Kevin and I have been wanted to build a straw bale home for about 15 years. We're really hoping we can muster the resources to make it happen on this land. We also know we haven't the slightest idea as to where to begin, short of articles and some books. Flash forward to October, and finding an awesome contracting group, that does hands on workshops for anyone who wants to learn what's involved with straw bale building. So we took our whole family on a "vacation" to build a house! We arrived at a construction site with a fully framed 1200 sq. ft. home just waiting for straw.
For seven days, we camped out, were fed good food and enjoyed good company. We used chainsaws and twine to cut and re-tie bales to fit the walls. We ran electrical, allowed for plumbing, sewed bales together and compressed them into the framing, and felted and lathed any exposed beams.
On the last day, we finally got to mix and trowel plaster on the exterior walls. It was an incredible feat of logistics and teamwork, and we are forever grateful for the experience. We walked away with a wealth of knowledge and a little bit more confidence in our pockets about being our own contractors and doing this ourselves.
So many thanks to Andrew and Timbo at www.strawbale.com.
Comments