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 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 extreamly sturdy under high winds. The bit where the big bad wolf blows down the little pig's house made of straw? Pure slander! (oops, sorry, got carried away there.)
(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 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 extreamly sturdy under high winds. The bit where the big bad wolf blows down the little pig's house made of straw? Pure slander! (oops, sorry, got carried away there.)
(photo from ercwttmn's flickr account. Some rights reserved.)
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.
Small Strawbale: Natural Homes, Projects & Designs
Amazon Price: $19.80 (as of 01/05/2010) 
Used Price: $18.81
Usually ships in 24 hours
More Straw Bale Building: A Complete Guide to Designing and Building with Straw (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)
Amazon Price: $26.56 (as of 01/05/2010)
Used Price: $20.52
Usually ships in 24 hours
Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates (Real Goods Solar Living Book)
Amazon Price: $19.80 (as of 01/05/2010)
Used Price: $15.42
Usually ships in 24 hours
The Straw Bale House (A Real Goods Independent Living Book)
Amazon Price: $19.80 (as of 01/05/2010)
Used Price: $6.44
Usually ships in 24 hours
Strawbale Homebuilding
Amazon Price: (as of 01/05/2010)
Used Price: $7.99
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...
Designed by Carina Rose. Note inward curvature of wall so that 2x4s can be inser...
Designed by Carina Rose
Designed by Carina Rose
curated content from Flickr
It's All About The Straw
Random blogs about straw bale
- The Other Gingerbread – a Strawbale House
- Enjoy this alternative " green" building strawbale gingerbread-style house made with graham crackers, mini-wheats and pretzels.
- How to Build a Strawbale Cabin in Two Weeks
- Rodney and Pamela Volkmar designed a vaulted straw bale cabin. It has an A-frame facade of a small stucco house. With all the materials at the site, Rodney feels this design, even on a larger scale, could be completed in two weeks. ...
- Straw-bale Building as a Money Saving Alternative
- While straw bale construction used to be a method of the past it is gaining ground as an eco- friendly alternative to stick frame construction. For owner builders straw bale construction is quickly becoming the course of choice and with ...
- Straw Bale Construction: A Housing Design That Offers Energy ...
- Straw bale construction is a housing design that is moving into the mainstream. Praised for sustainability and energy efficiency, straw bale homes deserve a second look.
Lensroll.com
- Don't Be Afraid of The Big Bad Wolf. Build with Strawbales!
- Like this lens? Follow this link to vote for it on lensroll.com. (Thanks!)
Whatcha think?
Rant or rave, either way be sure to let it all out
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- spirituality spirituality Jun 28, 2009 @ 6:02 am
- Great lens - you've been blessed by a squidoo angel :)
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- Hendri Filyani Hendri Filyani Jan 31, 2009 @ 9:10 am
- good information for building
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- Hendri Filyani Hendri Filyani Jan 31, 2009 @ 9:10 am
- good information for building
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- eccles1 eccles1 Oct 24, 2008 @ 10:38 am
- another great lens with great ideas !!
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- jeffshy jeffshy Jul 9, 2008 @ 12:17 pm
- Well this is really learning something new. Neat lens.
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by MerryM
Hiya, I'm Merry. I grew up (and still live) in suburbia. I've always been interested in environmentally friendly living, though. During a visit to an... (more)
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