Comments on: Landscape Walls and Rubble Trench Foundations http://www.strawbale.com/landscape-walls The World's Leader in Straw Bale Education Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:14:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 By: Derek Hemond http://www.strawbale.com/landscape-walls/comment-page-1#comment-43783 Derek Hemond Sat, 26 Nov 2011 19:50:50 +0000 http://www.strawbale.com/?p=584#comment-43783 Chris, this looks tasty and refreshing. I definitely have to try this one to fight off this Texas heat. Thanks for sharing. Chris, this looks tasty and refreshing. I definitely have to try this one to fight off this Texas heat. Thanks for sharing.

]]> By: Andrew Morrison http://www.strawbale.com/landscape-walls/comment-page-1#comment-43137 Andrew Morrison Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:09:58 +0000 http://www.strawbale.com/?p=584#comment-43137 Sorry for the long delay Don. I've just been very busy as of late. The bales won't likely rot if you use a pond liner over the top and under your mesh. I suggest you use a welded wire mesh (16 gauge 2"x2" would be good) to reinforce the wall as it has structural strength that the chicken wire does not. You'll need to provide a place to nail the mesh at the bottom of the wall on both sides, but other than that, you won't need to add any additional cornet with the design you have described. Again, as long as you can provide the wood nailer attachment point. At the top of the, add chicken wire OVER the 2x2 mesh and tie wire it to the 2x2. It's purpose is to provide extra support for the plaster where the pond liner is present. Sorry for the long delay Don. I’ve just been very busy as of late. The bales won’t likely rot if you use a pond liner over the top and under your mesh. I suggest you use a welded wire mesh (16 gauge 2″x2″ would be good) to reinforce the wall as it has structural strength that the chicken wire does not. You’ll need to provide a place to nail the mesh at the bottom of the wall on both sides, but other than that, you won’t need to add any additional cornet with the design you have described. Again, as long as you can provide the wood nailer attachment point. At the top of the, add chicken wire OVER the 2×2 mesh and tie wire it to the 2×2. It’s purpose is to provide extra support for the plaster where the pond liner is present.

]]> By: Don Leaman http://www.strawbale.com/landscape-walls/comment-page-1#comment-41700 Don Leaman Sat, 02 Jul 2011 19:33:35 +0000 http://www.strawbale.com/?p=584#comment-41700 Hoping for a reply and some guidance. Note that the hillside would be covered with straw bale "rocks" with some pockets between bales to leave space around mesquite trees already growing on the hillside. (Somehow they manage to grow in the caliche rock. Sorry about the previous misspelling.) Hoping for a reply and some guidance. Note that the hillside would be covered with straw bale “rocks” with some pockets between bales to leave space around mesquite trees already growing on the hillside. (Somehow they manage to grow in the caliche rock. Sorry about the previous misspelling.)

]]> By: Don Leaman http://www.strawbale.com/landscape-walls/comment-page-1#comment-41687 Don Leaman Fri, 01 Jul 2011 21:43:00 +0000 http://www.strawbale.com/?p=584#comment-41687 I need guidance in creating a large straw bale "rock formation" of faux concrete rock on an Arizona hillside (1:5 grade). Existing hillside has a 1-2" fine gravel cover over solid calache rock. Calache rock looks and behaves like hard white chalk and is unattractively amorphous. My plan is to erect a straw bale wall 6 feet high at the crest of the hill on a filled cinder block foundation with rebar driven into the underlying calache and the holes filled with cement. The rebar would protrude up 12 inches into the first layer of bales. This foundation would be under the wall bales. By cementing the block to the ground calache along the crest of the hill, any water flow would be forced around the wall. Could I then avoid having a footer under the adjacent bales which compose the stair step descending layers of artificial rock? I would plan to cover the whole top of the multi height "rock formation" with 5 mil plastic sheeting before sewing on the chicken wire through the sides of the bales. This is a non-weight bearing structure for aesthetic purposes. As you mention in the article above: "The mesh and plaster will ultimately support themselves even after the bales rot out some 40 years from now." So really it shouldn't matter if the straw rots out in even a year or two? If that would cause a stink, however, I wouldn't like that. Can the straw bales be treated with some kind of antimicrobial agent to stop decay by bacteria or mold? I would appreciate your thoughts. I need guidance in creating a large straw bale “rock formation” of faux concrete rock on an Arizona hillside (1:5 grade). Existing hillside has a 1-2″ fine gravel cover over solid calache rock. Calache rock looks and behaves like hard white chalk and is unattractively amorphous. My plan is to erect a straw bale wall 6 feet high at the crest of the hill on a filled cinder block foundation with rebar driven into the underlying calache and the holes filled with cement. The rebar would protrude up 12 inches into the first layer of bales. This foundation would be under the wall bales. By cementing the block to the ground calache along the crest of the hill, any water flow would be forced around the wall. Could I then avoid having a footer under the adjacent bales which compose the stair step descending layers of artificial rock? I would plan to cover the whole top of the multi height “rock formation” with 5 mil plastic sheeting before sewing on the chicken wire through the sides of the bales. This is a non-weight bearing structure for aesthetic purposes. As you mention in the article above: “The mesh and plaster will ultimately support themselves even after the bales rot out some 40 years from now.” So really it shouldn’t matter if the straw rots out in even a year or two? If that would cause a stink, however, I wouldn’t like that. Can the straw bales be treated with some kind of antimicrobial agent to stop decay by bacteria or mold? I would appreciate your thoughts.

]]> By: Andrew http://www.strawbale.com/landscape-walls/comment-page-1#comment-8390 Andrew Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:22:22 +0000 http://www.strawbale.com/?p=584#comment-8390 Eric, Thanks for pointing that out. You are correct and I was a bit hasty in using the illustration. This is actually an illustration from Wikipdeia that I used mainly to show the deep trench with the drain at the bottom for the purposes of giving people an idea of what a rubble trench looks like. I see now that I was somewhat inappropriately blind to the rest of the picture. I see your point now that I have stepped back to look at it. No, this is not how I build my slabs for homes; however, for a landscape wall, there is no need to worry about the concrete grade beam being exposed to the elements. In fact, one of its jobs is to raise the bales off of the ground, thus exposing itself to the elements. I will put a note under the photo that reflects your comments as you are right on with them. Thanks for the heads up and watchful eye. Eric,
Thanks for pointing that out. You are correct and I was a bit hasty in using the illustration. This is actually an illustration from Wikipdeia that I used mainly to show the deep trench with the drain at the bottom for the purposes of giving people an idea of what a rubble trench looks like. I see now that I was somewhat inappropriately blind to the rest of the picture. I see your point now that I have stepped back to look at it.

No, this is not how I build my slabs for homes; however, for a landscape wall, there is no need to worry about the concrete grade beam being exposed to the elements. In fact, one of its jobs is to raise the bales off of the ground, thus exposing itself to the elements. I will put a note under the photo that reflects your comments as you are right on with them. Thanks for the heads up and watchful eye.

]]> By: Eric Randall http://www.strawbale.com/landscape-walls/comment-page-1#comment-8372 Eric Randall Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:49:06 +0000 http://www.strawbale.com/?p=584#comment-8372 Your cross-section illustration of a slab over a rubble trench foundation does not reflect an understanding of how to properly insulate a slab for a residence, and if it is intended to describe a landscape wall, the illustration seems inappropriate. As your illustration shows, the slab under the wall is exposed to the outside. If for a residence, this construction detail will create a "thermal nosebleed", providing a direct path between the inside conditioned space and the outside cold. This illustration is misleading and irresponsible for someone claiming to be an expert... Andrew, is this really how you build your straw bale foundations, either for a landscape wall or a residence?? Your cross-section illustration of a slab over a rubble trench foundation does not reflect an understanding of how to properly insulate a slab for a residence, and if it is intended to describe a landscape wall, the illustration seems inappropriate. As your illustration shows, the slab under the wall is exposed to the outside. If for a residence, this construction detail will create a “thermal nosebleed”, providing a direct path between the inside conditioned space and the outside cold. This illustration is misleading and irresponsible for someone claiming to be an expert… Andrew, is this really how you build your straw bale foundations, either for a landscape wall or a residence??

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