Wood was scarce on the prairie, but thickly-thatched sod was abundant. Historic cabin showing the layers of birch bark and sod. In the early frontier days of the U.S., there was a need for homes for the families who were settling in the West. Having the grassy side against bark helped the water to drain freely down the roof and also prevented the bark from decaying as fast as it would if it were in contact with soil.

This also served the purpose of insulation and typically would have been faced with stone on the inside to prevent moisture from entering the home. Prairie grass has a much thicker, tougher root structure … In a frigid environment with few trees, sod was the natural choice for building, leaving a legacy of adorable homes andSod roof on un-mortared stacked fieldstone structure.Sod roof structures now preserved as a museum in Iceland.Historic cabin showing the layers of birch bark and sod.Clos up of a well preserved sod roof home in Iceland with massively thick stone walls.

This sod house is National Park Service or Smithsonian-worthy both culturally and architecturally. The sod house would settle significantly over time as the sod dried out. Scandinavian people were the original innovators of green roof technology, building the best homes they could with what they had: stone, logs and sod. There is no plumbing, water etc. How many square feet of land do I need to harvest the sod from for a 12' x 16' house? By using our site, you agree to our

Then overall height (e.g 8 ft) divided 4" height per course gives you 24 courses needed. Starting at the eaves of the roof, Nordic homebuilders would lay overlapping sheets of birch bark like large shingles, so water flowing down the roof would run over one sheet and then another, draining off at the bottom.A layer of sod about 3 inches thick, soil and all, was placed upside down on the bark as it was laid to hold it in place. Birches are among the most common trees in these regions and have the ability to give their bark without suffering permanent damage.First, the frame of the home was built with a combination of stone and logs (from birch or other species that were available), including rough wooden planks that served as roof boards to support the sod. These days we use synthetic rubber liners to prevent moisture from damaging the roof structure in green roof systems, which typically have a lifespan of about 30 to 40 years. wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. May 26, 2014 - Explore Lenora Rogers's board "Sod Houses", followed by 429 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about Sod, Pioneer life, Old west. Using 2 sq ft/linear ft or run (12+12+16+16) is 56 sq ft per course.

Sometimes you might see a sod house without grass on outside; usually they are not fully developed yet or they built it at the wrong time. The first modern green roof structures were developed in the 1960s, but Scandinavian people have been Sod roof on un-mortared stacked fieldstone structure. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/3\/3b\/Build-a-Sod-House-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Build-a-Sod-House-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/3\/3b\/Build-a-Sod-House-Step-1.jpg\/aid1355111-v4-728px-Build-a-Sod-House-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"