A House of Straw: A Natural Building Odyssey

by Carolyn Roberts

The author recounts her building of a straw bale house on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. In building her house she had to confront fears and a lack of construction skills. Her personal growth through the construction process is as much a focus of this work as the house itself. Annotation c. Book

240 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2002

Reviews

[Sg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Did not finish. Got to about 20 percent and just wasn't compelled to finish. I didn't really relate to her single mother woes and she seemed a little to blah for me. I guess that sounds judegy of me, but I just couldn't deal with how common it all sounded. Maybe that is the point, "common person builds thier own house" whereas I've already been awakened to alternative lifestyles and off-grid. This was written in the early 90's, so no YouTube van-lifers ect. so the public was less introduced to different lifestyles, I just didn't relate to the author. Her writing style felt a bit meh to me as well. Oh well, I read Big Tiny instead and did enjoy that one.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was an interesting story. I can relate to the idea of wanting a house of your own but lacking the funds to achieve it. If you want to build a house from scratch, this book will give you all the nitty gritty details so that you know what to prepare for. If, like me, you’re more interested in the story and less interested in the how-to of construction, you may get a little lost in all the technical details.

[Pamela Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, this was my first "Straw bale, I built it myself" book. Now I'm a little scared of what I'm getting into.

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting account of a woman who builds a straw bale home in Tucson, Arizona. The building decisions are described in depth, sometimes too much depth for me. I would have liked more discussion of the esthetic choices she made. I also felt that she was a bit ungrateful at times for the help she received. There was an undertone of it. I did feel the swinging emotions that designing and building a house must entail.

I am very interested in straw house building. In 1986, I visited my aunt's country house. It is located in Germany, and had been built in the 1500's. It had straw walls under the plaster. Everyone I told thought that it was old-fashioned and could never experience a revival. I am glad to hear it has. Such easy building material! I hope to build such a house someday. Maybe my retirement house. Meanwhile I will continue to doodle out floor plans and research it.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving story of a woman's struggle to build her own natural home out of straw bales in the Arizona desert. Her persistence in spite of the many obstacles, both technical and personal, is quite inspirational. The story illustrates how tackling a seemingly impossible task can really help us grow emotionally & spiritually and how sometimes the hardest part of any task is simply choosing to try. Anyone who has ever opted to build rather than simply buy will find themselves empathizing with Carolyn Roberts' trials and rejoicing with her victories every step of the way. Those who have not shared a similar challenge just may end up wondering why they haven't and if, perhaps, they should.

[Casey Longo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the topic, but the writing was a bit boring. It also made me never, ever want to build a house. :)