Strawbale construction that does look....like strawbale?

[cc-rider]

I really like the idea of strawbale....for the most part. I like the idea of being able to build it myself. I like the insulation value. I like the cost.

I don't like the looks of it, though! I don't like adobe, concrete, stucco, whatever you call it. I like wood. I like rustic.

Would it be possible to build something...maybe pole construction and insulated slab.... and put board and batten on the outside, but then infill with straw bales and only finish the inside of the bales? Or is that just basically using straw for insulation and I'm not saving anything on the exterior constuction costs?

[wewantout]

Check out these links

http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/...strawbale.html
http://www.thelaststraw.org/journal.html

I will pull together some more links for you tomorrow

cheers
brett

[WisJim]

That is how these friends of ours did their home:
http://geopathfinder.com/9535.html

Very pleasant place, and I think that their website explains the construction well enough to understand what they did. Also note their pages on rainwater collection etc.

[cc-rider]

Originally Posted by WisJim

That is how these friends of ours did their home:
http://geopathfinder.com/9535.html

Very pleasant place, and I think that their website explains the construction well enough to understand what they did. Also note their pages on rainwater collection etc.

Wow! That's more in line with what I was thinking. It doesn't LOOK strawbale. I wish MN wasn't so far away..... I'd go visit them!

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Originally Posted by WisJim

That is how these friends of ours did their home:
http://geopathfinder.com/9535.html

Very pleasant place, and I think that their website explains the construction well enough to understand what they did. Also note their pages on rainwater collection etc.

Jim, that is EXACTLY what I want to build, simple, efficient, and easy. I have drawn sketches of their house before! Very cool, thanks for the link!

[tiogacounty]

Just my humble experience, but....The two links listed have houses that are fairly complicated to build, have questionable fire safety, and questionable economics. In both cases a double wall fiberglas insulated structure may be a lot easier to built, more fire and vermin resistant, and much more acceptable to the ever growing list of areas with code inforcement. I'm not saying that I don't like the homes shown, or respect those that thought outside the conventional. I'm saying there is more than one way to get the job done and in the case of designing and building a stick built structure to accomodate bale insulation, it seems to be a bit of a forced fit. It appears to be a lot of hard work to achieve a level of insulation that is available a lot easier, and maybe even cheaper.

[cc-rider]

Originally Posted by tiogacounty

In both cases a double wall fiberglas insulated structure may be a lot easier to built, more fire and vermin resistant, .... It appears to be a lot of hard work to achieve a level of insulation that is available a lot easier, and maybe even cheaper.

Thanks for your insight. Where would I find more information about double-walled structures? My biggest concerns are that I am going to have to build this myself.... and I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box when it comes to construction!.....but I want it very energy efficient. And built correctly, sturdy, whatever.

Thanks again,

[tiogacounty]

Originally Posted by cc-rider

Thanks for your insight. Where would I find more information about double-walled structures? My biggest concerns are that I am going to have to build this myself.... and I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box when it comes to construction!.....but I want it very energy efficient. And built correctly, sturdy, whatever.

Thanks again,

A double wall structure is nothing more than a typical 2x4" stud wall structure with an additional stud wall built a few inches inside of this wall. Two walls separated by a 4" gap. This allows you to install three layers of fiberglass for an R40+ factor and have zero thermal bridging, which is where there are studs and plates that penetrate the whole wall, allowing cold spots. We built a Habitat house like this in MT. A few years back it was being heated for roughly a dollar a day in propane costs. There is a ton of info. on the net about super-insulated houses. Just start searching. Remember that a house this well insulated is generally tightly sealed also, and needs outside air supplied to keep a health, mold and pollutant free indoor enviroment. This technology has been refined for decades, so there are no unknowns or guesses about what works. Remember, keep it small, and simple and build it like your utility bill are ten times as high as they are today, because some day they will be. Good luck.

[cc-rider]

I had thought previously about using 2X6 headers (or 8's) and alternating 2X4 studs on the inside and then the outside of those headers so that I could "weave" the insulation around them, hopefully eliminating thermal bridging. I couldn't figure out how to make it work, though....seemed awfully clumsy.

What holds the two 2X4 walls together? Are they joined at some point?
CC

[Valduare]

according to research studies that i have read. Straw bale walls are more so fire resistant then stick built walls. in a study i read it stated that it took just under half an hour to burn through a traditional stick built wall/ and over 3 and half hours to burn into a straw bale wall. in the same report it states that an average stick wall has insulation value of closer to 8 or 9 (stated 15 r value insulation) because of the installation methods. but straw bales are 45-55r always.

Alot of people think that straw bale walls are flamable. but they are tightly compact and not alot of air spaice for flame to thrive. the same goes for mice and rodents. they are packed too tightly for them to wish to make homes in the walls.

[tiogacounty]

Originally Posted by cc-rider

I had thought previously about using 2X6 headers (or 8's) and alternating 2X4 studs on the inside and then the outside of those headers so that I could "weave" the insulation around them, hopefully eliminating thermal bridging. I couldn't figure out how to make it work, though....seemed awfully clumsy.

What holds the two 2X4 walls together? Are they joined at some point?
CC

Picture two walls built in the conventional manner. The exterior wall has the required headers for openings and plywood sheathing. The interior wall is built 3-1/2" inside of it. It does not need headers, it isn't technically structural. Both walls are nailed to the floor deck and to the ceiling joists. The top of the gap between the walls MUST be covered with wood blocking such as 2X8" flat scraps tightly sealing the openings. This is to seal the top of the cavity for fire and vermin protection. Now you can insulate this 10-1/2" deep wall cavity with three layers of unfaced R13 insulation. Hope this helps? BTW, don't start grabbing a hammer and doing what I describe. There are building scientists and research facilities that have investigated super-insulated building construction for many decades. They know what works and doesn't. They can provide free or low cost info. Start with a Google search. You can quite literally eliminate tens of thousands of dollars in heating and cooling costs over the life of a home, if you spend a little more during construction ,and do the work in a mechanically and technically sound manner.