Alternative building materials

[leilaniguy]

I wonder what Sativa lives in.

[mmbvd7]

Rob,
With any concrete type porous material, can't a person use stucco on top to add moisture resistance? Just curious...thanks in advance.

Best wishes

[Rob Tucker]

Concrete and stucco are both essentially the same thing and in their most common state will have similar porosity. To reduce the porosity you can use a sealer. There are many common concrete sealers available. The sealers are generally clear and act to close the pores (porosity) of the concrete/stucco.

Moisture will not degrade concrete or stucco as long as there is no freeze/thaw condition.

The best way to keep moisture out of the way is to have the roof designed to keep water directly off by having sufficient eaves.... usually about three feet... or provide good drainage below grade.

Stucco is used massively in housing exteriors because of its relative low cost and long lifespan. Wood siding is perhaps the worst investment in our climate.

[Carey]

We have a SIP all aluminum framed that has held up to the 1975 and 2006 earthquakes, various eruptive VOG issues, and the storms of over 4 decades (that last one had roof noise that had me bug out, but the house had no issues, other than the noise)

Our original structure had fiberglass sandwiched between Masonite...which would have been fine if some A....le contractor hired by the previous owner had not done a permitted renovation almost 15 yrs ago & put larger doors & windows in by just cutting bigger holes & putting in the doors & windows with no framing (that is correct, no frames but permitted and finaled!) and with no frames, no true seal from the outside to the inside....

Everything from outside, esp furry and 6 or more legged, found a nice fuzzy home in that insulation with the gateway left by the incompetent...(AND with the moisture & furry thing remains, mold & mildew were inside every remodeled wall)

Well we removed the furry insulation, and zoological collection within the insulation, scrubbed down all ofthe aluminum framing with OxyClean (great thing about the aluminum is that it scubbed up nicely to shiny aluminum) FRAMED and sealed all doors & window & replaced the inside Masonite with smooth Hardie Panel...

So far almost a decade with no new critter homes known inside...course we also have eliminated most wood, including only using super hibor treated (or Copper solution outside) and waterproofed wood in any incidental framing (a little in doors & huge headers for the carport & such) no wood in bathrooms at all, all kitchen cabinet boxes are diamond plate aluminum, bed frames are all aluminum, bed slats are Trex, most furnishings in the house are aluminum framed...yes, we DO hate termites!

Now I really doubt you could find an aluminum SIP on the market today, but at least 4 were set up in Puna when ours was built...and are still here..

I would definitely caution anyone buying anything that is in place here, some of the oddest construction practices I have ever seen have been permitted here in the past...be aware of this & take all construction here as having the potential of being way off code, UNLESS you know of all of the builders & trades that have worked on the building...

[randomq]

How about a deck or treehouse ~ 8' off the ground, trapdoor interior stairs entrance, shuttered screen walls, cloth roof, and a heavy-duty, well-anchored, UV-resistant tarp rain-fly that extends 10' past the cloth roof. Small storm shelter below the center of the deck.

The reasons I'm considering such alternate building materials/design:

• Up off the ground for less insects and more ventilation.
• trapdoor entrance for security, so the only other option is scaling the side of the elevated building.
• Enjoy the fresh air and moderate temperatures instead of insulating against them and encouraging mold.
• Still able to shutter strong wind and horizontal rain in case of a major storm or cold spell.
• Breathable lightweight ceiling that would not pose a hazard in the case of an earthquake or hurricane.
• Watertight tarp reflecting the majority of sunlight, heat, and UV from the rest of the structure, and providing a large "dry" area in an otherwise wet climate. Runoff used for water catchement.
• Storm shelter for extremely rare weather emergencies and long-term water/food storage.

[David M]

We built using Castlblock, mainly the ProTec sips and Galvumet roofing. Been living in it since 2007 and no clue as to OP's frame of reference. Our home is not moldy etc. the R20 insulating factor makes for a very nice environment. Of course our design was with some forethought to take advantage of local conditions. Many on PW have seen our house either in person or following the build as documented here on PW. Much of that should be still available. Anyone seriously interested in Castleblock is more than welcome to come and see for themselves. Kindly cc your request thru Rob to indicate your sincerity.

ETA: I am very very familiar with several other "Castleblock" homes here and none have mold issues.

David

Ninole Resident
Please visit vacation.ninolehawaii.com

[Carey]

Any one with a ladder rack and extension ladder can also enter (BTW, how will you enter?) and the materials you suggest would be very easy for many of our fine furry, winged and 6+ legged friends to enter

obviously there may be permit issues, but not everyone does the permit thing

there are many ideas if you get to know people here, one of our friends had a yurt, but the rain at her place was such that after a few years, she installed a large pole structure to support a metal roof and also allows her to have a covered lanai area...

Storage & storm shelter would be easy in a shipping container, however some found that you may need to chuck some of the stored items to have room for an emergency shelter, then you may be facing destroyed supplies just when you need them, right in the middle/end of an emergency... course you could make it big enough for staying the duration of the emergency (remember, the other structure may be destroyed, & during Iselle, some were trapped within their structure for a bit) but by then your back up contingency may be more expensive than your living space!

[leilaniguy]

Ah yes, the pallet treehouse, there are lots of those around here.

[Clayjacks]

Yes! I've seen them, leilaniguy!
I've seen many using this new, alternative building material called "Plywud", or maybe "Playwood" (or something else, I don't remember technical stuff).
Most I've seen are empty, which I don't understand.
I've noticed that many of their newfangled roofs ("Tahrps?" or "Terps?") we're left to dry high up in the Ohias after Iselle, which is also strange.
Why leave this kind of technology behind?

[Peter Epperson]

I'd have to agree with Rob that it's best to avoid using wood siding in Puna if you're looking for longevity. Someone once told me to mix copper sulfate in concrete, or stucco to discourage mold and mildew. Never tried it but it sounds right.