alternative insulation

[clarkin]

REAL "alternative' insulation - as in cost???? Has anyone tried something different for your floor or roof? - sawdust, wool, cardboard, straw?? This is not about the "government's" codes, but rather really doing it different. Insurance? Fire? Dimensional lumber homes with all their fire rated insulation and sheetrock seem to pile up the same when burned to the ground - seems the same for a log home though they seem to burn down less than conventional houses. So uninformed/unsubstantiated fears set aside. This this inquiry is for Alaska not New Mexico. Is there anyone who has really done it different.

[gregorama]

The log cabin I lived in for 5 years in Funter Bay, AK had moss insulation in the floor and ceiling. It was still there 50 years later (behind shiplap to keep out critters). I've started a few fires with dried moss, and I don't think I'd like to use it now. Look on the AHFC site for "log", they have a 199 page manual, and they talk about it. They pretty much dismiss it as old-school and not worth doing.
Wool is an accepted material; look for it on the web. Fire-resistant materials and construction are there to slow a fire from spreading to other parts of the house; not many materials, except brick, steel, and rock are fire proof. Which leads me to think that fiberglass is made of sand.

I found this (http://www.owenscorning.com/worldwide/admin/tempupload/pdf.30011529E.pdf) on the Owens Corning site. If I had a heat tape (a major cause in AK) or some wiring go south, I'd want fiberglass (or anything non-organic) surrounding it..

Just my humble opinion...

[GT.]

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb300/domostroi/straw.jpg

[Kola]

hey..I missed this pic.

anymore info GT?

Kola

[rreidnauer]

hey..I missed this pic.

anymore info GT?

Kola

Go here: http://www.loghomebuilders.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=548

[Kola]

danka shane, Rod.

hmm..is seems weight is a big factor with this lil ol idea.

I still like it though.

Kola

[ponyboy]

I couldn't decide which post to put this in so I put it in both.8) (building green loghomes)

Soy-based polyurethane spray foam insulation products.

http://www.biobased.net/ 8)

[ChainsawGrandpa]

Skip once built a place with the floor insulated with packing peanuts.
The inspector walked by, took a look, and said: "Huh! Packing peanuts!"
Passed just fine back then.

I know of a guy who is using SIP aluminum & foam panels. (insulated garage
doors). Guess they may be ok, they would have to already be ICBO approved,
but maybe not for that particular application.

-Rick

[RodneyG]

If you can get rice hulls they have a high R value and because they have a waxy surface they don't absorb water, they also don't have a nutritional value for bugs. Still mix a little lyme with the hulls so bugs and vermine don't pick that warm space to live. Plus try taking a blow torch to rice hulls- they don't like to burn.