Straw Bale Building: How to plan design and build with straw

About this book

Straw bale buildings speak to a part of us that insists that we should be able to build our own homes with our own hands. We look at pictures of a bale wall being raised and immediately think: I could do that! Straw bale houses are easy to build inexpensive super energy efficient environmentally friendly attractive and - most of al l - can be designed to match the builders personal space needs aesthetics and budget. Its no wonder that straw bale houses are growing in popularity. Most straw bale books do a great job enticing us with beautiful photographs and "selling" the idea of straw-bale building - but they dont adequately address the most critical issues faced by bale house builders. In Straw Bale Building professional bale builders Peter Mack and Chris Magwood lead the potential builder through the entire process of building a bale structure tackling all the practical issues; from how to find and choose bales; developing sound building plans; costs; roofing; electrical plumbing and heating systems; building code compliance and working with building inspectors; and special concerns for builders in northern climates. For those who do not see their lives and their values reflected in "standard" homes Straw Bale Building offers a wide variety of aesthetic and building options from multi-storey luxury to elegant simplicity. Over 100 professionally illustrated drawings plus b&w photos and building plans provide an abundance of creative and practical ideas for novice and experienced builders alike. Down-to-earth and complete Straw Bale Building makes the remarkable benefits of straw bale building available to anyone bitten by the straw bale "bug." Peter Mack and Chris Magwood are professional bale house builders. Together they have constructed 15 straw bale houses and structures. They teach a popular on-going straw bale building workshop in Ontario Canada. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1: Why Build With Straw? 2: What Are Straw Bales? 3: The "Red Flag" Questions 4: Building Permits 5: The Hotly-Debated Often-Distorted Question of Cost 6: Getting Focused 7: Design Considerations 8: The Many Styles of Bale Buildi