| If, for example, you really must have a rammed earth home, and if you want the home to be truly passive, a wall-thickness of five feet to reach the point of stability, where the passage of temperature in/out thru the wall becomes inert and ceases to be a factor. That has huge implications in design: Based on exterior dimensions, a "normal" 30' x 60' home is considered as 1,800 square feet of living area. Actually, if that home has 4" exterior walls, those occupy 60 square feet of your living area. Hey, no big deal, huh? That same home with proper 5-foot rammed-earth exterior walls consumes 800 square feet of your living area, so that becomes really important, and must be compensated for. Thus the exterior dimensions become 40' x 70', your home becomes 2,800 square feet. So (assuming $60 per SqFt), you will need to find another $60,000 to pay for your home. |
