for homes?

no, moths eat wool.

if you like fire, i guess

Wool doesn't burn.

Doesn't it rot though?

they also make a fattier milk. This is great for making cheeses.

I've been lied to by my home ec teacher from middle school then

I watched a guy drunkenly fall into a fire before, the only reason he didn't go the ER is because he had a wool jacket on it and it saved his skin. Literally.

Wool is good for fabrics, crafts, etc. It's also naturally more waterproof than many other fabrics, and is flame-resistant.

It'd be good for making water filters

I shouldn't say "Doesn't burn" as pretty much anything will burn, but wool is a protein fiber according to google, which makes it burn very slowly.

@K_Wagner Wool has lanolin that makes it waterproof. the reason wool clothes get wet is because we remove it when we clean wool.

And like Nix said, wool doesn't absorb water like cotton or other materials.

Wool isn't cheap to make. Using it for insulation isn't the first place you want to put it.

There's a reason almost every army in the world at one time issued Wool jackets to their soldiers.

@MKUltra agreed, it's still better used for clothing than insulation

Flame resistant. And no, water filters are better with sand and charcoal. Wool is much better in socks and heavy costs, especially in PNW.

^

coats* stupid autocorrect

Straw would make a better insulator, though you need to change it from time to time to avoid mildew.

Like thatch roofs.

Honestly, snow is its own insulator.

Not to mention the houses should be sturdy to begin with. If you absolutely must have insulation, straw or pine needles work, or shredded bark.

Really though, the best insulation is a well-made house. At least as far as I understand.

the really nice thing about sheep and goats is that it's easy to downsize is feeding them becomes a problem. You can kill a few and still have herd. the same can't be said for cows.

*if

Well, the house itself acts as a barrier from the ice and snow. Thick walls make it harder for the outside cold to get in. Insulation helps actually keep the heat in, better insulation, less wood or propane you have to burn to heat the house.

@dmac100 agreed, and you can raise many more sheep and goats per acre than cows.

For starters, animals smaller than bovine would be a good idea.

@Mitere the first few "houses" will be log cabins, so mud in between the logs will probably be our insulation.

That will increase rot and pests.

Pitch could be used.

But that increases fires. Used throughout history.

We could use pine tar.

Indeed.

There are flame resistant chemicals that can be sprayed or painted on.

These are temporary house for people to sleep in while they build better ones. The plan so far is that a few guys go out next april to start clearing land and grow food.

We shouldnt have date plans right now

But next April should be fine I guess

@Ghostler I agree. However, moving to the PNW in the winter isn't possible and summer is too late to get any food grown.

Not to be a damper on our agrarian zeal, but if we are mainly focused on building housing the first summer it is understandable if we do not get any farming done. We can live off canned stuff and stored provisions until we can crops up and running.