The Beauty of Strawbale

The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes

by Bill and Athena Steen...a gorgeous color photo book detailing the results of beautiful bale building; along with explanations on the practical aspects of thermal mass, solar gain, heating, cooling and materials. Shows earth floors, earthen built in furniture, interior wall details, creative problem solving, and personal touches to straw bale homes.

No matter what you want to build this book is inspiration taken from reality.

While enthusiasts of straw bales praise the exceptional energy efficiency of bale buildings, and the wise use of resources and affordability, straw bales have excited builders and homeowners for another reason. People love straw bale homes because they are so often extraordinarily beautiful and inviting.

In the past two decades, the bale-building renaissance has attracted some of our most gifted architects, artisan builders and crafts people. Certain qualities of straw as a material -- and the hands-on process of constructing walls with a completely natural substance -- have appealed to both very experienced builders and those who find this to be a uniquely accessible form of creating shelter.

The characteristic thick walls and wide windowsills of straw bale houses, the possibility of incorporating curves and even arches, and the rousing experience of family "wall-raisings" have become well-known. Combined with older styles of plastering and earthen floors, these very contemporary buildings have a timeless quality that's easy to recognize yet hard to achieve with conventional manufactured materials. These are buildings with personality-plus!

Athena and Bill Steen, co-authors of the original Earthen Floors booklet, and Straw Bale House book, have now created a book that celebrates in gorgeous color photographs the tactile, sensuous beauty of straw bale dwellings.

Their selection of photos also demonstrates how far bale building has come in a very short period of time: In addition to handsome homes, small and not-so-small, this book shows larger-scale institutional buildings, including schools, office buildings, the Real Goods Solar Living Center and a Save the Children center in Mexico.

In addition, this book includes an introductory essay by the Steens noting the key lessons they have learned in years of building with bales: insights into the design and construction process, and critical advice about design elements that ameliorate the impacts of moisture, weather and wear-and-tear over time.

Each photograph is also accompanied by narrative text highlighting a given building's special features and personal touches

SIZE 8"x8" - 113 pages- FULL COLOR

Alternate straw option: Timberframe or stick frame structures with light straw clay or woodchip clay/sawdust clay wall infill material can provide a beautiful, breathable wall home--with less bale footprint, and easier to get through permits. Finish with a warm clay plaster or pure lime plaster and create an enduring home for generations.

See the Dirtcheapbuilde Guide on CD -$7.00 for building details on Light Straw and Sawdust-Wood Chip Clay- built by non-professionals.

Also see the DVD Natural Building and a New Sense of the Earth, -DVD 54 minutes , about cob & straw, clay, lime, plasters and wood & straw homes.

This German wall techniques is successully used now, and homes hundreds of years old are still in use...more people should know about this elegant solution to building without overprocessed modern materials like sheetrock, fiberglass batts, and VOC paints.