Scott Lawhead

I think linseed works for everything… wood, metal, clay, lime… I’d try that first. I definitely want to hear how this goes and I might be following your lead!

I used lime tadelakt for my shower enclosure. I looked into waxes, saw how expensive they were for what you got, and decided to make my own. I don’t exactly remember the proportions, but I cooked up my own wax (outside, on a hot plate). I think it was about equal parts citrus oil, food grade carnuaba wax and beeswax melted into an emulsion. It’s been about a year since I applied and it’s still performing great.

Have you done the tadelakt yet? It’s a tricky plaster but so cool once it’s finished. It’s my favorite plaster in my house.

I have a chemical free tiny house 8x16’ with 80” head height, that is for sale. All solid wood, no plywood, insulated with sheep wool, no plastic except for a few feet of pex. No bathroom inside. All natural, I lived in it to heal my chemical sensitivities while I built my natural home. If you’re interested PM me.

Last year I plastered my lath walls in my new home, I have probably 50 linear feet of lath walls. I really don’t think it matters what type of wood you use in terms of rot. Cedar and other tannin rich woods might actually be bad because they’ll bleed through, this happened on my clay base coat in a number of places. It also happened with pine and really sappy spots. If you are using lime, I don’t think rot or fungus/mold will be a problem at all. Lath is a lot of work, but they’re awesome walls! I did make some curved walls, they’re really no more difficult or time consuming than straight walls. It’s a beautiful material.

Jim,

Thank you for your detailed and informative response. I have read a bit about using metakaolin to create a mildly hydraulic lime, and it’s been on my list. I’ll bump it closer to the top!

I keep testing and experimenting and keep you in the loop. I did a shikkui inspired lime over clay and lath and so far it has been awesome. Super sticky, well bonded, incredibly flexible.

Thanks again!  

I was kind of hoping you were going to tell me something like if I squirt a little comfrey tea in the lime plaster mix, I don’t need to damp cure it… that was my secret wish.

Jim,

I don’t want to hijack this thread but I’m just hoping you can clarify something that you said about damp curing lime plasters. I’ve read much of your contributions to the natural building world and I’m so grateful we have you! I think it was in the LSC Essential series plaster book, you have some great information in it and I applaud you for sharing.

How important, in your experience, is the damp curing of type s lime plasters? My house has mostly clay plasters, but I did a tadelakt shower and some shikkui-style lime plasters inspired by Kyle Holzhueter’s work. All my lime plasters have been sprayed twice a day for at least 7 days, and they’re great. But it’s the worst part of lime, boring and tedious. I plan on doing some tests comparing damp curing vs a do-nothing cure, but I’d like to hear your thoughts. I know some professional accomplished natural builders whose business and money is on the line and it seems like they take a more do-nothing cure to a non-pozzolanic type s lime plaster.

Thoughts from the expert? I appreciate your insight.

ICF is not inherently bad. Foam is bad, I agree with that. The OP posted about Durasol, which is a wood based ICF. The same product is Faswall, which is what I used to build my house. It is mulch, mineralized to remove the cellulose and wood sugars out, which basically fossilizes the wood. It is then mixed with
Portland cement, pressed into non structural blocks, which are then filled with concrete on site. It creates a high thermal mass, vapor permeable, non-toxic, code approved (a crucial component), long lasting wall type that accepts plaster well. My ICF home plastered with clay and lime, contains no foam or paint or drywall, will last centuries, and is a highly efficient natural space.

Claiming that ICF is bad is a over generalized statement that can be comparable to calling stick framing bad and including timber frames in that category. Stick framing can be insulated with straw and be vapor permeable too.  

Foam is bad. Concrete is not ideal but done properly can last a long time without degrading, and there is value in creating something that is nearly maintenance free. Sure, cob has a much lower embodied energy footprint. Much, much lower. But not everyone wants or can achieve a cob home and it isn’t the perfect wall system either. It is always a balance between many alternatives.

Located in western Montana, I found a seep on a my steep south facing hill. I believe if occurs at this elevation all the way across the hill, my neighbors to both sides have the same condition. There is a layer of clay on the otherwise gravel hill. I can’t really tell if the water is coming from above or below the layer of clay.

I started digging a hole to see how much water was there. Probably about a 100-150 gallon hole, clay sides so the hole is quite deep with straight sides. It’s a test. First one filled in 24 hours. Second one only had a few gallons of water after 3 days, so I dug a trench so the overflow of the first would fill the second. Third hole was yesterday and is still filling.

My tests are rapidly becoming large and I’m beginning to have a need for proper planning. I have big piles of dirt and clay that are needing more permanent homes.

The hole location is about halfway up a steep hill. I don’t want a huge body of water, obviously having water on a steep slope isn’t a great idea. If I could make a series of little ponds to bring the water down my hill to house gardens, that would be great. But other than this spot, I believe the hill is mostly gravel so that seems unlikely. I was just excited to found water in my mostly arid land and started digging.

Advice?

I’ve been pretty happy with the path to my front door. I definitely wouldn’t do it for all my garden paths, but it does look nice and performs well. It’s easy to shovel, melts quickly in the winter. I seeded it with clover and creeping thyme. It’s nice barefoot.

I piled all my somewhat flatish rocks for a long time and then did this path.

I used Faswall to build my home, which is basically mulch-Crete.

Like most building styles, it is not without its drawbacks. But overall I’m satisfied with the process and happy with the final outcome.