[GSBN] Window Detailing Question

[john rehorn]

Bill,

It's ideas like that from which innovation springs.  You're right, there are always unintended consequences to everything, but I've learned the most from the projects I've been involved in when someone asked "Why ...?" or Why not ...?" 

Just think of the time someone said, "I've got a brilliant idea:  Instead of cutting sods and stacking them into walls to make a dugout home, let's grow the prairie grass real tall and use that new fangled baler doohickey to make building blocks out of grass ..."

John Rehorn
Colorado Straw Bale Association
2012 International Straw Builders' Conference
www.strawbaleconference.com




On Nov 20, 2012, at 1:22 PM, Bill Christensen wrote:

> Hey, I've got a <sarcasm> brilliant idea:
> 
> Put the top in 4-6" to protect the head and jambs, as John Straube suggests.  Then put the bottom of the window flush with the exterior, so you don't have to deal with sills!  
> 
> I'm sure that wouldn't create any other problems...
> 
> </sarcasm>
> 
> On 11/20/12 1:42 PM, John Straube wrote:
>> Another John here.
>> Provided the window frame is within the lines of the exterior and interior surfaces of the strawbale wall, locating the window has almost zero impact on thermal performance.  Perhaps 3-5% for the extreme positions and less than that when you are even a few inches in.
>> I think Bob Theis is correct that it is easier to waterproof the window on the flat, eg on the exterior face. 
>> However, I know that locating the window on the face exposes it to MUCH more rain water, and so I NEED to get better water proofing.
>> If the window is pulled in somewhat (say 4-6"), the head and jambs become very protected but the sill becomes very exposed.  
>> So to get any advantage we need to detail the sill carefully (pesky corners).  But, steeply sloping (say 6:12) sills will also greatly reduce risk.
>> The bottom corners at the sill can be easily solved (in my humble opinion) by using preformed corners, made of rubber, plastic or galv metal (check out people like Dow and Cosella Doerken for plastic and rubber cheap corners, get you sheet metal guy to build metal ones)
>> 
> 
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