In June Green Hammer started installing the first floor walls which are constructed out of Durisol, a hollow block made of recycled waste wood and Portland cement with non-combustible, moisture resistant Rockwool mineral fiber insulation inside.  Both components utilize reclaimed and natural materials and are fully recyclable.  Durisol does not contain or emit any volatile organic compounds (VOC), which are toxic to both indoor air quality and the environment in general.  It is insect, rodent and virtually fire proof and does not support fungus growth.  In addition, the blocks allow the home to slowly breathe which eliminates any issues with moisture building up within the walls causing mold and air quality problems.  All of these qualities are desirable for a rural home which has the potential to experience any or all of these situations.  Although very durable, Durisol blocks are lightweight and easy to work with.  Our installation crew was surprised at how simple the blocks are to cut and how much lighter and easier they are to install than traditional concrete masonry.  In addition, the lack of VOCs also benefits the installers, as some traditional insulation options are uncomfortable or downright dangerous for crews to work with.  

           While all of these features are important, energy efficiency is arguably Durisol’s most green feature, because a tight home envelope is less expensive and resource intensive to heat and cool.  Durisol has a high R value, which is the measure of the capacity of a material to impede heat flow.  A higher R value means the material provides increased insulation from heat transfer.  Consequently, our heating system will use less energy to keep our home at a comfortable temperature and we will have no need for air conditioning.  Lower energy consumption means we will not be as vulnerable to increasing energy costs and thus skyrocketing utility bills.

           The “Pre Pour Durisol Installed” photo shows the Rockwool insulation and rebar that are inside of Durisol blocks before they are filled with concrete.  These provide extra insulation and rigidity within the wall.  In the next photo “Durisol with Concrete” you can see what the blocks look like after they are back filled with concrete. Backfilling the blocks with concrete provides additional thermal mass, sound absorption and durability.  The construction is so solid that this home will be around for many generations with minimal maintenance.  The picture of the “Recycling” pile shows all of the pieces of block and insulation waste that were generated from cutting pieces to fit.  Because the pieces are not hazardous, they made wonderful infill underneath the patio slab and reduced the need to bring in more material to backfill the area.  

          While the walls were being installed Andy Lacy owner of Forgewerks began fabrication of the metal trusses.  The trusses are exceptionally large and extremely heavy (aprox. 800 pounds a piece.)  Andy welded each truss in two separate pieces and delivered them to the site on a large flatbed truck.  When they arrived at the site, the boom truck hoisted both halves into the house to finish welding them together.  Once they were completed the trusses were hoisted out of the building and set aside until the final preparation for their installation was completed.