[GSBN] [Strawbale] A question about mold and insurance

[Lindsey Round-Turner]

A Straw bale builder in the UK  - Jakub Wihan, [known as Kuba] would be a
good guy for you to contact Wendy.
He finished his Thesis on *HUMIDITY IN STRAW BALE WALLS AND ITS EFFECT ON
THE DECOMPOSITION OF STRAW* <http://www.jakubwihan.com/pdf/thesis.pdf>
in 2007 and has given lectures on the subject.

He would certainly take your call or answer an email and will be able to put
you in touch with people who have done testing in Germany.

Best of luck,
Lindsey



You can reach him though his website on jakubwihan.com

2009/10/5 RT <ArchiLogic at yahoo.ca>

> On Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:00:05 -0400, <gsbn-request at greenbuilder.com> wrote:
>
> >  Wendy wrote:
> >>  Have you or do you know of anyone who has researched mold
> >> in strawbale houses. I have just been denied insurance because the
> >> underwriter states that sb houses are prone to mold. All my
> >> research over the past 10 years and during the building process is
> >> quite the oppisite, but i need facts to persuade the ignorant. Also
> >> my motgage co would love to cancel my loan if the insurance does
> >> not come thru. We have been with this company for 4 years and 3 of
> >> it during the building process. Are you able to help?
>
> Graeme North <graeme at ecodesign.co.nz>  wrote:
> [snipped]
> > I have seen strawbales that have gone rotten and/or mouldy in poorly
> > designed or constructed leaky s/b houses, but generally the good
> > insulation value of strawbale walls prevents exterior wall getting
> > cold enough for condensation to occur on the interior surfaces of
> > strawbale walls and without moisture condensing , mould will not
> > start to grow.
>
>
> There are a few CMHC studies/monitoring reports  of SBH in Canada that I
> have on hand that may be of use, and I think a couple more that I don't
> have on hand (or more correctly, can't find at the moment) that also may
> be of use.
>
> The first two are:
>
>        (i) Pilot Study of Moisture Control in Stuccoed Straw Bale Walls
>                   by Bob Platts  June 1997
>
>                 In this study, the research contractor selected a sample
> of Quebec SB houses that had been out in the Real World
>                 for up to about 10 years.  Holes were cut into the
> plaster, the straw inspected and photographed.
>
>
>             (ii) Strawbale Moisture Monitoring Report
>                   by Rob Jolly,  August 1998
>
>                   In this study, moisture sensors were placed into the
> walls of 4 Alberta houses, the data collected and compiled.
>
> My defective/clouded memory is nudging me with the notion that Kim
> Thompson in Nova Scotia and Habib Gonzalez in British Columbia  have also
> done reports for CMHC on this topic but I may be mistaken.
>
> Both of the above will be available at the CMHC website
> www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca
> either as downloadable PDF files and/or in hard copy upon  request .
>
> I disagree with Graeme North's assertion about the inability of mould to
> grow.
> That should probably be re-discussed in detail.
>
>
> --
> === * ===
> Rob Tom
> Kanata, Ontario, Canada
> < A r c h i L o g i c  at  ChaffY a h o o  dot  C a >
> (manually winnow the chaff from my edress in your reply)
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-- 
Lindsey Round-Turner
Nashville, Tennessee
lroundturner at gmail.com
http://www.jeremysteerearchitect.co.za/
+1 615 268 6641
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