straw bale

Building with Jumbo Straw Bales

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The Holiday Apartments
The Holiday Apartments

“The Holiday Apartments Straw House – farm Holiday
The strawbale house was constructed with jumbo strawbales allowing superb insulation and a healthy, very comfortable atmosphere. The appartements have been arranged with all natural materials such as wooden furniture, terracotta-flooring and clay walls. The room atmosphere is magnificent, and is enhanced by large windows, light colours and decoration. The appartements are ideal for families, friends or a couple wanting to spread out. An little fireplace makes evenings in the mountainous surrounding cosy and warm.

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Hybrid Homes

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Hybrid home made with adobe and straw bales
Hybrid home made with adobe and straw bales

“In a sense, virtually all buildings are hybrids of one sort or another. Most modern buildings employ a wide range of materials, some “natural” some not. A strawbale house, for instance, is most likely a hybrid of strawbales and conventional wood framing. Unless the building is a dome or vault, the roof is likely framed with wood or steel. Our domed home is a hybrid of earthbag and papercrete materials. I know of a fine circular home that was minimally framed with 2X4 studs and then strawbales set on their ends provided the insulation.

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Top 10 Natural Building Materials

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“New home construction comes at a tremendous expense to the planet. Building 1.7 million homes with traditional wood, steel and concrete frames consumes the same amount of energy as heating and cooling 10 million houses each year, according to the Consortium for Research on Renewable Industrial Materials. The environmental costs stem largely from the manufacture of the materials. Cement production, for example, requires an astounding amount of energy and results in water and air pollution and industrial waste that is usually not recycled. Using natural materials that require minimal processing or refining reduces these environmental impacts.

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Traditional Post and Beam Barn Home Kits

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Traditional post and beam barn home kit
Traditional post and beam barn home kit

“Pole barn dwellings are much different than post and beam barn homes. The only similarity between a pole barn and a post and beam barn is that they both have upright posts that support the frame of the barn.

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