Straw bale Houses

 

 

What exactly is a straw bale house? Exactly what it sounds like.. a house where the main component for building is the renewable resource, bales of straw. Straw is considered waste by farmers, therefore when using it to build with, it is being recycled. Once these bales of straw are placed between the frames that have to be set first, they are covered with usually lime-stabilized clay render both inside and out, and finished with some sort of plaster.With the use of these natural and local materials decrease the green house gases that would normally be connected with regular home construction.

 

 

 

Construction

There are two different types of building methods with straw bale; load-bearing and post and beam. Post and beam is when the frame is built and then set and the straw is then used to fill them, as the insulation. This approach is the most common and in some places, only what is allowed because of the other factors and risks that have to be put into mind when using the load-bearing approach such as the weight of the bales. The load-bearing type has little to no framing, which is why there is a weight risk; straw holds all the weight of the house. Exterior Walls can be made with straw of barley, wheat, rice, flax, rye, and oats

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Positive or Negative?

Building with straw has certain advantages and disadvantages.

Benefitsfits

-Energy efficient: reduce energy consumption by approximately 50-75%

-Good use of agricultural waste

-Renewable resource

-Excellent source of insulation= good for both hot and cold weather

-Flexible design- bales provide more variety for designing with curves, etc.

-Resistant to much damage from fire (although one may think different)

 

 

Downfallsfalls

-Climate changes cause more stress on building because now more focus has to be placed on the building -Must be taken good care of so it does not begin to rot or decay

-Must be kept dry, both during the construction and after

-Although the cost for material is cheap, the cost for labor may be expensive

 

Truth Window

A A truth window is put into homes that are made of straw bale in order to prove that the house is actually, made of straw. It is nothing more than a simple hole in the plaster where the straw can be seen through. These "windows" can be just plain and simple or very detailed. It depends on the owner of the home as to what their preference is on their truth window.