D Brown

ThThenank you all for you info.

I am very concerned about air leakage.

I am thinking I will build a (8"ish) cordwood wall. Then an inch or so of spray foam to insure everything is properly air sealed, then build my interior cordwood wall. I may even do the exterior cordwood, 3-4" of spray foam then some other interior finish.

A) would there be a problem spray foaming the cordwood? Moisture issue, logs expanding/contracting cracking the spray foam and creating leaks, etc.

B) could I plaster directly over the spray foam? Chicken wire needed?

Thanks again

Thank you Brian,

So is the "roughly 18" deep 12" above the glass" for the south side or the same on all sides?

I am familiar with the importance of air sealing, and something that I think must be thoroughly planned in a cordwood home.
We are leaning towards cordwood because:
it is efficient - I'm planning on a thick wall with dense packed infill or 2 walls with the inside of the first wall spray foamed
suitable for our area - seems to handle the temp and humidity well
durable
not as labor intensive as some of the other alternative methods - I know it is very labor intensive, but still easier then DIY log home or filling tires.
and it can be done fairly cheaply

The house will be about 1500-2000 square feet. Possible 1 round building, maybe 2 connected buildings.

I am not a fan of having a crawlspace! I love having a basement, but they are expensive to build. The only reason I'm considering a crawlspace is so that I can run the HVAC through the floor since I plan on using whole log beams and tongue & grove roof decking. I don't want to ruin the look by having my HVAC running across the ceiling. I had though that If I went partially earth bermed, rather then having than backing the earth against the wall, I could leave a cavity in there. A) French drain behind the wall would eliminate the possibility of moisture seeping through the wall B) I could then run my HVAN through the back wall. What do you think?

Speaking of, if I went partial earth sheltered, it should be the north side, right?

Thanks again

Thank you John!
Where are you located?

Is there a formula for the ideal amount of overhang? I plan on having a wrap around porch on all sides. Since I'm going to build with cordwood and need to make sure water stays away, I figured the larger the overhang, the better. But, at what point do I loose the possibility for solar gain in the winter?

Are there any other important passive design aspects to consider in our area?

Hello everyone,

I am planning a (probably) cordwood home in upstate south carolina. I want to incorporate as much passive solar design as I can. I am wondering how much my location changes things. Most of the info found online (Lots of south facing windows, block the North wind) is from people in the colder climates. I do want to limit my heating needs, but I also don't want a house that will cook me all summer.

I'm leaning towards a single story round cordwood home with a crawl space. May go with a 2 story. May do partial earth bermed. Not 100% sure on anything at this point which is why I'm trying to get as much info from you all as I can!

Advice?

Thank you!

I'm coming into the conversation pretty late but I have enjoyed reading everyones into. Thank you all!

I live in Chester SC and am planning a home build. No set plans yet, but we are leaning towards cordwood with a metal roof. (I havent managed to talk the wife into a living roof, yet...)

Cooling is a must for us. We love a constant 70 degrees year round. (I can almost hear some of you gasp already, lol) Our home build will use a heat pump, probably in a crawl space so that we can take the easy way out and keep the house temp and humidity under control.

Hey, when you have 3 small kids and busy lives, simplicity is sometimes worth the extra expense! Anyway, despite this, we do want to be as green and energy efficient as possible.

I hear a lot of people talk about air circulation and vents or opening skylights on the roof. I can definitely understand the benefit of having air movement and being able to let the hot air escape and let cooler air in. I'm wondering though, being in South Carolina, wouldn't it be better to keep that solid sheet of R40+ roof over head rather then adding openings in the top?

Just a thought.

Hello everyone,

I am in the very early stages on planning our next home. A mortgage free cordwood home in the country! I know this will be a long and exhausting process, but we're looking forward to it.

Anyway, we are working on coming up with a design to use. We have pretty much decided upon a round (or octagonal, hexagonal, etc) design. I am wondering which would be easier and use less materials, One big structure or several smaller ones linked together.

How do you determine how many cords of wood and how much lime/mortar you will need for a given wall size? I'd like to be able to "crunch the numbers" for each design idea we have so we can see the difference it would make in materials needed.

Any other suggestions for one structure vs several smaller ones?

Thank you all!
David