Strawbale house

[robri]

Anyone built a strawbale house - paticularly in Vic?
Rob

[forge]

Anyone built a strawbale house - paticularly in Vic?
Rob
A lot of people -see back issues of -owner builder ,earth garden ,sanctuary ,etc
:D .
Have seen something on tv recently -hot property , the story was about the owners of earth garden magazine building a new office from straw bale
http://www.earthgarden.com.au/strawbale/faq.html
Regards , Bela

[Kev Y.]

"Hot property" featured one on tonights program, check out their web site they may have information on it.. it was built in victoria

[Clinton1]

Mate has one out at Kinglake, there's a builder up there that did it to get experience with it.
Do you want the contact?

[forge]

Mate has one out at Kinglake, there's a builder up there that did it to get experience with it.
Do you want the contact?
I would like to know ,perhaps pm ,me.Regards ,Bela:)

[la Huerta]

google it in au. i researched it myself a while back and there's a stack of aussi info out there...

[robri]

Mate has one out at Kinglake, there's a builder up there that did it to get experience with it.
Do you want the contact?

Would love the contact - pm me if you think it would be better

[Wood Butcher]

I am curious, what is the facination with strawbale houses. I know that they have phenomal insulation properties but after watching Hot Property they seem alot of work and they siad that the office they built cost $120k. Surely you can build something using traditional methods for cheaper than that?
Please note, I am not bagging strawbale buildings just can't understand why all the rave reviews.

[Sturdee]

they said that the office they built cost $120k. Surely you can build something using traditional methods for cheaper than that?


But they also said that it was substantially cheaper (approx $ 50K if I remember correctly) than a convential building and it was built by a builder during winter and he was prepared to pay extra to have it finished quickly whilst he was on his second holiday.

Apart from being cheaper, better insulated and soundproofed it can easily be built by an owner builder. Also it is much easier than building with mudbricks.

Peter.

[Clinton1]

What Sturdee said, plus good fireproofing due to the lack of air in the walls. Easy to build, and cheap.

[outback]

Old mate just up the road is trying to build one. Meeses is causing real havoc

I kid you not.

[echnidna]

I'm inclined to think that in a fire situation the cement render over the bales would fall away due to the heat thus exposing the straw and then you'd lose everything.

I have some photos from ash wednesday showing buildings with solid concrete block walls that just disinegrated from the radiant heat.

[ozwinner]

Please note, I am not bagging strawbale buildings .

:confused: You have to bag them.
Or render them at least.

Al :confused:

[ozwinner]

I'm inclined to think that in a fire situation the cement render over the bales would fall away due to the heat thus exposing the straw and then you'd lose everything.

I have some photos from ash wednesday showing buildings with solid concrete block walls that just disinegrated from the radiant heat.

If done correctly, they have a 1 hour fire rating.

Al

[Tonyz]

We have been studing these for about 4 years. The big holdup is capital is now involved in new business not new house:( Cement render will crack under extreme heat but using a mud/earth/clay render and the first coat really rubbed into the bales allowed try dry properly then 2 & 3 coat you WILL have a excellent rendered wall.

The savings can be made in doing a lot of it yourself ... would suggest visiting open days advertised in Owner Builder mag. Victoria is the most prolofic (?)nazis:eek: area for strawbale houses

The big fasination is the LOOOONNNG term heating & cooling savings I know one in Adelaide hill temp varies between 15-26 all year and this has computer readouts from several parts of the house
and its the FEEL of the place.
Wood Butcher its just that the feeling

I could go on do google searches on strawbales....& strawbale houses and anything else around that area there is piles of it a lot from unintelligent fartarses but a lot of very good stuff VISIT A STRAW BALE HOUSE.:cool:

I could go on and on etc etc Tony ;)

[Grunt]

A strawbale house isn't any cheaper unless you do the work youself. The walls of a house make up about 10 - 15% of the total cost of a house. If you have granite bench tops and gaggenau cooktops you'll still spend a fortune.

I'm going to build a strawbale later this year.

[ozwinner]

I'm going to build a strawbale later this year.


And when you have made a few of them, you can build a house out of them.

(to the humour nazis, how was that? OK I hope)

Al :p

[forge]

A strawbale house isn't any cheaper unless you do the work youself. The walls of a house make up about 10 - 15% of the total cost of a house. If you have granite bench tops and gaggenau cooktops you'll still spend a fortune.

I'm going to build a strawbale later this year.
R' u gona do working bees?Two of my sons are interested in strawbale building.:)
Romsey is real close to us .We would love to come and see.
Regards ,Bela

[Clinton1]

I have some photos from ash wednesday showing buildings with solid concrete block walls that just disinegrated from the radiant heat

I'd have thought that just about every building type would have suffered, except underground and those fires. Not arguing with you mate, just don't see that too many building types would have survived. (except where owners took the smart route and did a bit a pre-fire season prep)

The strawbale is compressed and then rendered, so there is minimal air within the walls (i.e. between the render). Thats the reason they have a good fire rating.

That bloke I know - his hobby is maintaining an 18 - 20 degree internal temperature without heating or cooling.
Con - thick walls = reduced useable floor area as a ratio to roof coverage.
Not a prob if you have a large block.

[outback]

But wottabaout the big bad wooleff, he'll huff and he'll..............................................



Ok, that was lame, but I'm tired. :p

[ozwinner]

But wottabaout the big bad wooleff, he'll huff and he'll..............................................



Ok, that was lame, but I'm tired. :p

Ah, hahh.
See! one stupid joke, thats all it takes, next thing you know there will be a sense of humour buy back scheme.

Youll never take me alive copper.................

Al :D

[Grunt]

R' u gona do working bees?Two of my sons are interested in strawbale building.:)
Romsey is real close to us .We would love to come and see.
<!-- / message --> Regards ,Bela

Yeah, when I get to the mud slinging days, I'd like to get as many people together as I can.

Probably, get people to work like dogs for the day and then put on a BBQ and beer in the evening. I've got 30 acres and a river, so anyone who wants to camp is welcome.

I'll send out an SOS when I know when it's happening.

Chris <!-- sig -->

[la Huerta]

you know there has been a huge leap forward in modern australian architecture, and the simple forms that are coming about allow a home to be built without disturbing the land it sits on (no excavation costs), and forget those expensive granite kitchens, kitchens now are designed to be mobile or part of the house , not added to it as extra cost...and best of all you can have lots and lots of nice timber...


la H

[la Huerta]

what abouut those houses in the greek islands, you know the white ones!, there built from the land, no bunnings stores on santorini, and there design is fantastic, and maintains an almost constant temp.

one could even use the straw bale in that style of architecture...

[forge]

what abouut those houses in the greek islands, you know the white ones!, there built from the land, no bunnings stores on santorini, and there design is fantastic, and maintains an almost constant temp.

one could even use the straw bale in that style of architecture...
:D Not to hijack a thread ,but one of my favorite hobyhorses is trying to make our muddy energy efficient ,try to conserve &recycle water .There must be others with this idea on this list .Please send me your favourite links.Or share info on how you done it .Are there any discussion groups that deal with this subject?:)
Regards ,Bela

[ozwinner]

Where to start?

http://www.greenandgoldenergy.com.au/

http://www.carbonneutral.com.au/default.aspx

http://www.biolytix.com/ourProducts/biol-greywater-recycle.htm

http://www.byohouse.com.au/forum1/index.php

That will do for starters.

Al :)

[ozwinner]

And then there is this.
http://www.au.store.yahoo.com/solaronlineaust/solwinhybsys.html

All in my to do tray.:o
I have a few projects to finish and then I will be building a house somewhere, incorperating all this technology.

Save the planet dude, except anchovies, I hate anchovies, phtooie:D

Al :)

[ozwinner]

Yeah, when I get to the mud slinging days, I'd like to get as many people together as I can.

<!-- sig -->

Dude!
Youll need the services of a bricklayer long before that, a suave good looking, mean lean work hardened brickie.:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Im buggered if I know where youll find one. :D

Al :p

[Grunt]

I got a mate who's a fricken ugly one. He also deals in crap.


:D

[la Huerta]

i'v been dreaming of building a mexican adobe style house ever since burkes backyard went to mexico 10yrs ago...2ft thick walls create the thermal mass needed for energy efficiency..

[ozwinner]

Ive always like the Santa Fe look.

http://images.google.com.au/images?svnum=10&hl=en&q=santa+fe+architecture&spell=1

http://justinsomnia.org/images/santa_fe_architecture.jpg

Al :)

[Clinton1]

Sorry guys, that bloke is proving hard to track down. Will have another go tomorrow.

[ozwinner]

Sorry guys, that bloke is proving hard to track down. Will have another go tomorrow.

Hes in the car that just crashed into the tree..

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=28701

Al :p

[Clinton1]

Very quick Al, very quick.:D

[la Huerta]

ozwinner my main man, love that style too, those logs through the wall for the roof are so cool...greek, mexican, santa fa, it's all good and all seems to revolve around similar architecture...

[ozwinner]

ozwinner my main man, love that style too, those logs through the wall for the roof are so cool...greek, mexican, santa fa, it's all good and all seems to revolve around similar architecture...

Santa Fe adobe was the poor mans house, now, you have to be rich to live in one.

Al :(

[ozwinner]

I think I would like a house that looked like it just grew out of the ground.

Orgasmic like.

The house that Orgasmo Built. :p
Roll up, roll up........http://www.ubeaut.biz/shout.gif

Al :D

[la Huerta]

yes rich would be handy, then you could build this

http://www.careyes.com.mx/oriente/ORIEN02.jpg

[la Huerta]

http://www.careyes.com.mx/oriente/ORIEN05.jpg

[ozwinner]

yes rich would be handy, then you could build this



No thanks, too flash for me.
I like simple styles.

Al :)

[la Huerta]

what !!! that is simple, big but simple, very similar minimalist form as the santa fa...

perhaps this one's for you (change the colour if you like)

http://www.careyes.com.mx/rosa/P0001595.jpg

[la Huerta]

this is the inside

http://www.careyes.com.mx/rosa/index.htm

http://www.careyes.com.mx/rosa/IMG_4878.jpg

http://www.careyes.com.mx/rosa/P0001159.jpg

[forge]

And then there is this.
http://www.au.store.yahoo.com/solaronlineaust/solwinhybsys.html

All in my to do tray.:o
I have a few projects to finish and then I will be building a house somewhere, incorperating all this technology.
Al :)
Thank's for the links Al.We live in our own passive solar muddie ,but it still need's
improvement's -retrofitting for energy efficiency(heating ,cooling)grey water recycling (seen an article recently in-Re-New- about grey water recycling sytem) http://www.greenmakeover.com.au prefiltering ,before it enters the tank.There are comercialy available products ,but after trying out some and have made some myself i'm a bit more cautious on what i buy .
Regards ,Bela

[la Huerta]

Bela...did you build the whole house yourself, i'm very interesed in the tryumphs of my fellow humans...any pics !!!

[la Huerta]

this is a straw bale house...actually a winery !

http://strawbale.archinet.com.au/Graphics/Leth16.jpg

[seriph1]

Yeah, when I get to the mud slinging days, I'd like to get as many people together as I can.

Probably, get people to work like dogs for the day and then put on a BBQ and beer in the evening. I've got 30 acres and a river, so anyone who wants to camp is welcome.

I'll send out an SOS when I know when it's happening.

Chris <!-- sig -->

Count a couple of Kilmorians in, son

[forge]

Bela...did you build the whole house yourself, i'm very interesed in the tryumphs of my fellow humans...any pics !!!
We had the services of a carpenter we employed to help putting the post &beam frame up.Electrician to put the power on .I did plumbing ,wood heater ,water tanks ,sheds etc.
We made the window's and sash,put the roof on ,made mud bricks (lunacy)laid them, rendered the walls ,put on extentions under the veranda, to stop the two youngest fighting:mad: .Door frames ,some of the doors etc. etc.
Will try to find some photos.
Regards, Bela.

[la Huerta]

is that all , don't you people work for a living !!!

just kidding, that sounds like a triumph of massive proportions, well done...going to build my own house in the not to distant future, i think i better start training...

[forge]

is that all , don't you people work for a living !!!

just kidding, that sounds like a triumph of massive proportions, well done...going to build my own house in the not to distant future, i think i better start training...
We ,had friends and family helping(They would not come near us in the end:o )
Had 3 kids after starting to build.Any wonder we had no social life .I would do it slightly different the next time:eek:
If you want to build go ahead ,but research every move before you start ,talk to succesful owner builders.
Good luck ,Bela