The Beauty of Straw Bale
Natural, Sustainable and Warm!
Straw bale homes have been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years, but are undergoing somewhat of a revival, for many reasons, just a few being that they look fabulous, are fire resistant and are well-suited to owner builders.
Some more of the benefits of Straw Bale Construction
- Straw bale construction uses straw- actually a waste material, making it a sustainable construction-type
- Strawbales are dense and have lots of tiny air pockets, making them perfect for home insulation which is why they are used for external walls, and to fill internal walls.
- The natural thermal qualities of straw bale, combined with passive solar design (good orientation) produce homes that require very little heating and cooling and naturally maintain a comfortable median temperature- reducing bills, and saving energy!
- Straw, after having renders applied, is a highly fire-resistant material, and with correct building detailing can provide a house with a good fire rating- important for those of us living in a high-fire risk area.
- Strawbales can be cut, carved, shaped and chamfered by hand to give beautiful curved corners, window sills and details which are not easily achievable with other building materials.
- Straw bale rendering is a fun process that has many aspects- pretty much all of them involving the participants getting very muddy!
First look at finished internal walls.
- Straw bale has a high level of fire resistance making it a preferred material for many living in bushfire prone areas.
I am currently taking part in the building of a straw bale house, outside of Melbourne, Australia. You can follow the journey and learn about, working with bales, splitting bales, tensioning straw bale walls, stuffing internal strawbale walls, straw bale window details, rendering and much more to come...
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