Friday, April 11, 2008
- Brad Casebier
Mr. Jones, and his foam home.
Just when you thought you had seen it all…
There are many reasons that people do what they do. Austin is such a progressive green city. It is really fun to see the new building material being used. Mr. Jones was interested in creating a building that will last through multiple generations. In our conversations he pointed out that our current wood frame construction is basically a disposable house. Apparently in Europe people have a much more long-term view of their homes. Their kids, and then their grandkids will be moving in to these houses. Consequently there buildings are built of rock, concrete or anything that will be here in a couple hundred years.
This home is being built with a foam core wire mesh panel. The panels selected for this project are going to be sprayed down with gunite or shot-crete. There is 2-3” of foam in the core of the wall, and 1-2” of concrete on the exterior and interior. No sheet rock. No siding. No roofing material. Oh yeah I forgot to mention… He is making his roof out of this panel as well. Home-bunker. I think it might last a generation or two.
As his plumbing contractor, we are looking to find ways to make his system extremely serviceable. If your home is to last 400 years or so, it is important that the service plumber will not have to destroy the building to repair anything.
If you are doing something cool in the Austin area, drop me a line. I hear it can be hard to find a plumber that is willing to work with some of these more progressive products.
The water heater in this home is going to be cutting edge. Geothermal? Solar? Heat recovery? I'll keep you posted as I learn more.
Radiant Plumbing Service
Austin Texas