The Rural Independent – gardening, alternate energy, cooking, homesteading, home schooling

Straw Bale House

Straw has been used for centuries to build shelter of one form or another.  In Europe there are straw built homes still standing after hundreds of years of use.  Straw bales provide very dense, strong walls and are extremely impervious to rot and rodent infestation when properly placed and sealed.  Think about how dense a straw bale in the field is and then imagine the weight of other bales and even a roof bearing down upon the bale.  This density also makes straw bale very resistant to fire.  There is literally no space for oxygen to occupy which in turn will not feed a flame.  Outside and inside walls are mostly covered in one form or another of plaster, so you can achieve some very nice and professional finishes with your finished building.

Straw Bale projects are usually conducted in much the fashion of a “barn raising” of old.  In Australia these gatherings are referred to as a “Busy Bee.”  You frame your building, gather your straw and then have a shin-dig with friends and neighbors helping you hoist the bales into place.  It is not hard to find local people to help out, as it serves as an education and learning experience for them.  People also will travel great distances to help out.  Straw Bale construction has spawned its own community of fans and practitioners.  You may well have everything from teenagers to structural engineers at your site on build day.

It is well worth considering a straw bale project for yourself.  It can represent an economical way to get that shed you have always wanted or just maybe that solid and beautiful home you covet so much.

We hope this article helps wet your appetite and prompts you to further explore this unique, earth friendly and practical alternative building technique.  It’s an old world technique with many many a benefit today’s for rural independents.

A small home with walls going up

(note the simple framing required)

You can see how bales have been stacked

and doors and windows framed here

Here is a home about ready for plastering

Here is a nicely plastered exterior

Look at how nice the interior can be

Now here is a straw bale home!

A Single Mom’s Straw Bale Journey

Welcome to my Walden: This load-bearing straw bale house was built by me, Carolyn Roberts, consultant Jon Ruez, and many friends on evenings and weekends, using natural (straw bale walls, earthen plasters, earthen floor) and recycled materials wherever possible. We passed 23 county inspections. It’s an incredibly sturdy, beautiful and well-insulated house that will last for many years and only cost $50,000 to build (land not included). The straw walls offer insulation from the summer heat, while the earthen plasters and floor give thermal mass to maintain an even interior temperature. A well-insulated ceiling helps, too. The south-facing sunroom heats my home in the winter. I can collect 500 gallons of rainwater in a 1/2 inch rain. A hand-made solar water heater with a small tankless heater as backup provides all my hot water. My electric bills average $35 per month year-round (no gas service here). Many people thought I was crazy, but this is by far the wisest thing I have ever done, though possibly the most difficult. Read More Here

This Silent Video Teaches Much About Assembling Straw Bale Walls

Find more videos like this on Sustainable Practices

Excellent Straw Bale Construction Overview

Straw Locator – Place an add to purchase bales here

Internet Hay Exchange – Look here for hay bales for sale in your region

Straw Bale Social Club – Yup, it’s a yahoo group with over 1,100 members! Why not join and expand your knowledge of straw bale construction methods, tips and techniques?

International Straw Bale Registry A very nice listing of organizations and private citizens who have registered their straw bale buildings. Many of these folks will offer tours and other advice to those who contact them. This link contains US Listings only, but other nations can be found on the website as well.

Building Limes Forum – A website chick full of expertise in the many uses of lime in plaster applications.

Straw Bale Design Articles From LearnStrawBale.com

1. A Designer?s Perspective on Straw Bale
2. Straw Bale Design and Site Evaluation
3. 5 Straw Bale Design Tips for the Winter
4. 5 Straw Bale Design Tips for the Summer
5. Designing for Straw Bale- Choosing the Right Size Straw Bale
6. Straw Bale Design and Windows
7. Designing the ?Toe Up?
8. Designing Well to Ease Straw Bale Construction Woes
9. Straw Bale Design and the Roof
10. Straw Bale Design and the Pueblo Style Home
11. Organic Design
12. Simple Design Details – a Little Detail Goes a Long Way

Straw Bale Building and Construction Articles

From LearnStrawBale.com

1. Load Bearing Straw Bale Construction
2. How to lose money as an owner builder
3. Calculating the Number of Straw Bales in Your Straw Bale House
4. Straw Bale Construction and Water
5. How to Build a Truth Window
6. How to Build a Niche in a Straw Bale Wall
7. The Small Stuff Within Straw Bale- How To Do Simple Straw Bale Tasks
8. Retying Straw Bales
9. Retrofitting a House With Straw Bales
10. Andrew Morrison Answers Your Questions – Part 1
11. Andrew Morrison Answers Your Questions – Part 2
12. Straw Bale Building and the Foundation
13. Financing and Straw Bale Construction
14. Estimating 101
15. Some Thoughts on Earth Day
16. How To Choose a Contractor
17. Choosing the Right Straw Bales for the Job
18. Changing the Color of Your Straw Bale Home
19. Straw Bale Construction and Building Officials

Straw Bale/Timberframe Hybrid Monitor Barn

Follow David and his family as they blog “as they go” in building a traditional timber frame barn using haybales as their exterior walls on their Kentucky farm.  From building the road to drawings and design right on through the completed structure will be documented.

Visit The Barn Project Here

Straw Bale Construction Tips Video

Find more videos like this on Sustainable Practices

Straw Bale Wall Fire Test