience - 965-1555.
We are fairly sure that we will be going the castleblock way when we finally get around to building. Woodless homes stop termites cold.
Rob, what kind of facings have your clients used to make the Rastra panels you distrubte attractive? ( http://www.castleblock.com/rastra.html)
Can you attach faux stone to it? Do they apply a stucco material to it? Is wood ever used in non-structural elements to make the look warmer and more traditional?
Finally, is there any chance that we can get you to share some pictures of castleblock homes built in Hawaii so that we can see what others have done with these amazing products?
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"Woodless homes stop termites dead"..... only as long as your home has absolutly NO wood....our SIP was not wood, but the cabinets, shelves, trim boards, doors, furniture even books, all were wood ... and had all gotten termite damage... The house was tented & we have removed the wood..... All except a few pieces of redwood that were not munched on in the thirty years this house tolerated the munching monsters... (trim boards that looked nice were just paper shells, where the stain stopped, so did the trim!, there were a couple of recipe books in the back of the pantry, drilled through & through! Plywood with plys completely layered out....)
We are trying to be VERY juditious in the wood we do use, and are VERY careful to follow the SYSTEM to the letter - even mold/mildew & weatherproofing every stick that we replace... a total PAIN!
Haven;t figured out how to completely remove every bit of wood, but we are trying! (We also have a yearly protection plan with the termite exterminators....for the wood we do have)
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They are expensive, but nice metal and glass cabinets are available on the mainland. Not sure if they can be found there.
There is a new type of polyurethane molding out there for the trim work. I've used them. Very easy to install. Here is one link: http://www.polymouldings.com/
Glass shelves should be safe, but I'm guessing that with that red cinder you have to dust them three times a day. Ugh!
I have no solution for books, other than to scan them and turn them into PDFs. [  ] Not reading is another option, but that has some serious downsides.
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Carey,I knew the problem exists,but didn't realize it is that big.When I initially was looking to buy a house,I saw a lot of pictures.It looked like most of the interior (cabinets,doors,furniture) was made of wood.
Just curious if anyone did the math : is it cheaper to have wood cabinets and replace them (how often,btw?) or buy the metal ones?
Qtill mentioned pinewood.Looks like it last long.
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http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG064
really good termite control info ...
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Thanks for the link,Bullwinkle.
It has some good tools for handling the problem.But I don't want to use harsh chemicals,unless is absolutely necessary.
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quote:
Originally posted by StillHope
Thanks for the link,Bullwinkle.
It has some good tools for handling the problem.But I don't want to use harsh chemicals,unless is absolutely necessary.
Check out the more technical pages on Rob's site (castleblock.com). These new materials really do seem to be the answer. Avoidance of chemicals is one of the reasons we think we'll go this route. I'd rather not live in a house surrounded by a chemical moat!
There is another advantage to the woodless home: reduced exposure to mildew and mold spores. Some individuals are severely affected by mold.
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