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Originally Posted by jwilcox
Wow, cool, so I'm not alone in my femininity here :-0
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hahaha, not alone, there are a bunch of us. But I don't think about it much. Honestly, everyone here is so straightforward and generous with information, I've never felt talked down to because I'm a woman. (If anything, I'm very aware of my lack of technical ability and skills compared to the very knowledgeable posters here, but responses have been nothing but kind and helpful.)
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Phoenix, What else did you use in the way of "green" building materials?
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I'm planning to use recycled materials as much as possible as well as some natural materials:
The old bus seats will be reused as a dinette. Our bus had handicapped-accessible seats and a lift, so the seats have 3-point harnesses for the younger kids. Walls will be more of the formaldehyde-free plywood. Our existing eco-latex mattress will be used in the bus. I bought a vintage gas oven to convert to propane.
I'm avoiding things that offgas significantly whenever possible, and just received my order of interior paint (passivating paint and eggshell enamel) from here:
Organic Paint: Odorless & 100% VOC Free | Ecos Paints
I'm planning on sanded cork for the floors, which I'll seal with zero-VOC Ecos Wood Shield. Other builders will have some objections with cork, but I think it's a good fit for us.
I had hoped to make a roof-mounted solar water heater with black hose under a glass box, but mr. phoenix isn't as much of a hippie as I am
As someone mentioned, green building is a trade-off; some things seem like great options (denim insulation!), and might be under other circumstances, but then a less natural material might make more sense. I'm trying to just roll with it and appreciate everything that goes into our bus.
A pneumatic wrench was a big help for us. On the other hand, I found that the easiest way (for us) to remove the wall skin was with a simple mallet and chisel. That was fun. It's really tempting to listen to all the great advice here and just go with it like a template, but some things will be specific to you/your bus that you just have to find your own way. In the end, that has been very empowering, I think. Can't wait to read more about your build!