Consultation, Design and Building

Straw Bale house building has existed for decades.  Recently, straw bale building has seen many technological improvements and has successfully passed rigorous CMHC testing.  Straw bale walls use an easily accessible and renewable agricultural product and boast an R-rating of 40 plus.  That's twice the R-rating of a conventional frame wall! 

Solar home straw bale project, built in 2003.

This home is a 1000 square foot, off-grid, two story straw bale home.  It features a super insulated slab on grade floor, round post and beam straw bale walls, and R80 cellulose ceiling insulation.  Its electrical energy is harvested through a 825 watt solar array and domestic hot water is produced through a flat plate solar collector in the summer months, and a water jacket on the wood fired cook stove in the winter months.

May 2003 Grade beam formed using styrofoam concrete forms	Ready to pour concrete floor	Greywater system installed	Post and Beam Framing begins	Second floor and roof trusses
Framed and roofed with coloured steel	Volunteers begin straw bale raising	Straw bales all raised	Applying plastic stucco mesh to straw bale walls	"Sewing" the walls using sisal twine
Evening light on interior beams	Interior partitions	Straw bale ready for stucco	Stucco crew at work	Straw bale wall gets stucco applied
Interior walls with fresh stucco	Straw Bale nears Completion	November Sunlight on Newly Finished Concrete Floor	Sunlight on Staircase and Hand-Hewn Beams	Loft Railing Detail
Wood Cookstove supplies winter hot water and heats entire home. Concrete wall behind supplies thermal mass.	Softly lit bathroom.	Home with Solar Array on south wall, acts as awning for summer sun.	Completed Home and Summer Garden

Solar   Wind   Straw Bale   Sustainability   Consultation     Design   Green Building