 06 September 2007A huff and a puffI've outdone myself this time! Over two months since my last post. I guess with all the excitement around me I've just not got round to it.... but isn't the point of a blog to offload when there's lots going on around you? Anyway, what's so new? Well we've finally made our minds up about the home we're going to live in next. Rather than buy something that we spend the next 10 years doing up we've decided to build something that we'll take the next 10 years to finish! The exciting bit is that we're building a straw bale house. Sounds a little precarious to those who's only experience of straw houses is childhood nightmares about piggies and wolves huffing and puffing. But in reality building with straw bale is a modern, high insulation and very hands-on building technique. The oldest straw bale houses were built in Nebraska about 130 odd years ago (around the time of the invention of the baling machine). Many of them are still standing strong and keeping their residents warm and safe. However outside the US straw bale building is pretty new and in New Zealand it's really only in the last 10 to 20 years that it's come into its own. The benefits are fantastic. Warm, quiet and with the feel of an old castle, the straw bale house is known for the natural feel of it's undulating walls. The benefit that presses my buttons the most is that the building process invites, indeed demands, that the owners get involved. Anyone can do the baling part of the process and the plastering absolutely must be done with many unskilled hands. No mathmatically smooth walls here! What's even better is that it all works best when a team of willing friends and relatives join in and the baling part is done with a festive air including lots of good food and drink. Imagine the lovely memories that are created on a day like that! There are of course downsides. It's essential to keep water out of the bales as they do rot if allowed to get and stay wet. So construction includes what is comically described as a good hat and boots..... very wide eves and footings that are above the ground. With all of that in mind, as a family we designed our house and found a lovely architect (Richard Smart) who respected what we designed rather than telling us how much more creative we could be. Our house will be quite classic in style - a large two storey rectangular house. Other people have been far more creative in their designs but for us the simple design was best as it keeps the budget manageable and the build process simple. So what I'm saying is that I think this blog will be dominated by straw bale building for at least the next few months as I learn more by reading, experiencing and helping others with their project. Do you know any straw bale homes? Labels: straw bale building, sustainable building
posted by Copy Ant @ 4:42 PM
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