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Baa baa, black sheep

7/8/2014

2 Comments

 

Insulating my tiny home

I decided to go with wool insulation because I am concerned about about toxins in my built environment. When I began looking at natural and less toxic insulation, I found that, unlike the alternatives 
  • wool tends to expand over time, 
  • wool insulates even when wet, 
  • wool is naturally fire resistant and
  • wool actually absorbs common building contaminants, such as formaldehyde.
Plus I just love wool--my boiled wool sweater and my wool socks are some of my favorite clothing, and don't even get me started on my wool comforter! After reading about wool insulation on Evan and Gabby's site, I was sold. And after doing a little research and price checking, I decided that, like them, I would purchase my wool insulation from Oregon Shepherd. So far they have been WONDERFUL to deal with and so has the insulation.
The insulation arrived quickly, packaged in large cardboard boxes.
After we pulled the insulation from the box and fluffed it up, it probably doubled in volume.
The loose fill can be blown in or placed by hand. Either way, no respirator or gloves required!
Wool insulation from Oregon Shepherd.
2 Comments
Kevin
9/12/2014 03:26:39 am

Wool! Nice!
Is a vapor barrier required on external walls when using wool as insulation?

Reply
Christina
9/12/2014 12:37:48 pm

Hi Kevin,

Some people say that you don't need a vapor barrier with sheep's wool because it naturally absorbs and releases humidity as the ambient humidity changes.
(http://uk.sheepwoolinsulation.com/support/fitting_instructions.asp)

Fellow Tiny Housers, Evan & Gabby, also used wool and decided against a vapor barrier.
http://evanandgabbystinyhouse.wordpress.com/3-the-concept-of-using-natural-wool-insulation/

However, since I"m planning to use cedar siding and I can't really build deep overhangs and the rain very often goes sideways around here, I chose to use one.

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