A Straw Bale House
Once upon a time, there were three little pigs. They lived with their mother, and they were all so very happy. One day, their mother announced, “This house is getting too crowded for all of us. The three little pigs simply must move out. They need to go off and build their own little houses.”
So that’s just what the three little pigs did. They kissed their mother goodbye and went out to find a place of their own. The first little pig said, “I will make my house out of straw.”
The other pigs laughed and laughed. ”Who’s ever heard of a house built out of straw?” the squealed. Apparently those other pigs did not know what they were talking about because many of us might gladly live in this straw house that’s under construction:
Modern straw houses have become a hit across the United States.
Using straw in construction is nothing new. It’s been around since pre-history around the world. But the unique approach of construction like with this house, built by Andrew Morrison, dates back to the early 20th century in the midwestern United States where straw abounds.
When farmers harvest their grain for consumption, they’re left with the stock – the straw. It’s the waste product essentially. Except thankfully, we’ve been finding gobs of uses for it for years and years. Straw is bundled and used for a multitude of uses like animal bedding and cover for gardens and now – more and more houses.
Straw bales are at least 18 inches thick, making a pretty hefty wall. Hefty and warm! The insulation values are R-30 to R-35, so you can be sure your heating bill won’t be through the roof each winter. Some people might argue, “Well yeah! Of course it has a high R-value. It’s 18 inches thick. Give me 18 inches of insulation, and I’ll have a tight house.” They’d be completely right. But the thing is… The Straw Is Already Here.
One thing I especially love would be all the built-in shelves or seats in front of windows. The curves toward the doorways are beautiful, too, aren’t they?
So maybe the first of the infamous Three Little Pigs wasn’t as foolish as we all always thought.
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Have a suggestion for a unique home you’d like to visit for our weekly series? We’ve visited so many interesting places from a Modern Tipi House to a House in a Cave. Now won’t you share where you’d like to go next? Or would you be content staying in a Straw Bale House of your own one day?
September 21st, 2009 at 8:26 am
It is very nice but I wonder if it would burn a lot quicker.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:40 am
I have to agree with Katie. I would be afraid if something was to happen it would burn faster. It is a neat concept though….
September 21st, 2009 at 4:14 pm
I think it’s beautiful. I wonder if it costs more or less than a more traditionally built house? Loved this post Katie.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:17 pm
I loved your post. Here in France, more and more people are building straw bale houses. It’s inexpensive (approximately 20,000€ for 100m2 when the average price for that size a house is 100,000€), it lasts forever, (the oldest house in France was built in the early 1900′s), it’s “green”, good for the environment, …
The only problem here, is that nobody in the industry knows how to build these houses. So those who do know (often considered as Hippies for that matter) get together and teach those who want to know.
PS: I love your blog.
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I’d worry about the fire hazard, too.
September 24th, 2009 at 12:10 am
According to the sites I read about the construction of these homes, the straw is just as flammable as standard insulation. It makes total sense when you think about it, but since it’s the standard method, we don’t so much. But straw? Heck ya! I’m with ya’ll. Sounds pretty flammable. Anyway, just an FYI. Hope it helps.
Katie
September 25th, 2009 at 11:52 am
I guess the wolf will NOT be able to get into this house!
October 15th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Actually this is less flammable than a standard stick house. The bales have 1.5 inches of mortar on both sides. They are very tightly packed. If you get past the mortar there is a lot of fuel, but extremely little oxygen, which is a requirement for a fire. I would take a strawbale house over a traditional house any day.
December 9th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
This is true, fireman use straw bales to train with, they do not want something that burns quickly, so they choose straw bale to start because it smolders.
February 2nd, 2010 at 10:57 am
My husband and I built our own strawbale house in 1998-99, with the help of friends and a strawbale builder. Ours was a modest 920 sq. ft. We’ve helped build nine strawbale homes. Most of us were not hippie-types, although a few were! LOL! (One of the homes we helped build was taped by HGTV, and is shown, periodically.)
Cost for materials is about the same as stick homes, however the energy efficiency puts you waaaay ahead over time. Strawbale construction is usually done with the help of the homeowner, so labor costs are less. Also, we used recycled materials where we could.
Straw BALES will smolder for weeks, but only loose straw is highly flammable. On the finished house, the inside and outside of the bales are stucco, with a layer of lime plaster on the inside; it’s rock! The insurance rating is the same as if we had asbestos siding or brick; the lowest rates.
An F4 tornado made a DIRECT hit on another strawbale house in the area; the owner and child were huddled in a corner. The walls just gently laid over on the ground; it did not explode like a stick house. Residents were not harmed
The whole first year we were in our house (the only year I kept close records), our electricity cost was only $510; an average of $42.50/mo. [The Mayor of our town said he paid $500 a MONTH in the summer.] We went out of town for three days, and came home to 32F (0C) degree temperatures outside, but 65F (18.3C) degrees inside; the only heat was produced by the motor on our refrigerator. So-ooo energy efficient!
We built this home “in the country”, but the State took/bought two of our ten acres in 2006, for the entrance to the new toll road, so we sold. We were so sad.
Incidentally, in Austin, TX, there is a Strawbale Building Code on the books. All building requirements are laid out.
Probably more than ANYBODY wanted to know! LOL!
Kathryn Kistner in Texas
June 4th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
studies have been done by the Canadian Fire Association as to the safety and durability of a straw bale house. They have been found to be safer and more structurally sound that most other materials
October 7th, 2011 at 10:01 am
I built my home out of straw bales here in Arizona. WE LOVE IT! It is load bearing bale construction.
It is a big house and I am wanting to build another little casita on my property. Do you have any ideas or have you seen any small straw bale plans. The costs for construction are so reasonable we only seem to see large homes going up this way.
October 27th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
Darla..If you can find a copy of Earthship Volume III by Michael Reynolds I am pretty sure he has a blueprint for a round straw bale cottage. It is built on a rammed tire base and is bermed, but wouldn’t have to be. He designed it to be a quickly erected segment of a larger earthship that would work to house the builder while the rest of the structure was being erected. I believe the circle had a radius of 12 feet for a square footage of around 450 sq ft. It had an interior fireplace that was offset from the center toward one side and the ceiling beams were supported by that fireplace. I think there were a couple of interior layouts, but I’ve loaned my copy to someone and can’t remember for sure. The ceiling was insulated with straw bales so the whole cottage was ever so cozy. Perhaps that might work for you. Hope this helps. Best luck ever…Susan