Straw Bale House

[Applejack]

Cedar stay warm. Lots of blankets. 29 is really cold. Best of luck to you guys.

[grumpygremlin]

friend has a straw bale house in somerset-next county to the east- the straw bales are covered with wooden planks on the outside and lime plastered on the inside so you don't see the straw bales. wood burner for heating.

[Nik]

My BIL in Scotland wanted to build a bale house, but the local planners blocked it.
Note: Like a thatch roof, there are precautions you *must* take against weather, vermin etc.
He had all those arranged, but was still refused.

FWIW, after battling those planners unto futility, he finally went for a pre-approved Scandinavian kit timber house. Due to the waste of time and money, he had to compromise on house and cellar size. IIRC, cellar was supposed to be 'standing height' across entire site with an access door / adit. He settled for a third smaller house, with a 'stooped' cellar lacking external access.

[Garand]

I've watched that episode of "Building off Grid", and I cannot see the benefits of choosing a bale house over more traditional buildings.

[ZAGran]

If straw bales are all you have.........................