Introduction
Stone Slab Buildings Were Built to Last
Having lived on the steppes of Ukraine, German-Russians and Ukrainians came to the U.S. with expertise in building functional stone slab buildings.
The design of these buildings is deceptively simple. One might think that it was not much more than just piling up stones.
A closer examination of the structure shows considerable ingenuity in the design.
The builders didn’t have the benefit of engineering equations but did have experience in what did and did not work. They knew, for example, to limit the length of the rooms so the roof beams and rafters could support the weight of the roof.
The thickness of the walls served several functions. It served as a solid base that would support the roof without bowing out over time. The mud mortar served to seal out drafts. The thermal mass of the stones in the wall served to keep the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
The exterior render coating was designed to keep the rain from washing away the sandstone and mud mortar. The exterior rendering also prevented moisture from being trapped inside the wall. Moisture inside a wall is a major problem causing the walls to weaken and eventually fail.
Brush and straw used in roof construction kept excess humidity from building up inside the house particularly in the wintertime.
Despite the yearly maintenance required to sustain the roof and the exterior render coating, these building were functional and built to last.
Introduction
