Straw Bale Roof Construction

Straw bale sips structural insulated panels have all the benefits of traditional straw bale homes but address all the risks.

Straw bale roof construction.

Traditional straw bale home construction can be a low tech and affordable route to a very ecologically responsible home. Straw bales can be heavy and bulky to move especially when building the upper courses of a straw bale structure. Straw bales have good insulation properties and keep the building warm in winter and cool in summer with r values between 40 and 60 when built correctly. Straw bale insulation is the most effective in climates where heating and or cooling of the home is essential for comfort.

If two string bales yield an r value of r 40 debated by the way across the 18 direction then one. The amount of time effort cost and embodied energy in such a task seems to me to heavily outweigh the benefits. Many straw bale homeowners opt to help with the construction in part to reduce labor costs. Straw bale construction is a sustainable construction technique with straw as a renewable material that is readily available.

After years of building he has moved his practice entirely to consulting and teaching. The quality of insulation that a straw bale wall provides depends on a number of factors including the way the bales are stacked the way the bales mesh with the roof s insulation the type of post and beam structure or if loadbearing the type of top plate the type of plaster used the quality of the plaster work and the design of the house. Straw bale construction uses baled straw from wheat oats barley rye rice and others in walls covered by earthen or lime stucco some use cement stucco but we typically don t suggest it. Straw bale construction is a building method that uses bales of straw commonly wheat rice rye and oats straw as structural elements building insulation or both this construction method is commonly used in natural building or brown construction projects.

Straw bale homes can be beautiful as the natural material lends itself to multiple architectural styles. Andrew has a passion for straw bale construction that is matched only by his desire to teach his knowledge to others. Disadvantages of straw bale construction 1. Straw bale roof i simply must ask.

Research has shown that straw bale construction is a sustainable method for building from the standpoint of both materials and energy. This guide covers the materials and methods you might use to build a straw bale house a house that can last hundreds of years is energy efficient and is cheap to maintain. Why use bales as a roof insulation. Building a straw bale and plaster house is a low cost and environmentally friendly way to create a home.

Even contractor built homes can suffer from the increased labor requirements of straw bale building. Straw bale homes are they any good. There are however some legitima.