strawbale and papercrete skirting

[krys65]

Hey guys,
I'm new here as a registered member, however i've been lurking for quite some time and have read Mark's book from cover to cover

I have a problem with skirting. My house is on uneven ground on block piers. The skirting is subject to high winds, snow pushing on it, etc ., and it seems to get trashed every year.
I've been experimenting with papercrete, and was wondering what you all thought of placing strawbales around the home, chicken wiring, and plastering with papercrete (obviously leaving some spaces open for access and venting). I'm thinking it would insulate quite well, and as an added bonus, create an interesting bench-type structure (or banco around here) around the house.

I also thought about carrying the chicken wire straight up the sides of the house as well, and plastering the whole thing. I think i'd have to vapor barrier the outside first if plastering is possible, but it seems it would insulate the whole house pretty well.

Any thoughts on this?

thanks for this forum, i've learned so much here, and as a first time mobilehome owner, it's been invaluable.

k

[Greg]

Hi & welcome to the family. Personally I am a fan of steel skirting, I won't say it's bullet proof, but I have yet to see a weedeater get through it. Straw bales? I would be afraid of that, the last thing you need under your home is a fire hazzard.
Check the "articals" section of the forum, Mark (the site owner) did a "Monster" skirting job on his home and wrote the story of it.
I am sure others will add to this. Greg

[Yanita]

Hi,

Welcome to the site. Glad you finally registered and joined us!

I agree with Greg about the skirting, also in the Books/Parts link Mark sells wind rods for skirting.

Happy Holidays,

Yanita

[krys65]

well, the strawbales would be completely plastered, just like a strawbale house. they're incredibly fireproof once plastered. (and i've fought fires in homes with strawbale additions, and the only thing not burned was the strawbale section).

i think the problem i'm having is that the home sits on really uneven ground (dirt), where the heights range from 2.5 feet to about 3.5 feet. The underbelly is a bit of a mess, and altho i've repaired it, and added insulation where it was missing or damaged (man, what a job THAT was), you can still feel cold coming up thru heat vents.

I'll take a closer look at the metal solution...

thanks!
k

[Yanita]

Hi,

Have you physically inspected every foot of duct work. It is possible that your ducts have separated or other wise been damaged from whatever it was that got under your home.

Mobile homes shift alot with the change of the seasons, I really do not think your application will be effective, there will be give and take in the skirting when the home shifts.

As for enclosing the entire home in this application not sure that would be a good idea either. Again the shifting and also what to do around doors and windows. What type of utilities does your home use, remember our homes need to breathe.

JMO, and I am certain others will have thoughts as well.

Happy Holidays,

Yanita

[JD]

Personally, I like metal or vinyl skirting to make it easy to access the underside of the home. If you had a major plumbing job to do, it sure would be a lot easier if you can remove skirting in that area.

Also I would be a little concerned about moisture wicking up into the (topside) sealed hay bale. But I do not know about using the hay bales or if mold is a big issue in your part of New Mexico.

JMO
JD

[Demolition]

I think the writer is talking Adobe, like Hay and concrete. I would also be concerned with mold, not dying from mold, but the mold getting stinky when it is wet.

Maybe if standard steel skirting doesn't hold, you could try going to the scrap yard and ask for some Tin Sheets. Build a little frame out of 2 x 2's and screw the tin to the little frame and the bottom wood board that runs along the bottom of the house.

See if you can put a hinged door or maybe two doors, so in the summer or on nice days you can air out the underneath of the house. Sometimes we get puddles of water beneath the house because we live in the Arkansas Delta.
The puddles get stinky and mosquitos want to breed there.

[Yanita]

Hi,m

I know that the application he is speaking of is Adobe, I still feel it is not a practicable application for what he needs...skirting.

Either vinyl, tin or steel are very good options and the most practical. Any of these applications can be used on uneven ground, just measure from bottom of home to the ground for each piece and install. If you use vinyl and have windy conditions Mark also has wind rods available in our online store.

As for venting I believe the recommendations is one vent per 150 square feet. Access doors are easily made for any of these skirting options and I think there is directions for that in Mark's metal skirting article. I recommend at least 2 access panels. Although most people only have one.

Happy Holidays,

Yanita