A good hat & boots isn't a fashion statement about your building.
The "Hat & Boots" refer to detailing that protects your walls from weather.
The hat refers to a protective roof, appropriate to your climate. Something with deep eaves to protect from rain and sun. Like a wide-rimmed hat.
The boots refer to lifting your walls up and protecting the base. Protecting from rising dampness in the ground and rain splashing off the ground.
The number one cause of damage to any type of wall is water. Water infiltration can make insulation ineffective. Buildup of water can cause dangerous mold to grow inside a wall. And persistent dampness will cause any biodegradable materials to begin decomposing in place. None of these are desirable outcomes. But these outcomes are simple to avoid with good detailing that focus on keeping liquid water out of your walls.
THE BOOTS: stone base repels splashing water & deep roof eaves protect the walls | THE HAT: deep sheltering roofs bring rainwater far away from the base of your building |
We know all of these concepts from wood construction. After all, wood is also a bio-degradable material. Yet, we build with it all the time...without thinking twice. Why? Because we have standardized details that control water and ensure longevity (if done correctly). Now we just need to apply those same concepts to natural buildings.
Defining the "rules" for durable "dry" buildings
The Rule | How Do We Do It? |
| I use rubble trench footers, which create essentially a French drain underneath your building perimeter. No water = no erosion & no freeze/thaw movement |
| Anything within the splash zone of rain should be a durable material...something you could throw in a lake and it would still look the same a year later |
| Create a detail for the bottom of the wall that lifts biodegradable materials at least a foot off the ground (more if you have a really wet climate or lots of snow) |
| All of the ground around the bottom of a building should slope away from the structure, so water isn't coming toward your foundation or into your space |
| The edge of the roof should extend well past the face of the exterior wall to ensure that water drips off the roof and onto the ground (instead of pouring down your walls) The taller the wall, the deeper the overhang should be (especially in wet areas) |
| A living roof has plants on top of the waterproof layer, and those plants can absorb 24" of rain a year (more if you plant it deeper), so less rain comes off your roof |
rubble trench foundation creates a drain under the structure | well-selected plants absorb up to 24" of rain per year |
Коментари