Don't Be Afraid of The Big Bad Wolf. Build with Strawbales!
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He Huffed and He Puffed...And He Didn't Even Chip the Lime Plaster
Incorporating straw bales into construction is a relatively new advancement in natural building, though straw has been used as a binder and insulator in mud-based building materials for millinnea. The modern rectangular, easily stacked blocks of straw are the waste produced when harvesting grain with a machine called a (you guessed it) baler.
There are a ton of reason to build with straw bales. Because straw is a waste material you can easily attain it on the cheap (always a good thing.) It reduces the amount of wood used in construction while creating a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing shape. Straw bale houses always have a great sense of "presence" to me. The thick bales are fabulous insulation, regulating temperatures and blocking sound like a pro. Straw bale houses are also fire & pest resistant and are extremely sturdy under high winds. The bit where the big bad wolf blows down the little pig's house made of straw? Pure slander!
(photo from ercwttmn's flickr account. Some rights reserved.)
There are a ton of reason to build with straw bales. Because straw is a waste material you can easily attain it on the cheap (always a good thing.) It reduces the amount of wood used in construction while creating a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing shape. Straw bale houses always have a great sense of "presence" to me. The thick bales are fabulous insulation, regulating temperatures and blocking sound like a pro. Straw bale houses are also fire & pest resistant and are extremely sturdy under high winds. The bit where the big bad wolf blows down the little pig's house made of straw? Pure slander!
(photo from ercwttmn's flickr account. Some rights reserved.)
Straw Bale in Action
Real Life Straw Bale
A family in Wales takes the plunge
- Low Impact Woodland Home
- Want to know what it's really like to build your own home? Check out the website for this family who built their house into the side of a hill. It looks just like a hobbit home!
Not only did they utilize straw bale, but they also incorporated beautiful oak, responsibly thinned from the local forest and stone they uncovered when they dug into the hill. It's really beautiful.
They have some great articles on what it was like to build and live in a naturally built home, and some links to organizations and resources in the UK. Oh, and they also have opportunities for education, too!
Thanks, LisaLogan for this link!
The Technical Stuff
Ok, so let me be honest here. I'm not a professional builder. I am just beginning to understand terms like thermal resistance or post and beam. So, I'm going to send you over to a Wiki Book for all that really-interesting-but-I-need-to-learn-more-about-it information.It's called Straw Bale Construction and it's full of info like:
*The California Energy Commission reports that the insulation value of strawbale buildings is R-30 as opposed to the value of a conventional home, R-13.
*There are two ways to build with straw bales: load bearing (where the weight of the roof is supported by the bales) and infill (which uses a post-and-beam structure to support the roof with the bales as insulation.)
*Straw bales are surprisingly fire resistance because they are packed too densly to allow in air for combustion. Also, common plastering techniques can dramatically increase the fire resistance.
(photo by colros. some rights reserved)
Feed Your Brain
Books (and a DVD) on Straw Bale Construction
No, I haven't read all of these. Sadly, my local library has a total of two (count 'em, two) books on natural building. Think of this as my "gosh, if I could buy any thing I wanted, I would buy these because they look really neat" list.
Pick Someone Else's Brain
Free info from a professional
Here's the feed from the website by Andrew Morrison, a professional builder in the US that specializes in straw bale construction. He also gives workshops (mostly in Oregon.) There's tons of free info on building with straw bales here.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byDid you know...
Many strawbale builders recommend a lime or earth based plaster as opposed to a cement stucco. The lime and earth "breathe" allowing any moisture trapped in the bales to evaporate. Visit this super-scientific-ish report for all the gory (aka "mathmatical") details.
Workshops, Internships, Jobs
Get up close and personal with straw bale
Looking for a place to learn about natural building? Do you already have mad skills and want to make a living with them? Or maybe you've learned a little and want to keep going? Here is a list of places to do just that.
- Straw Bale Workshops
- Workshops with Andrew Morrison of strawbale.com.
- Yestermorrow Design/Build School
- Yestermorrow teaches intensive hands-on courses in sustainable design, building, woodworking, and traditional crafts.
- Natural Building Network - Welcome
- The Natural Building
Network is a non-profit organization supporting natural building, while providing inspiration and leadership for a sustainable world - Intentional Communities Web Site (ecovillages, community, communes, cohousing, coops, sustainable living...)
- Many intentional communities and homesteads offer educational opportunities and internships or work trade in natural builing. Some even offer real live paid jobs! IC.org is a fantastic resource for finding these communities all over the world.
- The Farm
- That's The Farm. Just go check it out.
- Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage | Sustainable Community Living | Intentional Community Living
- Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is an intentional community of people
striving to live ecologically sustainable and socially rewarding lives. This is where I fell in love with natural building. :) - The Last Straw: Calendar of Events: Internships/Job Opportunities
- The Last Straw Journal: Postings of Natural Building Internships and Jobs
OPP: Other People's Projects
See? People really do build with this sutff...
It's All About The Straw
Random blogs about straw bale
- The UK's largest prefabricated straw bale building is officially opened
- One of the largest prefabricated straw bale buildings in Europe will be officially opened at The University of Nottingham tomorrow Wednesday 8 February 2012. Designed by Make Architects the new Gateway Building has been constructed with ?? straw bale ...
- Straw Bale Gardening Mini-Grant Available
- Dustin Dunsmore of Washington, DC readies the shaded straw bales for planting by spreading garden soil?at least two inches, as Kumm reminded everyone. Gardeners mixed garden soil with the shop's compost soil for planting vegetables and flowers.
- The house that's made from straw
- The costs were similar, but as straw bale homes require much less heating, I felt straw would be cheaper in the long run.' Now, after a couple of years planning and building, the family has just had its first Christmas in its new straw bale extension.
- Great Falls gardening not easy but there are some tricks to try
- "The next thing I want to try are the straw bales." With straw bale gardening, it doesn't matter if the soil is awful, or even if you're setting the bale on concrete. Everything you do depends on the straw. But the critical part of the straw bale ...
My Natural Building Lenses
If you enjoyed this lens, and would like to learn more about natural building, please consider visiting some of my other lenses on the subject. Thanks!
Thoughts?
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KarenTBTEN
Aug 10, 2011 @ 1:35 am | delete
- I saw one when I was living in Tucson. It looked very solid. I believe it belonged to author Barbara Kingsolver. SquidAngel blessings.
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MerryM Aug 11, 2011 @ 6:54 pm | delete
- Nice. I had the opportunity to work on a strawbale build a couple of summers ago. It's hot, itchy work, but can make a beautiful building.
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RenaissanceWoman2010
Mar 13, 2011 @ 10:26 am | delete
- Enjoyed your lens. Very informative. I've been studying straw bale construction for a few years now. At some point, I will build a straw bale studio.
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MerryM Mar 14, 2011 @ 12:55 pm | delete
- Thanks, glad you liked the lens. When you build that studio, it might be a great opportunity for a blog or a lens! I've only been involved in one strawbale build, and in a limited capacity. I'm always excited to see the process documented.
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Swisstoons
Jan 4, 2011 @ 8:11 pm | delete
- You've really captured my imagination with this, and your other lens entitled, "Build Your Home With Your Own Two Hands!" I bet these straw bale houses are as comfortable and easy to cool in the summer as they are comfortable and easy to warm in the winter with those 2-foot thick walls. There's just something very appealing about the whole idea. Thumbs up on another great lens!
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by MerryM
MerryM
Hiya, I'm Merry. I've been walking a green path these past few years, educating myself in natural building and community living. I'm also an avid (or... more »
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