Straw Bale Construction
Straw bale home construction is becoming an increasingly popular building method, especially in light of the strong building green movement we are currently in. Straw bale construction homes have many great advantages for both you and the earth. If you do a simple Internet search of photos of straw bale home construction, you will see the amazing structures that can be created using straw bales as the form. Straw bales are very affordable. When you take a financial snapshot at a straw bale construction and conventional building, you will be amazed at the difference! In a good way of course. You basically save on all of the different materials that go into creating walls and it all essentially boils down to a straw bale, support beams, and the clay/adobe that holds them together.
The energy efficiency difference in the final structure of a straw bale unit versus its conventional equivalent can be as high 75% more efficient. The massively thick walls that are a result of the width of straw bales make these structures so efficient, doing an excellent job of trapping heat in the winter and naturally cool air in the summer. The wall thickness also creates a structure that very sound proof. Yet another advantage of these thick bales is their fire-resistance, which is up to 3 times more so than conventional built buildings. This is due to the small amount of oxygen able to penetrate the bales. Aside of the wonderful aesthetic that a straw bale home or structure provides, it is cutting down on the less renewable resources such as wood, as well as maintaining very high quality indoor air.
If you feel a straw bale construction is the best for your needs, then get started! You will have no problem finding straw from a local source. You can also try advertising on free websites for wanted bales. The ability to obtain a loan for this type of home or building construction is rather difficult, however, on the positive side, this is starting to change rather quickly.