In Minto, Ontario, Chris Vander Hout and Christine Hoy live with their son on a 20-acre property “in harmony with nature.” The straw bale home features a green roof with drought-resistant vegetation, locally sourced materials, hot water heated by solar energy, a rain-harvesting system, a composting toilet, a central greenhouse, a dug well for their water source, and a water recycling system for watering their garden.
During the winter, the home maximizes its solar energy through its southern-facing windows and is naturally cooled in the summer by surrounding trees and an insulating green roof.
“To have good indoor air quality with no off-gassing, we’ve used a lot of natural wood, finished with natural oils,” said Vander Hout. “We’ve used natural paints; all the walls are finished with silicate-based paints, we have clay finishes on some of the walls. The earthen floors was one of the elements that we wanted to test out, as well as a light clay straw wall system, and stone [paving] — you know, just minimizing the amount of plywoods and particle boards.”
The couple’s straw bale house is a testament to the great love and patience that has gone into building this unique house over a period of many years. There are some very smart and effective sustainable design ideas here that make it a wonderful example of how various systems can work together to create a self-sustaining, off-grid homestead.”
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