Toby And Liz's Strawbale Abode Toby and Liz's strawbale abode I thought I would put up a few pictures from the past. A couple years ago some friends of mine, Toby and Liz, decided to hold a "straw raising" party to get some help putting up the walls of their soon to be guest house out in the Arizona Desert. They needed to build the guest house first in order to have a place to stay while they built their main house out of tires. They did all of the tedious prep work and all the finish work. About 20 of us spent 2 days helping them with the easy stuff—putting up the walls. Toby and Liz built this casita the way everyone should...they let the building build itself. Here I am playing with chicken wire. After the first day's plastering. Notice shoulder high by the door you can see the large snake head that Toby is creating beginning to take shape. A finished interior shelf up high. Bed loft with skylight and cool window. Awesome little kitchen Here they made a really cool copper "skylight" around the opening for the chimney.
Strawbale Redux Here is a rudimentary drawing of the floor plan done with Paint. Not bad for my first try! Basics-the exterior dimensions are 32 X 46 but remember, these are strawbale walls so that translates into actual interior dimensions of 28 x 42. For orientation, the house is on a nearly E-W axis. The LR and 2 BRs are on the S. The house is a basic ranch but you may be wondering: Why waste sq footage in such a small house with that hallway? The wall between the LR and S BR will be adobe for thermal mass. We tried to design the house for the way we live. Another important aspect of the design was to have light coming in from 2 sides in every room. Building Stage: PlansThe plans are now back to the City for (hopefully) final approval. Until next time...keep your straw dry.
How to Build a Straw Bale House By Twilight Greenaway on April 3, 2013 Photographs by Florian van Roekel Photographer Florian van Roekel and his girlfriend, artist Amber Isabel, wanted an escape from pollution and city life but they didn’t just want any old weekend house. Instead, the Amsterdam-based pair envisioned a home with a minimal ecological footprint. Step 1 Roekel and Isabel dug a trench to remove the topsoil and get to the sandy layer beneath, which is compacted and much steadier as a foundation. Step 2 On top of the gravel, the builders layered misprinted polypropylene bags filled with more gravel. Step 3 In September, after the harvest, they bought straw bales from a nearby farm province. Step 4 The roof was built with repurposed wood insulated with sheep wool, covered with pond liner, and topped off with a layer of soil. Step 5 They sealed the straw bale walls with clay plaster (or “mud plaster”), which protected the walls from the elements and rodents. Step 6 From our partners at Content Not Available In Your Region
Guide to Straw Bale Building Sustainable Web Hosting - 10 Sensational Homes Built from Straw | green-building Written by Ryan Hollitz | 19 December 2009 Posted in Blog - Green Building New building materials could really make your house green from the ground up! Straw! :) via [thedailygreen.com] In the classic story of the Three Little Pigs‚ a naive piglet decides to build his home out of straw, which soon gets the huff and puff treatment by a big bad wolf, resulting in the poor little pig's untimely end. Many may wonder why a person would want to build a home made out of straw, but apart from providing a place to hide from the big bad wolf, they have some substantial benefits. Read on to discover just how right that first little pig was to build his home out of straw. Photos: Brett Weinstein/Realty Advocates 1. This unique, beautiful straw bale home in Oakland, California recently carried a $1.1 million price tag. Photo: JD Peterson 2. This gorgeous home, perched on owner Henry Siegel's 2 1/2-acre leafy lot, offers panoramic views and cozy comfort. Photo: University of Bath 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
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Why Build With Straw Bales? Straw bale construction lends itself well to an owner builder project. Some of the applications well suited for straw bale include: a cottage, office, garage, studio, and an art barn. You don’t have to limit yourself to these smaller projects. Thousands of people have successfully built their own straw bale house. I’ve created a great introductory video on why to build with straw bales. Reason #1 Energy Efficiency. A well built straw bale home can save you up to 75% on heating and cooling costs. Reason #2 Sound Proofing. Straw bale walls provide excellent sound insulation and are superior wall systems for home owners looking to block out the sounds of traffic or airplanes in urban environments. Reason # 3 Fire resistance. Straw bale homes have roughly three times the fire resistance of conventional homes. Reason # 4 Environmental responsibility. Building with straw helps the planet in many ways. Reason #5 Natural Materials Reason #6 Aesthetics Reason #7 Minimize wood consumption.
A House of Straw