Green Means
Straw Bale Myths and Facts
By Shannon Scott
Most of the
e-mails I receive regard questions about straw bale home construction. Here are some myths, facts, and a wee bit of
local information.
Myth: Straw
bale homes are cheaper to build than other types of constructed homes.
Fact: Straw bale homes cost the same per square foot
as any other low, mid, or high end home depending upon architectural style,
labor costs, and finish materials. We
saved a bundle on our straw bale home by: a) keeping the design simple; b)
doing all the labor ourselves with
absolutely zero hired help; and c) shopping wisely for all materials.
Myth: Straw
bale homes are easier to build than conventional stick frame or other standard
construction homes.
Fact: Straw bale homes are equally as difficult or
challenging to build as any other home.
Construction and carpentry skills are still needed for foundations,
windows, plumbing, electrical, roofing, etc.
Myth: A straw bale home’s thicker walls make it
cheaper to operate, heat and cool, compared to a conventional home.
Fact: A straw bale home might be cheaper to operate than a conventional home depending upon
passive solar design considerations, quality of construction, ceiling /attic
insulation, window quality, and heat source used to heat the home. While straw bale homes do offer increased
wall insulation which certainly contribute to a home’s overall comfort, the
ceiling is where insulation matters most.
Insulate the heck out of ceilings with fire coded green, earth friendly
insulation.
Myth: People
love to work on straw bale homes, so if I decide to build one it will turn out
to be a fun communal event with friends and neighbors stacking bales.
Fact: Yeah, right.
Stacking bales is work like any other construction aspect. Don’t expect a myriad of friends to come out
to a building site and work for free – especially if they themselves have day
jobs or are retired and getting on in years.
Stacking bales is the easiest segment of construction – super easy. Don’t let fear of the unknown catalyze you
into hiring one of these on-line or advertised straw bale builders who will
bring a happy crew (all paying him/her) to come out to your site and stack
bales. You can’t control quality
(tightness of newly tied or stacked bales) and there’s no guarantee as to how
much work will actually get done.
Stacking is relatively fun compared to other construction tasks, however
it is dusty and if you have allergies wear a protective mask and glasses. If trepidation stalls you from wanting to
jump in and stack bales, e-mail me, I’m happy to help.
Myth: It’s
difficult to obtain building permits for straw bale homes.
Fact: Obtaining a building permit for a straw bale
home is the same for any other structure.
The blue prints have to meet structural standards for safety. Just because you’ve decided to use straw to
insulate walls means little. You still
have a standard type foundation, load bearing and shear strength elements to
support walls and roof, standard wiring, and standard plumbing. Once you’ve designed your home to scale –
floor plans and exterior elevations - take the sketches to a structural
engineer to have blue prints made. A
structural engineer will ensure quality foundation, structural, and roof
specifications in keeping with the local building codes. Of course you can always pay an engineer from
the beginning to help design your home, but this will cost a little more.
Myth: It’s
nearly impossible to get construction loans for straw bale homes.
Fact: The recent home financial fiasco
nationwide has made home buying/building money a little tighter, but
construction goes on. There’s no
difference in construction loans for straw bale or stick built homes for the
same reasons I noted above for building permits. Don’t even mention to a potential lender that
the home is straw bale as it really doesn’t matter to them as long as blue
prints yield building permits. Remember,
the bales are simply wall insulation, all other construction aspects –
foundations, plumbing, electrical, roofs – are standard.
Myth: It’s
easy to find a contractor who will build a straw bale home.
Fact: Straw bale home builders who will do a job
from foundation to roof are non-existent to extremely rare. There are plenty of regional carpenters or
builders who have jumped on the green building or straw bale band wagon to
organize crews to stack bales and maybe show a home owner-builder how to
plaster, but they don’t do site excavation, foundations, wiring, plumbing, or
roofing.
You will
likely have to act as your own general contractor, which is relatively easy, and
either do the work yourself or hire subcontractors such as a concrete crew,
electrician, and plumber for appropriate stages.
Myth: Our local county insists that you have a
licensed contractor sign off on your blue prints, thus negating the option of
building one’s own home with one’s own hands.
Fact: You can sign off as the builder, electrician,
plumber or whatever as long as blue prints and each phase of construction pass
inspection. The county is concerned with
ensuring safety and legal standards, not putting money in contractor’s pockets.
Building a
straw bale home is extremely rewarding and likely one of the most creative and
challenging projects you’ll take on.
Don’t be daunted by lack of information or frozen by fear of the
unknown. Ask. Take a leap.
We built our home ourselves over a three year period and it’s
fabulous. A little know how and being
willing to take small risks go a long way towards success. Fear not, venture forth!
If you have
questions about straw bale homes or green, energy efficient building e-mail
me. I’m happy to help.
I will be offering two
separate one day green building seminars on July 28th and 30th
at Great Basin College in Elko. For
information or to sign up contact the Community Education Department at the
College.
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