A house made of paper? It's not as flimsy of a concept as it sounds. In fact, building with papercrete--a mixture of paper fibers, water and cement--results in a wall structure that is quite stable, and green to boot.
What Is Papercrete
Papercrete was independently invented by Eric Patterson and Mike McCain. It is made using a mixture of paper--which can take the form of old newspapers, magazines, books or even junk mail-water, and Portland cement. It is sometimes called "fibrous cement," and as one might imagine, structures built with this material look like they are made of stone or concrete.
In order to mix the ingredients, typically a rotating mixer is used, which can easily be made using a few basic components: simply suspend an electric motor in a large plastic drum. The resulting slurry can be used as infill between other materials like mortar, or transported into forms. It's possible to create blocks about the size of adobe bricks, or forms may be used to create larger shapes like panels and specialty items such as planters and furniture.
Portland cement is not an inherently green material due to its embodied energy through production, but it is only required in small amounts to create Papercrete. Some environmentally conscious builders replace it with clay, and the resulting mixture is often called "padobe." Others also add sand to the mixture to reduce shrinkage as the mixture cures. For those who aren't up for making their own, there is a mass-produced version of Papercrete, the Blox Building System by Mason Greenstar.
Advantages
Papercrete offers several benefits for homeowners:
- Materials are very inexpensive, and in some cases, free
- Process recycles materials destined for the landfill
- Requires little experience to create and build-a DIY green project
- Very insulating, with an approximate R-value of 2
- Sound-absorbing
- Lightweight
- Relatively fire-proof
- Resists insects and rodents
- Offers flexibility: can be shaped into domed ceilings and roofs or a curved wall
- Can apply stucco on the surface to change the gray look, or cover with latex paint
- Can use screws without causing cracking
Disadvantages
Any of these points could prove a dealbreaker:
- Must be waterproofed in damp climates to prevent mold
- Can wick moisture from the ground
- Might not receive approval from local building codes
- Must be used in conjunction with a structural frame, not a load bearing material
If you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty and have a growing stack of papers in your recycle bin, consider incorporating Papercrete, an alternative building material, as a part of your green home remodeling project.