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Dealing with coastal codes
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We are moving forward with our MODest house program here on the Florida panhandle. We are presently interviewing a few builders and have been introduced to a great network of prospective builders through the local blueprint shop - a great resource so far.
One of the conflicting issues now is the material selection we have chosen and the "give and take" that the local codes pose. In a nutshell, we set out to build out of CMU with some or all interior walls exposed. We love this minimalist look besides the fact that both my wifr and I have both grown up with homes of this construction. It was also one f the primary methods of construction down here in the 50' & 60's and we want to carry this on with a modern flair.
Unfortunately, it seems that there are code issues: R value vs structure and athestics. With the recent pounding the gulf has taken with storms, we want to move from the stick built to CMU but to get the R value it seems that we must fur the inside and insulate and stucco the outside - this is cost and asthetic prohibitive in our view.
There is little to lose in the R value since we live in a very temperate climate on the yearly average. There is much to lose in the structural side compared to stick. We have an aggresive budget to build clean, simple, modernd AND affordable. The extra "layers" inside and out really raise the cost compared to exposed CMU.
The answer is "why not stick built?" by many builders. Then we give up the sturctural, as well as the asthetic features we want.
Is there a way around this - within budget? ICF, AAC, etc are all still very expensive from what we have found.
We are soliciting any and all feedback from our fellow modernist at LiveModern.com. Thanks!
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SIPS instead of CMU
Good feedback and it is much appreciated. We have considerd SIPS but I guess we need to look at it a little harder. Can you give us the SIPS supplier in Flordia that you mention? Is the cement board which it is constructed of the same as Hardi panel? It also be sided with Hardi plank I assume. Thanks again for your response. Our present beach cottage - a late 50's built home, is of CMU, painted inside and outside (many times) and we do not have any of the issues that you hear of with CMU such as moisture transfer and it seems to stay fairly stable with the climate control . I guess enough years of paint with do that!
coastal
http://www.ics-sips-fl.com/
Paint on CMU is a quite effective way of weatherproofing a block wall, but it does generally take painting both the exterior and the interior, which takes some of the industrial aesthetic away, cuz in the end you are still just looking at paint. Also of note is that no matter how good your masons, reinforcing steel in masonry at the coast WILL start to fall apart in about 60 or 70 years, unless you use stainless re-bar, epoxy dipped re-bar, or fiberglass reinfocing rods. Microscopic cracks and holes let in moisture and salt, and the rebars start to rust inside the wall.The rusting process builds up immense pressures inside the wall and can end up cracking the masonry and spalting chunks of wall off. While you may not be around to know anything about it, the building will suffer. I'm not sure how well slabs hold up to this sort of thing, as on the Texas Gulf Coast most houses were built up on pilings until VERY recently. (Is it bad to hope for a hurricane to wipe out all of teh CRAPPY new developent in my home town?)
Mark
Coastal cleaning
Thanks Mark. We are investigating SIPS and other avenues. But darn I love that CMU look - even painted!
You are not alone in your coastal cleansing thoughts. It is not only in Texas where a little house keeping is in order. We have had ours to some extent and thus the need and our wish to find something that it structurally sound (140+ mph winds), looks good (clean, simple, modern) and is AFFORDABLE!
Cheers!
SIPs SIPs SIPs
The CMU issue is one that is inherent in the material itself, yes they are stong structurally, and yes they have a nice aesthetic, but there are other concerns that a wall need to address, namely insulation an waterproofing. Concrete block isn't a weather impervious system for a wall. They need pain or some sort of sealer to become truly waterproof. Also the complete lack of R-value makes them difficult to deal with when you are looking at conditioning the interior space.
My advice to you is to look into SIPs. There is a SIP producer in Florida that will provide SIPs with cement fiber board as the interior and exterior skins. Using these panels you can emliminate a few costly steps, namelt exterio and interior finish surfaces. Battens over the caulked seams and paint are all that is needed to finish the exterior, and a nice coat of joint compound and paint are all that is needed to finish the interiors.
Use CMU for exterior walls and possibly as accent walls at important areas of the design, like the entry, etc. It is VERY possible to integrate CMU walls with the SIP framing package. You'll slo find that all of the required wind bracing and straps, etc are much lessened when designing with SIPs. I know my engineers were a bit dumbfounded at how strong the panels were and how little extra strapping and tie-downs were necessary when compared to a stick-built version of the same design.
Mark