“Do your heating bills drive you crazy in the winter? Are you and your family sweltering inside your home in the summer? Do you want to improve the look of your home? Do you need new electrical outlets in your house, but can’t afford it? What if there was a ‘green’ and affordable way to solve all of this? We think there is. It’s called a ‘straw bale retrofit’, and we think you’ll love it.
“This passive solar straw bale house is situated in one of the coldest places in the nation.
Gunnison, Colorado, ranks within the top 5 cities with the average coldest temperatures in the United States, yet the insulating properties of the straw bales make this an efficient and comfortable passive solar home. An amazing aspect of this house is that it is made primarily from all natural materials: straw, wood and various mixtures of adobe mud, including mud-plaster, cob (free form clay with straw) and adobe bricks.
“Thankfully, we’ve never had to worry ourselves about local building codes, but there are many, many more folks who regularly struggle with codes when attempting to build a natural home in their area. And so the following news is very welcome, not just for those folks, but for a potential ecological/cultural tidal shift, as well. Earlier in October, an appendix on straw bale building was approved for inclusion in the 2015 International Residential Code for one and two-family dwellings. The IRC is basically the foundation for building codes all across the US. Wow!
“The Sedona Straw Bale is a fresh look at the design and building of a practical, modern-looking Straw Bale Home in Sedona, Arizona. It details the entire project from breaking ground to moving in, showing almost 300 photos accompanied with detailed descriptions. This Photo-Journal is an ideal read for anyone interested in building their own home, whether Straw Bale, Post and Beam or even conventional stick frame,, and features multiple novel solutions for increased energy efficiency and practical solutions for the Owner-Builder.
“Hello, my name is Grzegorz and I am an architect. I come from Poland, but I currently live in Romania where I am an active proponent of straw bale building. Together with my wife Maria, and our many enthusiastic friends we are trying to spread the word about straw bale construction.
Jay sent us this tip. The Dunne Family house is progressing nicely. The roof is on and straw bales are up. Plus, they now have a blog. We profiled their project one year ago: Dunne’s Hardware Store …NOT!