Straw Bale Home Construction: A Labor of Love

You have finally checked out the concept of a straw bale home, talked to several owners of one of these gems and your current monthly utility bill has convinced you to move forward. One of the next steps you will face is perhaps the most critical of the entire straw home process.

Since the straw bale revival is still growing, there are some things to watch out for. As with anything new, you’ll see a huge influx of wannabees scrambling to get in the arena. Make absolutely sure that the builder you hire for this job is legitimately connected to the straw bale home community. Be careful when discussing this project with a general contractor who’s never built a straw bale home. Because they’re able to cut a 45 degree angle does not necessarily mean they know the proper technique for building a bale wall, for setting doors and windows in a bale wall, for proper treatments of windows exposed to the elements. With all of that said, there are even those who’ve built a dozen straw bale homes who might present you with challenges down the road.

Tied together with the builder, hand in hand, like it or not, is the architect. Finding a builder/architect union that is harmonious will perhaps be the most difficult part of your straw bale home project. There’s a reason why builders and architects are often at odds on new home construction. Each likes to refer to it as his/her project. Within the straw bale community there are few exceptions to this naturally occurring phenomena.

The truth of the matter is that you, the home buyer/soon-to-be-homeowner, are the owner of the project.  They are, effectively, your employees.  Stress that point from the beginning.  As with any project of this magnitude, having a formal agreement drawn up - with all the details included - can help you achieve the goal of making your contribution to the environmental movement.  You, as the home buyer/owner will be responsible for any change orders once construction begins.  Familiarize yourself with this basic term and you’ll avoid disagreements and diminished job performance as the construction progresses. 

With these two minor headaches behind you - it’s sometimes important to reiterate with these folks who the project really revolves around - you will be bombarded daily or weekly with important decisions.  Keep in mind that the construction of a bale home is a custom job.  This is one of the beauties of it.  Unlike the cookie-cutter floor plans flooding the market with conventional home building, your home is likely to be one of a kind and uniquely you.  If your contractor/builder is worth his salt, he’ll present you with choices to make along the way, listing the pros and cons of each choice/decision.  Remember that the primary decisions were agreed upon before construction began.  

One of these primary decisions is the foundation.  The process works from ground up.  A thought to remember: exterior wall space on a conventional home uses up approximately 12” in width of the overall footprint of a building.  A straw bale home’s wall space eats up approximately 22” of the footprint.  Will you have a concrete floor?  Stained concrete?  The use of concrete will be one of the major costs of the project.  

Before going that route, look into the earthen floor.  This is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to go, and will convince your friends that you’re off your rocker.  However, as the years go by, your back and legs will give a silent thanks for your decision and for the cushion effect of the earthen floor.  The natural earth floor is slowly gaining a foothold in the straw bale community, as is the use of a rammed earth technique for interior walls.  Another stunning option in the environmentally friendly home is the use of bamboo flooring, a member of the famed renewable resources family.  

Because a straw bale home is so very builder friendly, you’ll be able to make some changes along the way. Once the bale walls have gone up, you’ll gain a visual reference that cannot be conveyed from a set of prints.  Will you carve a nicho in a wall?  How big will it be?  How many will you carve?  Do you want wooden window sills?  Stucco sills?  Stained glass details?  Doors set to the outside of the walls or to the inside of the walls?  This building process will become a major part of your life for several months.  Be ready to make those decisions in a timely manner so the project stays on track.

Another dimension of a straw bale home is the fact that, as stated above, it is builder friendly.  Consider being your own builder, if code allows.  If you go this route, you’ll want to take several wall raising workshops beforehand.  This will familiarize you with the techniques involved and will help you develop a network of valuable resources, if not some extra hands once your project gets under way.  

Long and laborious days are involved but being the owner/builder has its rewards.  At the end of the project you’ll be able to look back in awe at a home that will garner attention for years to come.  In addition, as your neighbors and friends living in their conventional homes struggle with their utility bills, thanks in no small part to the conventional construction mindset, you’ll be able to breathe that huge sigh of relief for having come on board the eco-friendly movement.

Although labor intensive, the straw bale home is leading the way in the green home movement.  With bale homes dating back to the 1800’s, there’s a great satisfaction within the alternative building community while these jewels reclaim their rightful place as one of the best homes of the future.