Looking for alternative ways to build your home? Most of the houses — more than 90% —according to the recent NAHB (National Association of Home Builders), are built on a stick, which means 2 x 4. As a custom home builder, I have never built anything like a “standard”.
According to a survey conducted by the NAHB in 2005, a “typical” house built in America is approximately 2,200 square feet, 2 floors, 3–4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a powder room built on a concrete slab, uses forced air heat gas, is a stick built on the site (compared to modular), has a garage for 2 cars, vinyl siding (second floor plaster), porch and fireplace. Many “typical” practices are unique to each region of the country, for example, a typical basement in the northeast versus a slab in the southwest, but the overall figures show the example above.
My definition of a custom home is:
A unique house built in accordance with the individual plans and specifications of the architect or designer working with the client for a unique piece of land. This plan takes into account the wishes and dreams of customers, a unique environment and a specific budget. All materials are delivered and assembled on site by a unique set of craftsmen consisting of 200 or more unique professions, suppliers and specialists. This house is built once!
Although we mainly build houses with a “stick” (which means 2 x 4 or dimensional lumber), there is a growing interest in special houses built from new materials.
Stylish frame
The most typical type of construction today is the skeleton sticks mainly consists of “measured” lumber or “designed” lumber (I-beams or other types of frame, which consist of various combinations of solid and plywood)
1. Journal
The log of home enthusiasts is dedicated to their magazines! In the style of "pioneer" houses, log houses are literally logs that were stacked on top of each other to build walls. The end result is a solid wooden wall. Log houses are currently available in a wide variety of ready-made kits. Although log houses have a stunning appearance and style - massive wood is not a very good insulation method, but also a very effective way to use wood.
2. Communication and rays
An advanced method of using logarithms, post and beam houses is beautifully crafted solid wood frames that are often exhibited inside the house. Finely treated joints demonstrate the talents of the builders. Although, apparently, this is not the most effective way to use wood - a hybrid house using “SIP” (structurally insulated panel) skin creates a super-efficient house. Using this construction method, the house can be largely manufactured off-site — quickly assembled on-site (think of the Amish farmers installing the barn) and covered with highly insulating and effective leather.
3. Earthquake Earth
Modern technology has been modernized, so that the newly built house with pushing lands is very similar in structure to a solid reinforced concrete wall, but with beautiful soil colors that are mixed with the push through ground. These houses have a dense thermal mass.
4. ICF - insulated concrete forms
This relatively new technology combines several methods of building highly insulated concrete structures. Although there are several unique hybrid products, such as Rastra, Performwall, a typical ICF wall consists of two layers of EPS insulation foam, which create a shape for a reinforced concrete wall. Available in various thicknesses. The walls not only have very high insulation values (R 25 values or higher), but also benefit from the “thermal mass” of concrete and the fact that the wall does not suffer from the “thermal bridge” effect (the interruption of the insulated wall of the frame due to the wood itself, which has a low quality of insulation) and the ability to create a very air envelope.
5. Straw bale
“Natural” construction equipment, straw bale construction creates a massive thick wall - 24 inches - using waste product (straw). Popular with “make it your selfish”, this technique can create very comfortable, natural homes. I saw straw bale houses using clay-based floors. I also visited the “green house” in southern California, built of bales of straw. On an area of almost 8,000 square meters. The feet in the two-story house had an ordinary steel frame that provided the structure required by strict Southern California building codes, and the straw bale was used as a wall filling tool. Check the code requirements in your region.
6. Rammed Tire
Another hybrid, popular with the Earthship house, a tire-lined construction consists of pushing earth into old tires to create walls. This not only eliminates useless waste at landfills, but creates an ultra-high insulated wall. Pretty unique!
When considering working with alternative construction equipment, pay special attention to details. Find an architect, designer or specialist who can tell you about the nuances of the product you want to use. Pay attention to where your material corresponds to other materials - for example, to the connections on the roof and the wall, as well as to the location of the windows and doors. Many builders, having built more traditional methods, have common practices that will not work well in special applications. Good luck in your dream home!
