Alternative Building Methods: An Introduction to Building a House with Straw Bales

Before the start of the green movement, straw, grass and reed through the years served as efficient and easily available building materials. The technique of using straw as a building material was put to use in the plains of the United States of America in the latter 1800's and early 1900's.

So, with the introduction of the baling machine at the end of the 19th century, people saw in the straw bale an effective constructing material - an organic and natural brick. The earliest recorded bale building in the USA was a single roomed school in Nebraska, constructed in the late 1800's. Another homestead, built in 1903, also still withstands the elements, so does a double storey estate in Huntsville Alabama, dating back to the 1930's.

The two main types of constructing with straw bales are load-bearing and non-load bearing. The latter entails a post and beam structural frame from wood, bamboo, metal or other structural materials that supports the roof structure of your building, using the bales of straw as infill and insulation. This is regarded as the most common approach in countries like South Africa. It's also the preferred method of building in wetter areas, seeing that it eliminates the risk of rotting straw collapsing the entire building, and the only method that most building authorities permits.

The load bearing method entails a straw bale construction that carries the roof structure unaided by any other frame. It is usuallt topped with a ring beam, made from ply wood and stuffed with straw, that spreads the load of the roof structure.

In both of these methods, straw bales are stacked like bricks and secured in place. When the time comes, it is plastered over with clay, cement or other materials. The thicker, irregular wall surfaces give a homely feel and have a character similar to the natural stone or cod walls of earlier farm dwellings. The rounded edges and corners at doors and windows allow the home a less harsh, more organic and friendly character. These uneven walls and rounded edges also adds to the good acoustic characteristics with no echoes, even when rooms are empty.

Building with straw aids our planet in several ways. For instance, straw (or hay) is actually a waste product which is burned, used for bedding in stables or composted in standing water. When using the straw rather than getting rid of it, we decrease air pollution, water consumption and the use of other resources used for manufacturing commonly used building material, this way lessening the impact on the environment in various ways.

While straw as a building material won't lead to a global revolution in the construction industry, it does hold quite a few environmental advantages. It's a green constructing material drawn from the waste material of grain production and can be found locally in several regions. (If not locally obtainable, though, it can inflate transport costs, making it less feasible.)

Probably the most important environmental advantage of straw bale building is in the point that it makes use of an under utilized, sustainable resource. Its manufacturing also leaves a much smaller carbon footprint as opposed to that needed for concrete and cement or clay brick manufacturing. Once the building has reached the end of its life-span (Which, as the American case studies prove, could be in the next century), the resulting waste materials would furthermore have a lesser negative environmental impact.

Many a green ambassador will say that building with straw rather than conventional building materials cuts the construction costs by up to 50%. These claims are grossly overblown and in the long run is detrimental to the entire alternative building segment, especially when people are not informed of the differences, and these buildings are expected to fulfill conventional expectations of brick housing. Natural construction materials specified for the building's walls represent only part of the cost of a structure and a cost saving of between 5 and 20% can be achieved, depending on your own level of skill and involvement.

Materials for the foundation, roof, windows and doors and other finishes can also be specified to be green, but due to the novelty factor in some countries, cost of these are often similar - or even higher - than conventional products. With more and more people specifying these environmentally friendlier products, the prices are sure to go down over time.

A good example of ensuring your products are more environmentally friendly is to buy timber products like doors and windowsfrom manufacturers that use only wood from managed forests.

To conclude, this was only a brief introduction to Building with Straw Bales. As I investigate the subject further I will be sharing with you in more detail the ins and outs of Straw Bale construction. Topics will include technical details and drawings, building plan approval, what the risks are and more.