[Greenbuilding] Attic fire, in a straw bale duplex.

Frank Tettemer frank at livingsol.com
Sat Nov 6 08:48:20 CDT 2010


Hi All,

Three weeks before moving into their new straw bale home in downtown 
Pembroke, Ontario, Canada, Suzanne and Rick have suffered a fire which 
started in the cellulose in the attic of their house.  The blame is 
shared between the chimney installer, who only provided a one foot high 
clearance collar in the attic, and the insulation company who pumped in 
insulation to a depth of 23".

Trusses are damaged, the fire was put out, with plenty of water, in a 
cathedral ceiling.  This means that the water ran down the vapour 
barrier, in the truss area, onto the plaster-capped bale walls, and ran 
into the room in black, stinky rivulets, staining all the interior 
plastering, (earthen with American Clay, fiber,manure, and sand.)  
Exterior plaster of lime and sand appears untouched over 95% of the wall 
surfaces.

The building structure is post and beam, located within the inside of 
the plaster and bale wall sections, and is unharmed, structurally. Only 
two small areas have exposed bales, and that was as a result of the 
firemen chopping into the walls at points that they suspected may have 
caught fire.  All in all, the plaster/bale walls are unburnt.
Clearly, from a structural point of view, the trusses could be removed 
next spring, the mess cleaned out, and structurally damaged bales (very 
few) could be replaced and replastered.

The insurance folks, and the forensic engineer with whom I have spoken 
today, both agree that the main issue is not structural, but is the 
smell, and it's feared ghost-like re-appearance, for years down the 
road.  Their take on it is to bulldoze everything, preserving the 
foundation, and start again, to avoid the stinky-winky odours.
I'm not totally convinced that the smell has penetrated all the walls.  
But I have no way of telling, at present.
Is there such a thing as a "smell detector"?
Does anyone have contact info for other bale home owners who have 
experienced a fire restoration?
I would greatly like to hear all stories connected to restoration after 
a fire, both successful and unsuccessful, as all info is useful in 
trying to evaluate the current situation.

Any fire victims out there?  And does it still stink?

Frank Tettemer

-- 
Frank Tettemer
Living Sol ~ Building and Design
www.livingsol.com
613 756 3884

-- 
Frank Tettemer
Living Sol ~ Building and Design
www.livingsol.com
613 756 3884





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