Straw Bale Housing- The Pretty Much Perfect Solution

[KittyWampus]

Plaster over straw bales:

Energy efficient
Fire resistant
Superior sound absorption
Green, environmentally friendly
Economical (if done by yourself, kept to basics)
Quake-proof

http://www.strawbale.com/

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/08/10/straw.bales/

"The thick walls also create a feeling of comfort and security, Smedt says, muffling external sounds and providing insulation. But one of the most remarkable aspects of the house is its thermal mass: the straw bales have allowed Smedt to slash his energy bills.

"I will never need air conditioning in this house," he stated. "Last summer we had temperatures of over 100 degrees for over a week. The house never got above 79, 80 degrees inside."

And in winter time, the thick walls keep the house cozy. "All the plaster and stucco in the house absorbs solar heat during the day and then slowly releases it back at night," Smedt explained."

snip

As a method of construction, straw bales have also been seized upon in earthquake-prone countries like Pakistan, Mongolia and China, as Smith explains: "It's a wonderful alternative to these brick and rubble-wall death-traps in earthquake country."

"It's not only strong but it's fairly ductile and it's not brittle," he continued. "It can keep on absorbing energy. Even after the skin starts cracking, the bales have a reserve capacity, so it would be very hard for it to totally collapse." In earthquake simulation tests, straw bale walls have been shown to absorb as much energy as plywood walls without breaking up."

..............................................................

SIZE: 480 square feet, external - 312 square feet, internal
(see plans below)

ESTIMATED COST: under $10,000 including utilities, if you...

1 - are willing if not eager to live simply
2 - do most of the work yourself
3 - use recycled materials whenever possible (and do lots of scrounging)
4 - twist a few friend's arms to help you once in awhile (free pizza works everytime)
5 - price shop around for the best deals on all materials, especially the expensive items like solar panels, composting toilet, and metal roofing - prices vary a great deal
6 - stick to the simple design features below - fancier roofs or a concrete foundation, for example, really add to the cost...
7 - can build your starter straw bale without having to permit it (more on this later)

http://www.solarhaven.org/StarterStrawBale.htm

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. How often would such a home have to be rebuilt?

Stone and brick have a usable life measurable in centuries. Wood, if properly treated and protected, has a usable life measurable in decades. Straw? I can't imagine it lasting for more than a few years.

[Stellabella]

3. Here's your answer:

http://www.strawbale.com/strawbale-faqs#decompose

[TechBear_Seattle]

13. The first sentence of that FAQ is fundamentally incorrect

Oxygen is not a requirement for decay or decomposition; a great many bacteria are methanogen and are happy to decompose organic material with no oxygen present at all. Also, there are a number of different types of fungi that feed on cellulose in the presence of very little moisture, which is why lumber used in construction will typically kiln dried and then treated with chemicals to help the wood resist moisture. Unless a similar process is used on the straw bales, they are highly susceptible to brown rot, just like untreated wood.

[KittyWampus]

4. Very durable, a long as skin is done properly to keep out moisture.

Won’t the straw decompose?

Organic material requires both oxygen and water in order to decompose. With proper construction techniques, water will not enter the building thus making decomposition impossible. Rice straw, in particular, has a high silica content which increases its resistance to decay. Straw has been used as an insulating material for many centuries, and has even been found in excellent condition in Egyptian tombs thousands of years old. Straw will not decompose as long as its moisture content is kept low.

[TechBear_Seattle]

16. Corpses have been found in excellent condition in Egyptian tombs, too

The conditions that allow for such preservation are by no means common. Homes made from bales of straw might last for decades in Egypt and other very dry places, but I cannot imagine the building technique is practical in, say, western Washington and Oregon, or along the Gulf Coast.

[mike_c]

39. it is used here on the California north coast....

I know of several straw bale houses. I don't know how durable they will ultimately turnout to be-- the technique, while old, is only newly enjoying a resurgence-- but I know of several that are 5+ years old that look as good as the day they were first occupied. Even in relatively wet climates they can apparently work well if care is taken to waterproof the shell.

[TechBear_Seattle]

40. Interesting, thanks

I went to Humboldt State, and I know how wet it can be up there. One of the things we used to do is put Jolly Ranchers along the mortar joints in the buildings' walls, in places that were sheltered from the weather, and watch as the candy melted over the course of the semester. That's how humid it was.

[Bread and Circus]

7. great question - I found this

How long will a bale home last? Won't the straw decompose?

Straw is nearly the same as wood chemically, hence because we use sound building practices the home will last accordingly. The straw won't decompose any more than wood would decompose if careful attention is paid to proper detail. Many examples of strawbale homes and churches approaching and exceeding 100 yrs are in excellent shape, and are still being lived in.

http://www.strawhomes.ca/faq.asp

[csziggy]

19. In a wet climate, such as Florida or Seattle, cellulose will decompose or be eaten by bugs

I looked at straw bale construction before I built my house, but straw bales here arrive with bugs in the bales. It's Florida - there are bugs everywhere! Another problem - good quality straw is hard to get in my local area. It has gotten now that most horse owners are bedding their horses on something else since straw is rare and expensive.

So I built with insulated concrete foam blocks. Same thermal mass but more resistant to hurricanes, tornadoes and bugs.

Bugs = insects, arachnids and whatever little crawlies we have around here.

[KittyWampus]

30. interesting alternative and thanks for adding it. Did you purchase the concrete foam blocks

or are they something one can manufacture ones self?

[csziggy]

46. The blocks are forms for the concrete - so the insulation is the foam the blocks are made of

They fit together like giant Legos and have plastic "webs" that hold the sides together and where you put in rebar. Then you fill the void in the middle with concrete. The foam and the webs are made of recycled plastic.



The brand my house is made of is Logix and they have 2.75" of foam on each side for a total of 5.5" of insulation. Add the mass of the concrete - anywhere from 4" to 12" - and that is quite a thermal mass to hold heat in or out. During construction we did not have the heat on December to January and some nights it got down to 28 F. Even when the floor guys left some windows cracked to let the varnish air out, the house stayed at 65 F or warmer.

It took a team of four guys who had never worked with ICF before to stack the first floor and set the frames for the windows. Then it took a whole day for the concrete to be poured into the walls. We were going to use ICF for the end walls upstairs, but the contractor messed up the order - it would have taken two months to get the rest of the blocks so we framed the upstairs.

Pictures of the ICF process are at: http://woodswell.com/Photos/HouseBuild/004_ICF_Walls/index.html

[DKRC]

22. More like a century if built right

In Huntsville Alabama the Burritt Mansion is an amazing straw bale building completed in 1938, and in Arthur, Nebraska you can visit the Pilgrim Holiness Church, 1928.

http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:OhEOYMWpX-QJ:www.ecocomposite.org/building/Straw_bale_resources.doc+Burritt+Alabama+1930%27s+strawbales&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

[Hannah Bell]

43. burritt mansion - nice shack

pilgrim h. church ne

[Huskerchub]

48. ...then you would be wrong.

The first strawbale homes build in the US are in western Nebraska and have been standing/inhabited for around 100 years. There are 2 types of strawbale homes infill and Nebraska style. The Nebraska style is simply stack and compressed bales with no other structure holding up the roof. Infill uses a post and beam or other type of structure to hold up the roof and the bales are used to infill the wall cavities. I know waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much about strawbale building but have not had the opportunity to put it to much good use. The top picture (pointy roof afair) actually looks like it is cob construction, not sb but could be a hybrid of the two.

[ThoughtCriminal]

49. The Burritt Museum in Huntsville, AL was built in 1938

As far as I know, it's still holding up well. Pretty humid and rainy climate there too.

[Bread and Circus]

2. I've read about these in Fine Homebuilding magazine. Very cool.

[Kalyke]

5. That first picture looks like Rubeus Hagrid's house in "Harry Potter."

:D

[KittyWampus]

6. :-D the fellow quoted from in OP goes on to say that straw bales ENCOURAGE creativity due to

the fact you're working with blocks- like legos.

It's easy for most people to play around with design elements.

And I agree the first pix looks like it's out of The Hobbit or some such. It's why I posted it.

[Kalyke]

8. Oh - I understand - it just struck me, instantly, that it

looked like a mystical hut from a movie and then I remembered it looked like Hagrid's. :hi:

[KittyWampus]

11. wouldn't life be cool if everyone lived in whimsical houses like that?

[Kalyke]

20. I just get lost in the locations of "Harry Potter" and the "Lion, the

Witch and the Wardrobe". They remind me of places my mind used to play in when I was a little girl. :)

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2007/06/25/AlnwickCastle_wideweb__470x312,0.jpg





http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/images/nav/Fig_3_Pine_spread_into_Flock_Hill_Station,_Canterbury250.jpg

[librechik]

9. I know people w strawbale houses

One problem--they get mildew/mold inside the bales after the plaster/mud seal in finished. Then they rot from the inside out. They can't last long if they get this problem.

Rammed earth/adobe has a much better history, even though it also has microbes.

I know, I wish I hadn't heard that too.

[KittyWampus]

12. Yes, I was reading about issues. Keeping straw dry during construction is high on list

as is keeping sparks and flame away.

[Robb]

17. Me too

...The other issue I've heard is shoddy plastering (or, as they put it, "anything less than 100% perfect") can also leave lots of good spots for mice and such to move in. With mixed results. :)

Although apparently it's a blast to "carve" the walls with a small chainsaw to run pipes and electrical conduit. Do-it-yerselfers enjoy it. :)

[arcadian]

10. I think they are cool. Unfortunately they are only viable for extremely dry climates.

n/t

[KittyWampus]

14. Straw Building In A Wet Climate (Ireland). Solutions:

http://ardnashee.com/about-straw-bale-houses/

We consulted with Ritchie Murphy who had worked as a strawbale builder in the USA, and who had built a post-and-beam straw clad house in Waterford with his wife Linda. He in turn spoke to Dan Smith, an architect working on straw houses in California. This whole area has been a talking point from California to Canada, but oddly enough nobody around here seems to be quite as concerned. Dan believed that at a moisture level of 30%, the temperature would need to be high for an extended period for rot to really take off. But we were above that in places.

In California, there are two suggestions. The more common seems to be to render using cement with waterproofing additive. While this might be anathema to the purists, the reality is that if houses were built with 1�? of cement render either side of a well-insulated straw wall, it would be infinitely better than 4�? of concrete block either side of a draughty 2�? piece of aeroboard, which is how most houses are currently built. If cement render is used, your walls would lose their vapour permeability, and it would be important that cement was used both inside and outside to prevent internal vapours from condensing into water where the straw joins the outside cement render.

The second option is to use a siloxane based sealant to protect the lime render. This is a synthetic sealant that is painted on, lasting for up to 10 years. It allows vapours to pass through, but prevents water droplets from getting through to the lime.

A third suggestion would be to clad the house externally using timber cladding, leaving a vented space between the straw and the cladding. This would work, but care would have to be taken to ensure that rodents or bees could not get under the cladding, and strong wire mesh would be needed at the bottom and top of the vented area. While the timber cladding would be expensive, there would be substantial savings on the cost of the lime render system outside the house.

At this stage we opted for the siloxane based sealant. We used Aquaseal ™ which is available in local hardware stores and has an odour somewhat pleasing to anybody with a glue-sniffing habit. It may not be ideal to have to use a synthetic paint every ten years, but cladding around the walls, and particularly windows and doors at this stage is a job we are unwilling to take on.

So far, the indications are that this has worked. Moisture sensors are very slow to respond to changes and it isn’t worth looking at them every month.

[tuckessee]

18. They have successfully built them in Tennessee.

It's as humid as a jungle there during the summer and the winters are full of rain.

The key is using properly dried bales and building the structure so that water doesn't leech/leak in.

Older straw bale structures are more typically found in arid climates because the lack of trees in such areas made using local straw an easier option than lumber brought from far away.

[Champion Jack]

23. I built one in WV

http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh289/Jack273/?action=view¤t=4de0e626.pbw

[KittyWampus]

31. are you the guy with the snake tatoo on their arm? What are the radiant heat coils made of?

[Champion Jack]

41. 7/8's ID PEX tubing

... there are three 300 ft loops in a single zone configuration.
Heat source is a nat gas 40 gal water heater. The whole building is plastered with hydraulic lime plaster which sucks C02 out of the atmosphere as it cures.

[DKRC]

34. Great job! And radiant floor heat!

:applause:

Is it yours, or did you work on it for someone else? Love all the storage & wooden beams showing against the plaster.

[Champion Jack]

42. It's mine, it's a shop

[guitar man]

44. That's badass

Good job! :thumbsup:

I'm considering straw bale construction when I finally build the recording studio I've been wanting to build.

[troubleinwinter]

50. That is wonderful.

A friend built several for clients a couple of hours north of San Francisco. I went into a small 'demo' on a blistering hot day... it was cool and comfortable.

I asked him if they were cheaper than traditional building. He said no, not really. But having been in many adobe homes and buildings, I know how comfortable they are, vs. air conditioning and furnace heating, and real energy savers.

There is a real beauty to the thick walls and deep-set windows.

Having seen your slide show, I now understand why they are not cheaper to build. What was your experience regarding cost?

I was all excited to see your radiant floor heat!

I wish you would post your slide show in the 'do-it-yourself' forum and/or the 'frugal and energy efficiency' forum for posterity!

BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL building!!

[Kalyke]

27. I live in Tennessee - where are there some built?

I'd love to go see them.

[tuckessee]

32. Portland is one place.

Last year a DU'er posted a thread inviting any interseted parties to come to a strawbale workshop in Portland where they were doing a second strawbale building for a lady on her small farm. The original structure was about 10 years old.

I met at least two other people there who had successfully built strawbale homes in Tennessee but I've forgotten precisely where they were.

Somewhere I've got a link to the designer/builder but I don't know if I can find it.

[DKRC]

28. Extremely humid in Alabama

http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:OhEOYMWpX-QJ:www.ecocomposite.org/building/Straw_bale_resources.doc+Burritt+Alabama+1930%27s+strawbales&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

In Huntsville Alabama the Burritt Mansion is an amazing straw bale building completed in 1938, and in Arthur, Nebraska you can visit the Pilgrim Holiness Church, 1928.

I don't know how dry Nebraska is, but I do know about Alabama. It's never really dry as in a desert dry, but as long as the bales are kept dry during the build and the outside coating applied properly there shouldn't be a problem.

[IntravenousDemilo]

15. But watch out for the Big Bad Wolf! He'll huff, and he'll puff... n/m

[FedUpWithIt All]

21. I prefer Cob. It has centuries of proof as an outstanding building material.

It has been my dream for a LONG TIME for my family to build a cob home. I stayed in a 300 yr old cob home when i was 17 in France and have wanted to build one ever since. The temperature inside the house stayed comfortable regardless of the heat or cold outside.

There was so much character in the home. It was earth and history and security and comfort. I loved it.






Ah, dreams.

[Kalyke]

29. OK... that's just adorable, too.

(Cob home)

[blogslut]

36. Hear hear!

I'm a fan of cob houses. Made from good, old dirt or clay. Add straw to the mix to give the walls extra strength. One can literally mold the home into any shape and configuration you want.

[killbotfactory]

24. The idea is quite similar to earthships

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship

Basically, have a thermal mass wall which absorbs solar energy and releases it slowly. Face the windows towards the sun and you're set. No more energy wasted on heating or cooling.

[damntexdem]

25. Now that's the last straw.

But it's a great place to drink your beverages. ;-)

[Stinky The Clown]

26. The "perfect solution" .... for **some** situations

There are other 'perfect solutions' for other situations.

Not a put down. I am very hopeful for alternative and simpler housing solutions. And this is sure one of them. But I kinda see the various flavors of "alternative housing" as like the alternative energy thing. Wind is great where there is reliable wind. Solar is great where there is reliable sun. Geothermal is great where there is accessible ground heat. Tidal is great on the coasts.

I bet straw bale houses would not be so easy in densely urbanized places like New York or Chicago or Wilmington or Atlanta .....

That doesn't make a bad idea .... just says it is not universally perfect.

[TwilightGardener]

33. When I lived in South Dakota, some old hay bales across the road

from our house ignited spontaneously because of the heat generated by decomposition within the bales. Thus, I'd have to say no to bale construction, although it does sound promising for a desert climate.

[csziggy]

47. Improperly cured hay or straw can ignite if there is too much moisture left in the bale

What Causes Hay Fires?
Freshly cut forage is not dead; respiration (the burning of plant sugars to produce energy) continues in plant cells and a small amount of heat is released in the bale. Many producers refer to this elevation in bale temperature as "sweating" or "going through a heat." In hay that is baled at the proper moisture concentration, plant cell respiration has slowed dramatically and will eventually cease.

The heat generated by plant cell respiration in hay bales is normal and generally of little consequence. However, if bale moisture levels are too high (greater than 20 percent), the heat and moisture will provide a suitable environment for the growth and multiplication of mesophilic (warm temperature) bacteria that are present on forage crops. The respiration of mesophilic bacteria releases additional heat in the bale and interior bale temperatures can reach 130° to 140°F. At this temperature range, most mesophilic bacteria die and interior bale temperatures start to decline.

This cycle of heating and cooling may occur several times during the weeks after baling as the microbial population increases and decreases. However, the maximum temperature decreases during each subsequent cycle. The interior bale temperature will eventually stabilize near the ambient temperature. Hay that has sustained these heat cycles has lost much of its quality as a feeding source, but is unlikely to catch fire.

Baled hay becomes a potential fire hazard when the interior bale temperature does not cool after the first heating cycle. This occurs when the respiratory heat created by the mesophilic bacteria provides an environment favorable for the growth and multiplication of thermophilic (heat loving) bacteria. The thermophilic organisms multiply and the heat produced by their respiration can raise the interior bale temperature to 170°F before microbial activity ceases.

The thermophilic bacteria and their respiration heat convert the hay to a form similar to a carbon sponge with microscopic pores. This damaged material combines readily with oxygen at high temperatures and can self ignite in the presence of oxygen.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/bse/442-105/442-105.html

The link above gives info on preventing hay fires and how to monitor the bales for the first six weeks after baling to make sure they are safe. After six weeks, the danger period is over and the hay or straw is not likely to combust.

[Wednesdays]

35. Could someone therefore also build a house out of hemp?

And I'm only half-kidding. :)

[eridani]

37. Looks like we should expect Frodo Baggins to pop his head out of the round window n/t

[doc03]

38. It is chore keeping the deer out of my shrubbery

they would have a feast on that. What if the neighborhood cows got lose?:silly:

[Bluenorthwest]

45. I was in a great one once

I mean fantastic. Cathedral like. And cool when outside it was blazing hot.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

51. I want one.

Thanks for the links.