tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post9168336536046738127..comments2024-03-28T09:43:20.058-05:00Comments on Bayou Renaissance Man: An interesting variation on a straw housePeterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10595089829300831372noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-13912305984222497152010-11-12T00:23:26.488-06:002010-11-12T00:23:26.488-06:00John, to (try to) answer your questions:
Straw is...John, to (try to) answer your questions:<br /><br />Straw is readily available in most areas within reasonable transport distance. It *is* bulky, but it's also light, meaning a tractor-trailer load is only limited by dimensions, not weight. Just using very rough numbers, a 53-foot flatbed should hold a bit more than 600 bales (using 18x18x36" bales and a 53x10x10' load); at 40lb/bale that's 24,000lb and well within the load capacity of a semitrailer.<br /><br />A third truck could deliver all the necessary framing beams and infrastructure items.<br /><br />Would it cost more than going to a supply store and having the materials for an entire house delivered? Perhaps. I don't think so, though.<br /><br />As to weather-resistance: if the bales are drawn tight (they generally do have to be re-packed, from what I've read), and properly "mudded", water penetration is a non-issue.ZerCoolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08347518441827166007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-21033616073852990262010-11-11T04:47:57.565-06:002010-11-11T04:47:57.565-06:00Interesting, but two questions:
1) Would the cos...Interesting, but two questions:<br /><br />1) Would the cost of transporting straw to the building site (if a considerable distance) not be prohibitive compared to other materials? Straw is bulky!<br /><br />2) Long-term esterior maintenance costs of the straw walls? Or does the parging / "stucco" protect sufficiently, even in a moist climate such as England?John Peddie (Toronto)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-7934473775393218532010-11-11T03:45:38.140-06:002010-11-11T03:45:38.140-06:00MrsZ and I considered building a house instead of ...MrsZ and I considered building a house instead of buying, and straw bale was one of the construction methods we looked at. Super-insulated (something on the order of R-40+ in all exterior walls!), relatively inexpensive, fire-resistant, pest-resistant, unique... It really does have quite a bit going for it. Apparently the biggest issue in most areas is getting a codes officer to sign off on it.<br /><br />A few resources we used:<br /><br />http://www.epsea.org/homedesign/straw<br /><br />http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/designing_remodeling/index.cfm/mytopic=10350ZerCoolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08347518441827166007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244999628674918029.post-4040371417923369962010-11-11T00:21:45.050-06:002010-11-11T00:21:45.050-06:00There is a good book titled "More Straw Bale ...There is a good book titled "More Straw Bale Building: A Complete Guide to Designing and Building with Straw" by Chris Magwood, Peter Mack, and Tina Therrien.<br /><br />It is worth checking out for more detailed info. The book covers everything from history of staw bale building, to project budgets, to actually how to do the construction.West, By Godhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11800183473095567803noreply@blogger.com