As you may know, my wife, 12 year old daughter, and I recently sold more than half of our worldly belongings to fund our adventure, let go of our large rental house, and spent the next 6 months in a quest to reconnect with each other and with what really matters in life. Most of that time was spent in a 150 sq ft pop up tent trailer in Baja, Mexico where we were able to live off grid and to essentially unplug ourselves from our “normal” day-to-day lives. What we learned was that in living with the least, we gained the most and that in finding the stillness that comes in not busying ourselves, we reclaimed our joy and inner calm (to read more about this journey, please visit www.SmallHouseRevolution.com).

One of our favorite topics of conversation since embarking on this adventure has become housing. What defines a home, what are the things that are essential in making a home a wonderful space, what do we want in our own dream house, etc… Being that the professional focus for most of our adult lives has been straw bale construction and green housing, we naturally have been exploring the merits of this mode of building as a solution for those of us that are wanting to build affordably, to tread lightly on the planet, and to be involved with our own home’s creation. We now see, more than ever, that straw bale construction is an amazing building technology fully able to fill those needs.

The idea of stacking straw bales to create a super insulated and natural shelter first appeared on the Nebraska plains over 100 years ago and some of these original homes are still in use. The technology has advanced significantly since those early builds and today, two major styles of straw bale construction have been developed: Load Bearing and Post and Beam. Load bearing construction uses no structural frame (such as framed 2×6 walls) to support the roof. Instead, the bales carry the load. Post and beam construction, on the other hand, uses a structural frame to support the roof while the bales act as insulation within that frame. Whichever system is implemented, the benefits of building with bales include: 3 times the insulation value of a conventional wall; 3 times more fire proof than a conventional home (yes, you read that right!); lessens pollution by using a waste material that normally contributes significantly to the pollution cycle; ideal building system for the owner builder; incredibly sound proof; able to withstand natural disasters (earthquakes, high wind/tornado) significantly better than a conventional home; aesthetically beautiful.

You may not have considered building a straw bale house when planning your downsize because of the thickness of the walls, but this thickness can actually be hugely beneficial when building small. All types of niches, built in furniture and closets can be molded out of the walls, allowing for a simple, space efficient, and elegant interior design. Here are other ways that straw bale homes can fulfill the needs and desires of people looking to live a simpler and more efficient lifestyle.

• Less dependence on a paycheck. Because straw bale construction lends itself well to owner builders, there can be significant cost savings during the construction process. Furthermore, the homes are very low maintenance, so lifecycle costs also remain low. Additionally, the cost to condition the space is very low due to the super efficiency of the walls. In fact, the high insulation value has been shown to reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 75% when compared with conventional homes. With a lower dependence on paychecks, there is less stress, higher quality of living, and more space and time to spend on the activities that enrich and enliven us.
• Highly conducive to living totally off-grid. It’s easy to make a correlation between higher efficiency construction and lower energy consumption. Obviously, if you are 3 times more efficient, you will use less energy. This means that the systems used to heat and cool can be smaller and will place less demand on an off-grid energy system. We learned that living off-grid in our pop-up tent trailer was an incredibly liberating experience that allowed us to really understand the impact of our daily actions and choices.
• Low maintenance system. Straw bale structures are low maintenance, especially when a simple design is used. Once they are built, little is needed to be done over the years to keep it looking great. Further, the natural materials used both in the bales and on the walls (plaster) create a “living wall system” that actually helps moderate the interior climate. By spending less time adjusting the interior climate and maintaining heating/cooling equipment you will have more time to spend doing the things you love. In fact, in areas where evening temperatures cool off significantly, no cooling system is needed at all, completely eliminating a machine that will eventually need servicing or replacement.
• Incredibly “green” building technology. Each year, millions of tons of straw are burned in the field as a waste product. For every 1 million tons burned, roughly 56,000 tons of carbon monoxide is produced. This has a huge impact on our air quality and overall planetary health. By using the straw instead of burning it, we lessen the environmental impacts by removing the CO from the atmosphere. We also have a positive impact by minimizing our homeowner energy usage. Furthermore, the use of these natural materials in the home eliminates the toxic building materials used in conventional homes. The air health inside a straw bale home is so good that many people who suffer from allergies, chemical sensitivities and autoimmune diseases build straw bale homes.
• Optimal technology for the Do-It-Yourselfer. I’ve taught hundreds of people with no building experience how to build straw bale homes in my workshops. People understand the building system because it’s simple and intuitive (think of stacking Legos). There is something that is deeply enriching and enlivening when people build with bales and I believe in large part it’s because we are genetically programmed to build shelter with our own hands. When we come together, use a natural material that we can feel good about, and we learn how to build shelter, our lives change and we feel fulfilled. Seeing this transformation in people as they become empowered to build their own shelter is one of the deepest rewarding experiences.

I don’t believe that downsizing means that we have to give up our connection to beautiful, efficient, and even spacious living. If what you are looking for is a more effective way of living that uses less resources, both financial and environmental, a well designed straw bale home can meet all of your goals. For lots of free information about straw bale construction, please visit www.StrawBale.com. If you want to learn more about getting some hands-on experience with straw bale construction, please visit www.StrawBaleWorkshops.com to find out more about our 2-day, 7-day, and 14-day workshops.

Just in: Spring Has Sprung Sale. It starts March 30 and goes until next Monday April 9. 2012 at midnight. Workshops are $100 off, videos are 25% and up off of regular price. There is the Everything Combo for $140 which includes all of our videos (10 in total) plus a free strawpenter organic tshirt and free shipping globally. Click Here for sale discount. 

Lammas is the United Kingdom’s first planned ecovillage and is sited on 76 acres of mixed pasture and woodland in Pembrokeshire. The houses use low-impact architecture which uses a combination of recycled and natural materials. The village will contain five detached buildings and one terrace of four dwellings. The homes will be built of straw bale, earth, timber frame and cob; they will have turf roofs and wool insulation and will blend into the landscape.

The videos (also available as podcasts) cover everything from searching for land, working with local codes, inspectors and design councils, examples of different types of natural building including straw bale and cob, surviving cold weather, self-sufficiency, growing your own food, and keeping community intact. The ecovillages profiled are Cae Mabon, The Village, Ireland and Findhorn. That Roundhouse by Tony Wrench is also featured.

The videos are filmed and produced by Undercurrents, an alternative news blog, and presented by Paul Wimbush, an architect who has lived in several intentional communities where he learned gardening, horticulture, goat-tending, land management and simple living skills.

You can support both organizations by purchasing a 50-minute DVD of all the videos.

Photos courtesy of Lammas Ecovillage and Undercurrents

By Christina Nellemann for the [Tiny House Blog]

Over the course of about 3 years we built a series of 4 charming and beautiful straw bale cabins, all at 200sqft to create a mini “Straw Bale Village.” Three of them serve as sleeping cabins and have plenty of space for queen size beds as well as desks.

The fourth cabin is the “Sauna” cabin and includes a wood fired sauna. There is also a private full bathroom with flush toilet, sink and large shower stall in that cabin. One can come out of the bathroom or sauna and rest in the beautiful, inviting window seat and enjoy the view of the distant mountain peaks. There is also an outdoor deck with seating for cooling off after a hot sauna.

These cabins reside on a stunning 90 acre property in southern Oregon which serves as a retreat center. This property has several ponds on it, a full horse back riding facility, thousands of acres of trails available around it, and is a wonderful, peaceful place to spend some time. There is also a large retreat space (about 1,500 sq.ft.) that can be rented if you want to host your own workshop on the property.

If interested, you can rent the straw bale cabins and spend some time ‘recharging your batteries’ in this tranquil paradise. For more information and to make reservations, please visit www.ramsayrealty.com, click on vacation rentals.

The Applegate Residence was meticulously designed by Chris Keefe of OrganicFormsDesign.com and every nook and cranny has a function and purpose. There is 770 sqft of living area which includes a great loft space and a downstairs bedroom and can comfortably house a couple and perhaps even a small family. All of the comforts we are accustomed to in the western world are included so it’s really not about lowering the quality of living but rather, adjusting the size to be more in line with what is really necessary and sustainable not only for the planet but also for the pocketbook.

The Applegate Residence has been designed to be affordable to build so that you can live debt free in as short amount of time as possible. The $20,000 estimate to build the Applegate includes the cost of the foundation, walls, bales, mesh, plaster, roof, interior walls, so everything that makes up the structure. It also includes $2,000 as an initial budget for finish flooring, cabinetry, appliances, wiring, plumbing, fixtures, and finish materials. In our experience, it is possible to find these items at very low cost or salvaged, depending on how motivated you are to find the best deals on those items.

This beautiful bungalow style home is perfect for those looking to get out of the rat race by downsizing into something that is super efficient and cost effective. This is a perfect example of space-smart design in which every space has a use and is essential to the overall flow of the home.

The plans are available in two different designs. The 770 square foot with the downstairs bedroom or the 570 square foot without the downstairs bedroom. You decide what is best for you.

Included with the plans are three free DVD’s which include the following:

• Post and Beam Straw Bale Instructional Double DVD set (nearly 3 hrs of step-by-step instruction)
• How To Plaster With Natural Hydraulic Lime
• How To Pour A Monolithic Concrete Slab Foundation

Strawbale.com is offering the Tiny House Blog readers an introductory discount for four days starting at 7:00 A.M. PST Friday and ending on Tuesday July 12th at 7:00 A.M. PST. So I would like to invite you to jump in and purchase these plans right away by clicking this link Here!

(Note all strawbale.com plans and DVD’s bought through the Tiny House Blogs links and ads help keep this site running.)

Straw Bale construction is an old technology that has grown to become a respected and viable building option in most locations and climates. Not only is it beautiful and energy efficient, but it is also three times as fire resistant as a conventionally framed home and does extremely well in natural disasters such as earthquakes and extreme wind conditions. Straw bale and tiny house enthusiasts have a lot in common in that both are invested in being responsible earth stewards, want to reduce their living expenses, aren’t afraid to try something new and do things on their own, and are committed to creating a new model of sustainability by living within their means financially and from a resource stand point. Here are 9 reasons why we think you should consider building with bales:

Reason #1 Energy Efficiency.

A well built straw bale home can save you up to 75% on heating and cooling costs. In fact, in most climates, an air conditioning unit is not needed in the home as the natural cooling cycles of the planet are enough to keep the house cool all summer long. In addition, a simple heating system, very often radiant floor heating, can inexpensively supplement a passive solar design to keep a house warm all winter long.

Reason #2 Sound Proofing.

Straw bale walls provide excellent sound insulation and are superior wall systems for home owners looking to block out the sounds of traffic, airplanes, or other urban sounds. The assembly itself, a rigid skin of plaster sandwiched around a softer core of bales provides excellent sound absorption.

Reason # 3 Fire resistance.

Straw bale homes have roughly three times the fire resistance of conventional homes. Dense bales mean limited oxygen which in turn means no flames. Now wrap the dense bales in over an inch of plaster and you have a superior fire wall assembly.

Reason # 4 Environmental responsibility.

Building with straw helps the planet in many ways. For example, straw is considered a waste product that is either burned or composted in standing water. By using the straw instead of eliminating it, we reduce either air pollution or water consumption, both of which impact the environment in major ways.

Reason #5 Natural Materials

The use of straw as insulation means that the conventional insulation materials are removed from the home. Standard fiberglass insulation has formaldehyde in it, a known carcinogen. Bales also eliminate the use of plywood in the walls. Plywood contains unhealthy glues that can off-gas into the house over time. By building with natural materials, a healthy home is created from the start.

Reason #6 Aesthetics

There is nothing as calming and beautiful as a straw bale home. Time and time again I walk people through homes and they are immediately struck by the beauty and the “feeling” of the walls. I really can’t explain this one, you’ll just have to walk through your own to see what I mean. There really is nothing like it.

Reason #7 Minimize wood consumption.

If built as a load bearing assembly, the wood in the walls can be completely eliminated, except for around the windows as necessary to attach them to the structure. The harvesting of forests is a global concern and any reduction in the use of wood is a good thing for the long term health of the planet. Even framed walls with infill bales (bales as insulation) can reduce the use of wood by using engineered lumber for the posts and beams. The engineered material uses smaller, faster growing trees in place of larger, slower growing species. In addition, even a standard post and beam frame can use smaller timbers on larger spacing, thus reducing the amount of wood in the home and also working with the faster growing, more renewable wood resources.

Reason # 8 Built in window-seats/niches/storage

For space conscious builders, the options for creating wall niches and storage into the bale walls are pretty much endless. Because the bale walls are so thick, there is plenty of depth for people to essentially carve out niches for storage. Further, one can create window seats with some simple modifications during the construction process which creates space saving seating. The end results are beautiful and timeless.

Reason # 9 Perfect for the Do-It-Yourself builder

Building with bales is frankly, quite simple. If you’ve spent time building with legos, you already understand the basic principles of baling! The baling process goes very quickly and is extremely fun and rewarding to be a part of. Working with a natural material is also a wonderful way to connect with responsible building practices. It doesn’t take long to learn. In fact, we can teach people how to bale their own homes including the electrical and plumbing and plastering systems within our 7 day workshops (www.strawbaleworkshops.com).

This is just a short list of reasons to build with straw bales. This construction technology is widely accepted in nearly all building municipalities in the US and other countries around the world and many locales even have their own straw bale code for straw bale. You can run electrical wiring through the bales without any problems and have plumbing in the house as well. It is possible to get insurance and bank funding. This technology has really come a long way from when it began in the mid-west in the late 1800s!

If you are interested in learning more about straw bale construction, please visit www.StrawBale.com for tons of free information. We also offer instructional DVDs showing the whole process step by step at www.LearnStrawBale.com.

Andrew Morrison
Consultant, Teacher, Inspiring Change

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Learn the Secrets to Successful Home Construction:
www.BeYourOwnContractorTraining.com

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Get Your Straw Bale Construction Questions Answered at:
www.StrawBale.com
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Sign Up For a Seven Day Straw Bale Construction Workshop Near You at:
www.StrawBaleWorkshops.com

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Work Directly With Me at:
www.StrawBaleConsulting.com

Follow Me on Twitter: @StrawBaleTeach

*Note if you purchase the DVD’s or workshops through the links above  a portion goes to support the Tiny House Blog.

Andrew Morrison is an easy to understand instructor and you get a little feel of his teaching ability in this video below. He has produced a number of hot selling videos and I will be reviewing his latest How-To Guide To Building With Straw Bales (Post and Beam) next week.

This charming cottage is perfect for the Tiny House enthusiast! Straw Bale construction lends itself very well to space-conscious builders because the thickness of the bales allows for all types of carved-in wall niches to be created, allowing for storage/shelving right in the walls. Straw bale window sills are also wonderful for creating window seats, eliminating the need for chairs.

The Sunset Cottage has room for a full sized fold-down couch, a large set of wall shelves, a large work desk with file cabinets on the side, a substantial window seat, a small set of shelves, and plenty of floor space to walk around the room in. And with a little modification, you can create space for a tiny bathroom and kitchen as well.

So if you have been thinking of building your first straw bale structure purchase the Sunset Cottage Plans Today by click here.

Your purchase helps support this blog. As an affiliate of StrawBale.com a percentage of the purchase goes to the Tiny House Blog.

The camp is seven small structures set on our farm pasture in Iowa. Six of the structures – an 8’ x 18’ bunkhouse, a 10’ x 16’ bicycle shop, two 12’ x 14’ tent platforms, a 9’ x 9’ playhouse, and a 10’ x 12’ shelter house were remodeled almost entirely from recycled materials. The seventh is a small grain bin re-purposed to house a pool inside.

The Bunkhouse was an old granary

The camp is on our farm place surrounded by acres of trees, pasture grass, and fields of Iowa crops. If things on “Tiny House Blog” strike at your core, you like to bicycle (Central Iowa’s Raccoon River Valley Trail is a 5 minute drive away), like peaceful environments, or just want a unique camping experience we think you just might like it here.

Tent platforms built from wood grain bin materials

You only need to bring a change of clothes. We provide everything else. Our website is www.farmhouselife.com or our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rippey-IA/Farmhouse-Life/197224381896?v=wall&ref=sgm.

Milk House before restoration.

The Bike Shop

Camp Alley

Solar architecture is based on the efficient use of the energy and the direct solar energy utilization principle. Almost all windows are located in the southern side of the building. This way when the sun rays fall obliquely in spring, autumn and winter, more IR spectrum sun rays enter the building.

At the same time all efforts are put to keep them inside the building as long as possible: the windows are covered with selective film and the walls are plastered with clay, that among other good properties also have low thermal conductivity, i.e. it absorbs thermal radiation and when the sun is down, the accumulated heat is radiated to the surrounding environment very slowly, at the same time heating the building.

During the summer the sun rays are falling at right angles and not many of them enter the building, therefore it is not too hot inside. If needed, additional sun blinds or shutters may be installed, and that can help to reduce the solar radiation allowed to enter the house even more. Several smaller windows of the building are located in the southeast and southwest sides to ensure more light inside.

Regarding the windows from the northern side, only small ones are planned or they are completely eliminated there.

To learn more and see some other new technologies visit the Eco Cocan Solar House site.

Shift is an organization in Portland that brings people together for bike based fun. Every year Shift facilitates an amazing event called Pedalpalooza, that spans a 2 week period.

With 291 events, most organized by individuals, bikers of all persuasions are likely to find many events of interest. Nearly all events are free.

A few weeks ago Eli Spevak, from Orange Splot, LLC, organized a Pedalpalooza ride featuring tiny homes. A group of 150 cyclists gathered for the tiny home tour, in Southeast Portland.

Beginning of Ride

We stopped at six tiny homes and saw a number of different housing styles, including: a 14 x 8 gypsy wagon, a little house made of cob, a nanny’s house on wheels, a straw-bail tiny house that is being used as a detached bedroom, an urban village, and a cute little home that was converted from a garage to a little cottage.

Converted Garage

The homes were incredible and the builders relied on the following concepts when constructing the little dwellings:

• Using salvaged and sustainably produced building materials whenever possible.
• Using design to make it easy for neighbors to share resources.
• Incorporating durable construction materials to minimize the need for ongoing maintenance.
• Re-utilizing existing structures whenever possible.
• Locating the structures to make it easy to live without a car.
• Incorporating artwork and quality craftsmanship to make projects beautiful and unique.

Also, a few of the ride attendees mentioned that the city has reviewed a number of reports focusing on smaller homes; specifically that smaller homes are more efficient and have a smaller carbon footprint, in comparison to larger Leed certified homes that tend to be tremendously cost intensive.

Gypsy Wagon

The ride was inspiring and informative, thanks to Eli’s efforts. And I was happy to learn that the City of Portland’s Planning Department is fairly flexile when it comes to tiny house zoning specifics (e.g. waving fees, assisting in approving innovative designs, etc.).

Little House at the Urban Village

There is a lot of good news for all things tiny in Portland!

You can check out my photos from the ride by clicking here.

Straw Bail Tiny House

A Nanny's House on Wheels

The Cob Dwelling

EcoNests are simple, elegant, and healthful handcrafted dwellings that welcome owner participation in their construction. They are the product of a design/build collaboration by Baker-Laporte: Robert Laporte, a timber framer, author, natural house building pioneer and teacher, and Paula Baker-Laporte, an award-winning architect, Bau-Biologist (building biologist), teacher and author specializing in healthy and ecological design. The EcoNest utilizes natural building techniques including: timber framing, light clay/straw walls, earth plastering, and natural, non-toxic finishes throughout.

Most of the EcoNests are a little larger than a tiny house, but the philosophy remains the same: create a healthy sancutary.

The smallest stock plan for an EcoNest is 700 square feet. But Paula said that Baker-Laporte, and their workshop participants, build quite a few “Hummingbirds”. Small studios without a bathroom or kitchen that are about 200 square feet. A Hummingbird can be integrated into a community with other small buildings that contain bathrooms, kitchens and sleeping areas.

EcoNests are built with timber framing and light clay and straw. Unlike standard building methods that employ vapor barriers, clay/straw walls actually breathe. They are weatherproof yet porous, and they allow for the slow transfer of fresh air and moisture much like human skin. The one-foot thick, light clay/straw walls are a unique combination of insulation and thermal mass, keeping the interior cozy and warm in winter and cool in summer.

The light clay/straw walls are then coated with earth plaster. The walls are ideally suited to plaster because they are perfectly flat but coarse in texture so that the plasters adhere to them without needing lathe. Earth plastered walls are both durable and beautiful. The floors of the houses are made of natural materials such as earth and stone.

Econests have been built in many different locations including Portland, the Northeast and Canada. Most of them are primarily in the American Southwest.

Baker-Laporte offers workshops on how to build your own Econest. You can take workshops in timber framing, clay/fiber construction, roofing, natural plasters and finishers, an Econest intensive, or builder training and apprenticeships.

Photos Courtesy of Baker-Laporte and Associates

By Christina Nellemann for the (Tiny House Blog)