Book Review: The Straw Bale House
If we learned anything from childhood, it was not to build our
houses out of straw. After all, that big bad wolf was just
waiting to blow it down. But that was before the world knew the
numerous advantages of using compressed straw bales, as a key
building material as outlined in the book The Straw Bale
House. This easy to understand book is comprehensive in its
education on how to build with straw- so that no wolf (or
tornado for that matter) can ever blow it down. The book covers
why and how to build with straw bales, while also illustrating
necessary details to create an aesthetically and sound home at
an affordable price. To portray this point, The Straw Bale
House provides a good number of enlightening black and white
diagrams as well as impressive color photographs. I would have
to say The Straw Bale House is the Bible of straw bale
construction books and therefore an indispensable starting point
for anyone looking into the straw bale home concept. After
purchasing the book (well worth the price) I had no reservations
about going ahead with my own project and building with straw
bales. Both new and experienced builders will appreciate the
clear, simple instructions and diagrams, as well as practical
explanations for dealing with building codes and insurers.
The Straw Bale House also nurtures you on the many
practical advantages of building with compressed straw bales. In
addition to being inexpensive, straw bale serve as a clean, and
lightweight building material that is easy to work with. The
book discusses the many important advantages straw offers such
as super high-energy efficiency (a need in today's high heating
costs), superior fire resistance, while at the same time
seismically correct. In addition, this all-natural material, as
a recycled agricultural byproduct of grain production, is a
sustainable, renewable resource. While enthusiasts of straw bale
construction praise this method of building for the
aforementioned reasons, the actual reason so many people are
turning to straw bale homes is because they are so often
extraordinarily beautiful and inviting, as The Straw Bale
House's many color photographs displays. Clearly,
inexpensive doesn't have to mean low quality nor unattractive.
The natural materials used in creating a straw bale home exude a
lot of chi. And so does this book. The Straw Bale House
would be a good addition to any coffee table.