Topic: we want to build a cheap house ourselves

we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

I have just bought 7 hectres of land in Kaiwaka New Zealand, with half of it in covented bush. I am trying to get info and ideas on what type of house we could build that is cheap to build and could be undertaken by two very capable women with builing skills and a can do attitude? We are interested in log/straw bale/earth e.t.c ? Can you help?

cheers

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Hi Pip

Just a comment on straw bale homes:
A few years ago my husband and a group of straw bale home enthusiasts (all of them were looking into building such a home) went on a day trip by bus around the Canterbury area as an organised tour of straw bale homes and visited 10 or so of these homes and spoke to the owner/builders. All owners were enthusiastic about their dream homes: the owners also said that they will not build in straw bales again.

By the time the tour finished, most of the participants had decided not to build one: there were just too many "problems" to take care of - straw bale homes had some great advantages, but the disadvantages and risks outweighed them.

There is a straw bale home near our current home which has been on the market for 6 years. No buyer wants to take this on.

BE

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

what's the major problem with straw bale?

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Risk of water ingress.

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Risk of water ingress??
Don't you have that with timber framing?

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Yes but it then doesn't turn your walls into compost.

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Well, I guess we all want to build cheap... :-) Sorry.
To be more constructive:

-Building ordinary timber frame is probably easiest for you. Because the design is cheap, the material is cheap, you just must make sure you cover basic weathertightness. You can contribute significantly to the build, depending on which builder you choose.
Thermal effectiveness is a matter of good design.

-Building strawbale is probably easy in terms of labour, where you can contribute significantly as well. Detailing is much harder, so is the design, you will find you will have to pay more for the initial design and engineers signoffs and observation.
Again good weathertightness and design are essential, same as with timber frame.

-Earth buildings are basically the same as strawbale in terms of design/labour percentage. You can do a lot, but you are more dependant on the weather and the work is usually slower than strawbale or timber frame until you ARE ENCLOSED.

Have a look at timbercrete, which might be an alternative.

Just have a look around, visit places and various construction types and then decide. Do not trust the marketing guys.

All construction methods have their advantages and disadvantages. I might be wrong, but I do not think that any has a significant advantage in terms of cost.
Stawbale will give you a superior thermal performance, but you need lots of specific engineering and must be very careful with detailing and moisture content etc.
BTW, anything will turn into compost over time if you do not get the weathertightness right.
And even wet concrete walls are not nice to live in.

Cheers,
Ingo

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Hi Ingo,

where do you buy timber frame cheap?
All I can see is extremly expensive and poor quality.
Or do you call $ 1000/m3 cheap?

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

$1000/m3 = $1000 per 250lm 90x45 framing, that is $1000 for 100 studs.
Timber is your least problem. Cladding and lining is much more expensive. Earthworks, piles, WINDOWS, ...

What "quality" timber do you need? Do you want exposed joists/posts inside? Then you can save on other bits like linings etc, but need better timber.

It's what I was saying before, everything has advantages and disadvantages.

Cheers,
Ingo

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Hi Pip,
Try contacting Aaron at Dyers Rd Timber in Christchurch regarding log cabins. They were looking at importing some kitset systems from Canada around 18 months ago, I don't know how far they we but they may have even been looking at replicating the system here.

Regards,

Dean

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Hi Dean,

is there so much Lawsons Cypress or Douglas Fir available in the south that you could look into replicating the Canadian system with local timber?

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

I really have no idea what quantities are available or what the demand would be for them. It is certainly not a building system that I have been asked for in the past.

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

One way to address the concern with water ingress in straw bale, is to clad with something other than plaster, such as weatherboard or corrugate over a drained cavity over building wrap over the straw.

This can be more expensive than a direct plaster system, but results in more conventional window junctions and flashings etc. which can work out cheaper in the long run, and also makes straw bale construction much more acceptable in windy/wet areas.

I would also suggest a straw bale infill rather than one where the bales are structural , because a timber frame allows the roof to be constructed before the bales are placed, keeping weather off them.

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Weather is not the main issue with straw bale construction, it is internal moisture.

If you have 22 degree air with 80% moisture content internally and air temperature below 9 degrees outside at some point between the internal and external faces of your straw bale the dew point will occur and you will have condensation inside your wall unless you seal all the faces completely.

Once you get moisture inside straw bales it migrates fairly effectively - straws do that!

I see a market opportunity for vacuum packed straw bales - who wants to be my business partner??

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Pip, you want to build cheap....
Get an old shed of decent size, an ex-school classroom is ideal. Get it shifted to your site and put it up on poles one story high. You can then clad/inbuild downstairs as and when you can afford it and to the specification you want. Once that's done you can upgrade upstairs while you live down.
How do I know? I've done it. My ex-school room is 10mx6.5m. My end result is a workshop but I have around 250sqm for $20K. Initially the shed sat up on poles for a year, while I got my act together. It looked odd, but now it looks awesome.
Good luck.
I don't like straw bale either. A fireman once explained that, should even a small fire occur, you are stuffed. They just keep burning, slowly but surely and the water you use to put them out guarantees the demise of any unburnt straw soon afterwards. Either way there is no recovery, it's history.

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

The People at Ebode seem to have collaborated with Hybrid Homes in Nelson to produce a self build eco house kit. Not sure of the price. http://ekokit.co.nz/

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

hi, i would suggest cob. If you build a good foundation (deep trench of shingle/rocks) and a good roof (long eaves to keep the water off) then this is an excellent way to build. it is very VERY cheap, you can do the work yourself and if you pay attention to the use of the sun in planning your windows you can use the passive solar energy to keep your home warm. I think that some people have warned about the resale issues of natural building, but if you have land i feel like you are building something that you want to stay in. and because the materials for cob can be sourced from your own property there is no reason you can just demolish it and resell the land without the house. do some research on cob, you will be amazed. i'm currently looking to lease or buy some land myself and build a cob home. its tricky, people seem to have this 'misguided' idea that cob is a mudhouse that will wash away, fyi some of the oldest buildings in NZ are made from cob:) hope this helps. good luck!

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Hi Anon 11:03pm

Do you anticipate any problems with council signoff with cob?

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Just don't tell them........
Every person has the god given right to shelter oneself.
As anon said, it can be demolished at the end of its life (whenever that is) back to the earth wence it came from.
We all are sheep and follow the same old pattern, never dearing to step on a different path, brick 'n' tile etc boring!
Try 'earthship biotecture' for inspiration on the net as an example of what can be done.
Mike

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

I see on the web that there is a cavity system that complies with straw bales. Would this eliminate the risk of water getting near the bales.

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

Cavity systems for strawbale homes don't work they allow moist air into the straw as opposed to the lime plaster filtering moisture. Plaster the straw properly and you will have no problems

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

a good earthen plaster will solve all the internall moisture issues, also havnt heard of it as a problem with lime plaster either

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

have a good look at "cordwood" particularly "cobwood" lots of labour but very affordable & do able

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

hello strawbuilder, please explain how the the moist air will have contact with the straw bales in a cavity system.

Re: we want to build a cheap house ourselves 

A cavity system is usually vented which means the air gets into the cavity, if the cavity is sealed with a permeable or breathable membraine the air with moisture particles attached will go thru into the straw. If the cavity is sealed to a watertight stage the straw doesn't breathe and will trap any moisture and not release it.