Bergeron and lacinskis new book serious straw bale is the first to look carefully at the specific design considerations critical to success with a straw bale building in more extreme climateswhere seasonal changes in temperature, precipitation, and humidity create special stresses that builders must understand and address. Straw is a renewable material offering good thermal insulation properties and a much lower environmental impact than many current mainstream construction materials. But information on how to shape curves is sparse, so i thought id share some of what weve learned over years of doing bale work. He has taught workshops and seminars across the continent and overseas, coauthored one of the first straw bale howto books, straw bale building new society, publishers, 2000 and edited the last straw journal, an international quarterly devoted to. This book introduced me to the techniques of straw bale building, and it was very informative and useful to me as a beginner. Inside surfaces are typically lime, clay, plaster board gypsum or structolite, a us gypsum product that is formulated for thick applications wanek, catherine. In practical straw bale building, murray hollis uses simple, easy to understand language to describe the established techniques of straw bale construction and ways in which they can be improved. Modern day pioneers who are building and living in these homes say that building with straw instead of conventional materials cuts the construction costs by as much as half. Straw bale building has seen a renaissance in recent years.
The original nebraska strawbale building technique was one in which walls of strawbales actually provided the support for the. However, the published knowledge of straw bale building, including the material in this book, is insufficient to construct comprehensive building codes. Straw bale homes can be beautiful as the natural material lends itself to multiple architectural styles. When asked about the potential inclusion of straw bale and other natural building techniques to the obc, the ontario ministry of municipal affairs said, there are no proposals to include straw bale construction in the next edition of the obc due to be released in 2006. Straw bale construction maybe youve read about the secret of straw bale construction. Straw bale construction wikibooks, open books for an open world. New methods should expand its growing worldwide popularity. In a modern look at straw bale construction, i have presented what i believe are the best details for the highest quality construction available. Jan 01, 1990 with more than 100,000 copies sold, and straw bale projects underway in most regions of north america, weve entered a new era.
Bale buildings lend themselves to selfhelp, communitydriven building processes where jobs are created locally, and building processes are wholly inclusive of the buildings owners. It is an easy path for people to follow and understand who are new to such a vast and underutilized family of construction techniques and systems in this modern age. A practical manual for selfbuilders and architects. Books in this section are listed by date of publication. The low afternoon sun cast a warm, rich light on the straw. The slow rate at which straw rots makes its disposal a problem for farmers because unlike nitrogenrich hay, straw is not used for animal fodder, and the stems are too long to be thoroughly tilled into the soil. Replacing the plaster skins on prefabricated straw bale sips with more efficient wood fiber panels. However, be forwarned, the authors admit that while successful buildings have been built the oldest is the hay house in ct 25 years, there are risks and no one method is foolproof. Straw bale building has been incorporated into building codes, particularly in some states of the usa, often including some lessthanideal methods. Comprehensive information on planning and building with straw. Straw bale structures may be superior in terms of being fire retardant compared to stick framed ones. Or youve found a newspaper article about this way of building that is efficient and sustainable, beautiful and strong. Straw bale construction is a pioneer technique created out of need by settlers in the sandhills region of nebraska, who were faced with few trees for timber and soil too sandy to make sod huts.
Straw bale construction is a relatively sustainable construction method, with straw being a renewable material that is readily available. Building a home using straw bale construction mother. Along the way, i realized i had to stop idealizing straw bale as a building material and start looking at it critically. Strawbale construction is a building method that uses straw bales as structural elements, insulation, or both. In short, i restored the link to the article because it provides a general resource for natural building and strawbale construction. Some books are not exclusively about straw bale, but offer information on natural building, as well or hybrids, if you will. Bale stacking is often done in community bale raisings, where family and friends pitch in together to raise the walls in a weekend or two. Straw bale home construction instructional video youtube. That is, for the average aussie bale we need a dry weight of 36 pounds or 16 kilograms. With more than 100,000 copies sold, and straw bale projects underway in most regions of north america, weve entered a new era. The authors dedication shows through in every page. Straw bale homes cost almost exactly the same amount of money to build as traditional stickframe homes. Building a home using straw bale construction mother earth news.
Straw bale construction can be used in almost any climate to create a comfortable home. Straw bale construction offers a solution that combines both low embodied energy and carbon with low operational energy and carbon impact. Straw bale constructiontechniquesfinishes wikibooks, open. My brand new straw bale book, a modern look at straw bale construction is complete. Straw is easy to work with for people new to construction as they are flexible and can be very forgiving. Since it is not a conventional building material, the contractor or doityourselfer will need to learn new construction techniques. Going well beyond the scope of many natural building books, this indispensable manual includes a complete introduction to the use of prefabricated bale walls, packed with all the information you need to determine whether they are. Innovative tips and techniques on all phases of wall building from design to finish.
Straw bale house construction, inspection, defects. Whether you build an entire house or something more modesta home office or studio, a retreat cabin or guest cottageplastered straw bale construction imagine building a house with superior seismic stability, fire resistance, and thermal insulation, using an annually renewable resource, for half the cost of a. This book is serious about building straw bale house anyplace and from many. If you want to learn various construction techniques, building with straw bales. Essential prefab straw bale construction new society. By chris magwood, pete mack and tina therrien, new society publishers, 2005. Practical straw bale building ebook by 9780643099470. Straw bale, cob, earth plaster silver seed farms, llc.
A video and book on how to build a straw bale home. This information paper provides a broad view of the benefits and limitations of straw bale for those considering its use in construction projects. Straw bales are a highly insulative, lowembodiedenergy, natural building material made from an agricultural waste product. This book is as complete in its considerations, with a lot of updated details, as the original the straw bale home by athena and bill steen. For many, they are locally available and affordable. Multiservice firm specializing in straw bale construction. This book covers the entire straw bale building process in a step by step format, covering topics from foundation options to getting ready for plaster workshops.
Straw bale constructiontechniqueswalls wikibooks, open books. Then straw bale is just filled in between the posts. It spends very little, if any, time outlining the different styles of bale construction, nor the variety of techniques and details that have been tried over the years, nor the many factors environmental, structural, practical affecting a particular construction project that might make the builder choose one technique or detail over another. Straw bale construction archives the last straw journal. The simplicity of construction and ownerbuilder friendliness is such that anybody, including woman and children can be involved in the construction process. Straw bale building is a radically different approach to construction, and this book explains, in straightforward and commonsense terms, the principles of the technique, which was pioneered in the united states more than a hundred years ago and is now entering the mainstream. Whether you build an entire house or something more modesta home office or studio, a retreat cabin or guest cottageplastered straw bale construction is an exceptionally durable and inexpensive option. Novice ownerbuilders and their friends can continue the work through lathing and plastering of the bales, giving the house their own special imprint, and achieving savings in construction costs, as well. And the resulting living spaces are unusually quiet and comfortable. Building with straw bales is being embraced by amateurs and professionals for its versatility, comfort, environmental friendliness and high insulation. Straw bale construction an annually renewable agricultural waste product made of wheat, oats, barley, rye, or rice, used to build thick, superinsulated, stuccocovered walls. Loadbearing straw bale structuresa summary of testing and experience to date 3 bruce king ecological building network ebnet june 30, 2003 result of the construction processand thus helps ensure a durable building. Ive written this straw bale book so that you can get a precise look at the details i recommend for building a high quality, long lasting straw bale home.
Straw bale house construction why build a straw bale house. We just finished building our own strawbale home and have read pretty much all the straw bale books published within the last several years. This technique for constructing walls has been recently revived as a low cost alternative for building highly insulating walls. Straw bale walls require wellmade bales that have a minimum calculated dry density of 7 pounds per cubic foot. Information guide to straw bale building for selfbuilders and the construction industry amazon nails, hollinroyd farm, todmorden, ol14 8rj. Expert advice on straw bale construction mother earth news. There remains much we do not understand about appropriate ways to build with straw bales in different individual building assemblies, climate zones, and weather conditions. Portfolio of projects, straw bale construction information, straw bale home plans. Structural analysis has shown that the strawbalestucco assembly behaves much like a sandwich panel, with the rigid. Expert advice on straw bale construction read surprising answers to common questions about straw bale construction, an increasingly popular alternative building method. It is spreading fast like a wildfire to every corner of the earth. The latest research in the field of straw bale design and construction is presented. These are the construction techniques i have used and finetuned over the years building, teaching, and consulting on hundreds of straw bale projects from australia to europe and canada to the united states. If youre interested in calculating and comparing the specific costs of building a straw bale home vs a stick frame home, feel free to contact me.
We single out some exemplar projects and present a guide to using straw in your construction projects. The resources it provides include courses, links, books and a map of locations of strawbale homes. Calculate the dry weight of a bale by reducing the actual bale weight by the weight of the moisture content. Essential prefab straw bale construction is a fully illustrated practical guide to this affordable, scalable method. Straw bales are traditionally a waste product that farmers do not till under the soil, but do sell as animal bedding or landscape supply.
Apr 02, 2006 straw bale walls, thermal mass walls, earth plaster techniques, and passive solar design are all explained in this howto dvd on building with natural materials. This construction method is commonly used in natural building or brown construction projects. Humidity the arch enemy of any straw bale construction will accumulate inside bales covered in cement stucco. Whats more, its fun, because the technique is easy to learn and easy to do yourself. It is a practical book reflecting the authors personal experience, with tips and wisdom learned from his own pitfalls and. Straw bale walls huff n puff strawbale constructions. In 1991 i founded a straw bale construction company in albuquerque new mexico.
The available supply of straw should support significant market development, such that all future housing in the uk, for example, could, in principle at least, be built using sustainable straw bale technologies. He also presents a new straw bale construction system that has substantial benefits over current methods. The rising cost of conventional construction materials, techniques, and concern for our environment has fueled the growing popular enthusiasm for straw bale home construction. Clay plaster allow higher water vapour permeability through the walls than lime plaster, which in turn is much more than cement plasters. Dec 24, 2000 bergeron and lacinskis new book serious straw bale is the first to look carefully at the specific design considerations critical to success with a straw bale building in more extreme climateswhere seasonal changes in temperature, precipitation, and humidity create special stresses that builders must understand and address. However, the published knowledge of straw bale building, including the material in this book, is insufficient to construct. Top 8 advantages and challenges of straw bale construction. Transforming them into straw bales gives them a new life and reduces the air. The ebook rings in at 214 pages, contains 1 photographs to outline various points and steps, and has 22 professionally drawn architectural details created by chris keefe of organicforms design. Essential prefab straw bale construction new society publishers. For a postandbeam straw bale home, all the structural elements, including the foundation, frame and roof, are put into place. Research has shown that strawbale construction is a sustainable method for building, from the standpoint of both materials and energy. Building with straw was a very unknown building method at the time, so i had to invent a lot of the techniques as i went.
The book explores many variations on the straw bale theme, with honest evaluations of the pros and cons of each. Strawbale construction is a building method that uses bales of straw commonly wheat, rice, rye and oats straw as structural elements, building insulation, or both. Strawbale buildings look similar to adobe, with massive walls, wide window sills and typica. Straw bale house construction dancing rabbit ecovillage. You may not learn it all from books, but you sure can learn the best of it. The straw bale house a real goods independent living book. The slow rate at which straw rots makes its disposal a problem for farmers because unlike nitrogenrich hay, straw is not used for animal fodder, and. Jun 15, 2016 guide to straw bale construction while the three little pigs may not favour houses made of straw theres much to recommend straw bales in modern construction. Straw bale construction uses baled straw from wheat, oats, barley, rye, rice and. By contrast, the builder of a loadbearing structure must generally complete the foundation, erect the. Window curves are one of the most distinctive features in straw bale homes, and are often a big consideration in the choice to go with straw bale over other forms of construction. After the edible part of grains have been harvested, their stalks are disposed of by farmers and in many areas, they are burned. General information this guideline establishes minimum prescriptive standards of safety for the construction of structures. There has been a fair amount of discussion about this link, above.
My focus is always on designing and building a structure that is beautiful, durable, safe, efficient, healthy, natural, and inspiring. Some books are not exclusively about straw bale, but offer information on natural building, as well or hybr. Straw bale walls, thermal mass walls, earth plaster techniques, and passive solar design are all explained in this howto dvd on building with natural materials. Elpel, author of living homes strawbale buildings are all the rage in alternative construction today, and with good reasonthey are cheap, easy to build, and very energy efficient. However, with either type of straw bale house, the bales need to be raised off the ground several inches so that they dont soak up moisture from the ground. Materials the most common places for straw bale construction to be used are areas where there is the ability to grow the many different straws used for this construction method. Straw bale construction is a building method that uses bales of straw commonly wheat, rice, rye and oats straw as structural elements, building insulation, or both. The red feather handbook was, by far, the easiest quick reference as we delved into elements such as lime plastering recipes and building toeups to keep bales dry. Straw bale construction can provide benefits in regions where straw has been an unwanted waste product.
Straw bale constructiontechniqueswalls wikibooks, open. Possibly youve gone by one of my houses as its being constructed. Articles on straw bale construction being probably the most querried topic within natural building on the internet, straw bale construction has become what some people refer to as a ladder or bridge technology. Straw bale constructiontechniquesfinishes wikibooks. People living in areas where useable farmland is limited. They creatively used the prairie grass bales and built shelters from them, treating the bales like. Chris magwood is a professional straw bale builder and consultant who has constructed over 40 straw bale buildings, and consulted on many more. Architects and engineers are now exploring new possibilities for straw bale construction. This book is a pictorial howto guide on strawbale construction basics that emphasizes lowcost methods to help those in the greatest need for affordable.
A complete guide to designing and building with straw, updated edition. In practical straw bale building, murray hollis uses simple, easy to understand language to describe the established techniques of straw bale construction and ways in which they can be. Details on the latest straw bale engineering, window flashing, electrical wiring, and much more. Inspiration and information on both design and construction techniques.
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