Re: [papercreters] Re: Inexperienced newbie

Well, this whole world of fibercrete, ferrocement is new to me.  I've built several homes here...all are rebar/cement block.  Since I live in the mountains, I wouldn't really consider this a tropical climate.  This time of the year is dry season.  From Jan. through May/June we don't really get any rain.  So, drying isn't really an issue, and neither is insulation.  In my own home, during rainy season, I use dehumidifiers.  The application I envision is low cost housing for indigenous people here.  The size of the structure would be no more than 15'x15'.  After spending lots of time researching the idea of cutting down on paper trash and the relative expense of pc, it sounded like a good marriage.  I had thought that sealing the outside of the structure with a good latex/acrylic would do...now, not so sure.

 

Thanks to all for responding.

 

Betsy

slurryguy <slurryguy@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hello Betsy, Welcome.

Whether or not papercrete makes sense for your situation depends not
only on your climate, but what your are planning to build and how it
will be used.

While I've never traveled to a tropical climate, my understanding is
that it is particularly rare to build a well insulated structure.
Insulation simply isn't needed much.

I have little doubt that papercrete might have some effective uses,
even in a humid climate, but I am skeptical about relying on it as a
primary building material. I have been on a mission to personally
track down every papercrete structure that has been built and
document it the best I can. None that I have found were built in a
climate that approximates yours.

There are methods, however, where it might be possible to use
papercrete effectively. The attention to detail would be extremely
important. Techniques that many people on this list would consider
backward would need to be applied. For example, vapor barriers would
need to be applied on the exterior surfaces, and the walls would need
to be allowed to breathe on the inside of the structure. This is
opposite of conventional construction practices in temperate and
arctic climates. Extraordinarily reliable dehumidification of the
interior atmosphere would be a must. It would not be trivial effort
to make it work properly. With the alternatives that are avilable to
you, I'm not certain that it makes sense, but I may not completely
understand your situation.

Please answer a few questions:

Can you please describe the structure you'd like to build?

What will the structure be used for?

What will be required in the way of heating/cooling/ventilating the
building?

What is your past construction experience? What have you bilt before?

--- In papercreters@yahoogroups.com, "Betsy Boeve"
<elizabethboeve@...> wrote:
>
> Hi everyone. I've been lurking around reading all your posts.
> Great info and imaginations here!
>
> I live in the mountains of Panama, about 4500', and we get rain at
> least 6 months of the year. Of course, my question is how well
will PC
> hold up under this huge amount of humidity? I've got some projects
in
> mind, even have a huge load of paper ready, but should I even start
> something?
>
> Betsy in Volcan, Chiriqui, Panama
>

---

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