The Straw Bale House

by Athena Swentzell Steen, Bill Steen, David Bainbridge

Imagine building a house with superior seismic stability, fire resistance, and thermal insulation, using an annually renewable resource, for half the cost of a comparable conventional home. Welcome to the straw bale house! Whether you build an entire house or something more modest-a home office or studio, a retreat cabin or guest cottage-plastered straw bale construction is an exceptionally durable and inexpensive option. What's more, it's fun, because the technique is easy to learn and easy to do yourself. And the resulting living spaces are unusually quiet and comfortable. The Straw Bale House describes the many benefits of building with straw

Genres: Architecture, Construction, Nonfiction, Reference

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1994

Reviews

[RebL · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still want a straw bale house, and this book is a fun read for a mental vacation. This book is full of 90s idealism, from a more simple time, and I love it. Build a house of straw! It's so lovely to imagine, with no mention of the internet or social media or virus pandemics or anything like that.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best book for dreaming, brainstorming, planning & building straw bale houses. I bought this to help me get ideas. I still haven't built that straw bale, but it's planned and plotted out on graph paper. I love this book!

[Logan Hippard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool, something to consider heavily when building a house. The straw bale construction is energy efficient (in the 60R range vs. 20R for a well-insulated conventional house), healthy, acts as thermal mass and nearly fire-proof and uses a environmentally friendly and ecologically sound medium.

[DearMYRTLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am considering buying property, and building a straw bale home. However, I believe one should participate in a training/building seminar before attempting this.

Alternative housing sources, which reduce one's impact on the world's resources is a high priority for me.

[Elisa Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great first glimpse into building a straw bale structure. I wouldn't go taking on house construction with this book alone but, it's a good idea of the possibilities. However, since I already have a house to live in, I am thinking of building a dog house with this book as a guide. Lucky pooches!

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'm probably never going to build a straw-bale house, this book is going into my "resources for post-apocalypse rebuilding" collection. There is good information about foundations, windows and doors, roofing options, and more that make this a keeper.

[Robert Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good book on technique, somewhat dated as far as resources but still a great reference if you are just starting

[Ashleigh Hebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely interesting, and very clear. I know nothing about carpentry, and this book explained straw-bale construction in such a way that I could understand.

[Meaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sounds like a weird book to reccommend... but it has some really great diagrams and everything! This is great if you're designing an energy-efficient house!

[Promise Ceasar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative!

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dated, this field is rapidly evolving.