Product Description
In 1994, when Chelsea Green published The Straw Bale House , the response from many people was a loud, “Huh?!” Those days are gone. With more than 100,000 copies sold, and straw bale projects underway in most regions of North America, we’ve entered a new era. Even building-code officials and insurance companies now look favorably upon straw bale buildings, with their extraordinary energy efficiency and wise use of agricultural waste for construction materials. … More >>
Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates
considered the best book on the market by professional straw bale builders
Rating: 5 / 5
Everything you ever wanted to know about building a straw home from the ground up can be found in this manual.
Rating: 5 / 5
Well … Book is, anyway interesting. Question is how practically can help during building straw bale home. Experiences of the other people are fine, but, I have a feeling that some important answers are missing. Inspiring, but not sufficient for the the real work on the ground.
Rating: 4 / 5
I’m glad I finally found this book! Almost all the information you find on straw bale assumes you’re building in a nice dry-hot climate, or tries to scare you away from wet/humid climates. Virtually nothing except some Canadian resources (which US building inspectors seem to ignore) for dry-freezing climates… until this book, at least!
Using this book and some of those Canadian studies, I was finally able to convince my architect and inspector that wrapping the entire house inside and out with plastic barriers (standard operating procedure for stud walls in the Arctic) not only wasn’t necessary, but was a very bad idea for SB! They still think I’m insane for building an arctic dwelling with straw, but I’ll have the last laugh while I’m nice and toasty in front of my woodstove during a blizzard or when my house doesn’t tumble over in the next earthquake
Rating: 5 / 5
Really good book with plenty of technical information, drawings, schemes. I would recomend that item for architects interested in this technology. It’s one of few books on the market which are really “serious” about straw bale. It’s not for people interested in colourful images and photos of buildings… it’s not for design inspirations.
Rating: 5 / 5