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Build A House of Straw

The document discusses straw bale construction, including how straw bales have been used as a building material for centuries. It provides details on different types of straw bale construction and exterior siding options. It also lists additional resources for learning more about straw bale homes.

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architectfemil6663
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331 views

Build A House of Straw

The document discusses straw bale construction, including how straw bales have been used as a building material for centuries. It provides details on different types of straw bale construction and exterior siding options. It also lists additional resources for learning more about straw bale homes.

Uploaded by

architectfemil6663
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Build a House of Straw? Seriously?

Straw Bale Construction Deconstructed


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Frameless Straw Bale House (straw bale walls carry the roof load). Photo ©philipp, iphilipp on
flickr.com, Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
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by Jackie Craven
Updated August 03, 2017

Straw is one of the world's oldest building materials, and it's much stronger than you'd
think. Harvested from fields of wheat, rice, rye, oats, and similar crops, straw is also
earth-friendly and wallet-friendly. Compressed bales can be stacked, reinforced with
steel rods, and inserted into a house frame. Straw bale walls are sturdy enough to bear
heavy loads. The bales burn more slowly than wood and provide excellent insulation.

In the African prairies, houses have been made of straw since the Paleolithic times.
Straw construction became popular in the American Midwest when pioneers discovered
that no amount of huffing and puffing would blow down hefty bales of straw and grass.
Farmers soon learned to coat the walls, especially the exterior surfaces, with lime-based
earthen plasters. When baled hay was used, animals would eat through the structure.
Straw is a more woody waste-product of grain farming.

Architects and engineers are now exploring new possibilities for straw bale construction.
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.
TWO KINDS OF STRAW BALE CONSTRUCTION

1. Bales are used to support the weight of the roof. This technique often uses steel
rods through the bales for reinforcement and stability from movement.
Structures are generally one-story, simple designs.

1. Bales are used as "infill," like insulated wall material, between the studs of a wood
framed structure. The roof is supported by the frame and not the straw bales.
Structures can be architecturally more complex and larger.

EXTERIOR SIDING

After the straw bales are in place, they are protected with several coatings of stucco.

A straw bale house or cottage looks like any other stucco-sided house. Beware, however,
that many different recipes exist for stucco. Straw bales need a lime-based earthen
mixture, and a straw bale expert (not necessarily a stucco expert) should be consulted.

ABOUT STRAW BALE CONSTRUCTION

 See photos of straw bale houses from strawbale.com, "A World Leader In Straw
Bale Education" by Andrew Morrison, StrawBale Innovations, LLC, Ashland,
Oregon
 Straw Bale Construction from SustainableSources.com
 Straw Bale House Construction, Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage, Rutledge, Missouri
 The Last Straw, The International Journal of Straw Bale and Natural Building

LEARN MORE FROM THESE BOOKS

 Strawbale Home Plans by Wayne J. Bingham and Colleen Smith, 2007


Buy on Amazon
 More Straw Bale Building: A Complete Guide to Designing and Building with
Straw by Chris Magwood, 2005
Buy on Amazon
 Straw Bale Building: How to plan, design and build with straw by Chris
Magwood and Peter Mack, 2000
Buy on Amazon
 Building a Straw Bale House: The Red Feather Construction Handbook by
Nathaniel Corum, Princeton Architectural Press, 2005
Buy on Amazon
 Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates by Paul
Lacinski and Michel Bergeron, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2000
Buy on Amazon
 The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes by Athena and Bill Steen, Chelsea Green
Publishing Company, 2001
Buy on Amazon
 Small Strawbale by Bill Steen, Athena Swentzell Steen, and Wayne Bingham,
2005
Buy on Amazon
 Sustainable Compromises by Alan Boye, University of Nebraska Press, 2014
Buy on Amazon
 Build It with Bales by Matts Myhrman and S. O. MacDonald, 1998

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