| |
|
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
The Natural Building Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to Integrative Design and Construction, by Jacob Deva Racusin and Ace McArleton, published in 2012 by Chelsea Green Publishing is a book with a rare degree of detail on the topics covered. It is an extremely valuable resource for those interested in actually building with the materials that it covers, which are primarily wood, straw, earth and stone. The experience and focus of the authors is on appropriate techniques for the climate of the Northeastern United States. This book would make an excellent text book, and indeed the authors are associated with Yestermorrow, the design/build school in Vermont. To read the rest of this review by Kelly Hart see this page.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Building With Straw Bales: A Practical Guide for the Uk and Ireland by Barbara Jones, 2010.
This fully revised and updated edition includes new construction drawings, standard details for best-practice design, examples of off-the-peg drawings for small buildings such as summer houses and studios, and designs for affordable houses. These designs have a carbon rating of less than zero. As a building material, straw excels in the areas of cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency. Building with Straw Bales gives details of all the main construction methods and includes: bale specifications, plans, walls and foundations, doors and windows, plastering, building regulations and planning permission, frequently asked questions, and construction drawings.
| |
|
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Living Homes: Stone Masonry, Log, and Strawbale Construction; Building Your High-Efficiency Dream Home on a Shoestring Budget, by Thomas J. Elpel, 2010. Originally published in 1998, this is the sixth edition. This hefty book (250 pages, 8.5" X 11") is chock full of detailed information, personal musings, photos and diagrams, and practical tips. Thomas Elpel is a do-it-yourselfer after my own heart, and what he has compiled here chronicles his adventures of building his own home in rural Montana as well as experiences with other building projects. He and his wife were forced by circumstances to find inexpensive solutions for all of the challenges of building their home, and they managed to do this without sacrificing their commitment to energy efficiency and sustainability. To read my complete review see this page.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Strawbale Home Plans by Wayne Bingham, Colleen Smith, 2007. Strawbale homes and buildings are beautiful and personal works of art constructed by hand. The idea of building with strawbale is appealing to many because of its energy efficiency, insulative qualities, and organic nature. But the nitty-gritty of how to build with this alternative material often deters would-be strawbale aficionados. Practical information to guide you on a journey to constructing simply and naturally is hard to come by. Strawbale Home Plans is an inspiring and diverse collection of strawbale buildings. It features everything from single-level country homes, to cottages and studios, to community buildings. Thirty-one completed projects are highlighted. You will find helpful lessons in the homeowners' descriptions of their experiences with strawbale building as well as in the authors' explorations of the special features of each strawbale structure. Each project includes a plan drawing that provides inspiration for those who want to take their strawbale idea from conception to completion.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Design of Straw Bale Buildings; The State of the Art, by Bruce King, 2006. Anyone who is considering the design and construction of a straw bale building would be wise to read this book first. I especially found the information on codes and standards very informative. Code officials who are approached to accept this type of design in their jurisdictions would be well-advised to obtain a copy of this publication. - Richard Okawa, P.E. Vice President of International Services, International Code Council, (ICC), Whittier, California. Design of Straw Bale Buildings provides comprehensive, state-of-the-art guidance, including structural performance, moisture control, fire resistance and durability. It is a must-read book for anyone considering designing, building, assessing, or simply living in a straw bale building. Yet another excellent publication from Bruce King and Green Building Press. -Prof. Peter Walker, Director BRE Centre in Innovative Construction Materials, University of Bath, UK.
| |
|
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Building Green : A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods by Clarke Snell , Tim Callahan, 2006. This absolutely groundbreaking manual doesn't just talk about eco-friendly building techniques, but actually shows every step! More than 1,200 close-up photographs, along with in-depth descriptions, follow the real construction of an alternative house from site selection to the addition of final-touch interior details. Co-authors Clarke Snell and Timothy Callahan (a professional builder and contractor) provide thorough discussions of the fundamental concepts of construction, substitutes for conventional approaches, and planning a home that's not only comfortable and beautiful, but environmentally responsible. Then, they roll up their sleeves and get to work assembling a guest house that incorporates four different alternative building methods: straw bale, cob, cordwood, and modified stick frame. The images show every move: how the site is cleared, the basic structure put together, the cob wall sculpted, the bales and cordwood stacked, a living roof created, and more. Most important, the manual conveys real-world challenges and processes, and offers dozens of sidebars with invaluable advice. It's head and shoulders above all others in the field.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Strawbale Construction Curriculum (Facilitator Guide) by Chris McClellan, Owen Geiger, 2006. This book was created by the crew at "Builders without Borders" as a guide for facilitators of workshops on strawbale construction. There is a lot of good information imbedded within the text, but the focus is really on the techniques and processes of instruction in this particular field.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Building Your Straw Bale Home by Brian Hodge, 2006. This practical guide is written especially for the owner-builder and provides step-by-step instructions supported by diagrams and photographs. It covers the construction process from site preparation through to foundations, concrete slabs, strip footings and stumps. Special techniques for straw bale construction and the integration of these techniques with those of conventional house building are also covered, including floors, timber wall-frames, ceilings and roof framing. Advice is offered on plumbing and electrical work in a straw bale house.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Building with Straw: Design and Technology of a Sustainable Architecture by Professor Gernot Minke, Friedemann Mahlke, 2005. Building with straw bales is a technique pioneered a century ago in the state of Nebraska. In recent years there has been a renaissance in the use of straw as a building material largely in the American Southwest, but also in Canada, France, Holland, Germany, Austria and China. Straw is a renewable source with excellent insu lating properties. It is a cheap and easy-to use option for self-builders, and even large-scale structures can be erected using timber framework filled with straw. This book is a practical, hands-on guide to building with straw. Fire safety, protection against moisture, damp, pests and parasites are treated in detail. Numerous on-site photos document the process of assembly and construction step by step. 30 exemplary international projects illustrate the wide spectrum of design possibilities with straw.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
More Straw Bale Building : A Complete Guide to Designing and Building with Straw by Chris Magwood , Peter Mack, 2005. Straw bale houses are easy to build, affordable, super energy efficient, environmentally friendly, attractive, and can be designed to match the builder's personal space needs, esthetics and budget. Despite mushrooming interest in the technique, however, most straw bale books focus on "selling" the dream of straw bale building, but don't adequately address the most critical issues faced by bale house builders. Moreover, since many developments in this field are recent, few books are completely up to date with the latest techniques. More Straw Bale Building is designed to fill this gap. A completely rewritten edition of the 20,000-copy best--selling original, it leads the potential builder through the entire process of building a bale structure, tackling all the practical issues: finding and choosing bales; developing sound building plans; roofing; electrical, plumbing, and heating systems; building code compliance; and special concerns for builders in northern climates.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Practical Straw Bale Building by Murray Hollis, 2005. Building with straw bales is being embraced by amateurs and professionals for its versatility, comfort, environmental friendliness and high insulation. New methods should expand its growing worldwide popularity. Practical Straw Bale Building describes the best of current practices and introduces new ideas in a practical step-by-step approach, supported by technical data and analysis. Starting from how straw bales are made, it describes the building of both in-fill and load-bearing walls, discusses the properties of materials used to plaster the walls, and details how particular features are incorporated, such as windows, doors, arches, plumbing and electrical. It especially describes new methods that enable the construction of straighter, thinner and easier-to-plaster walls. The book provides a wealth of information and ideas for immediate practical application and as a basis for further development of straw bale building methods.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Building a Straw Bale House : The Red Feather Construction Handbook by Nathaniel Corum, 2005. "This book is a timely and important tool for the empowerment of communities facing housing deficits. The Red Feather project is extremely important; it is truly making a difference."-Jane Goodall For more than a decade the Red Feather Development Group, a volunteer-based organization, has built and repaired straw bale houses for Native Americans. Somewhere along the way-and this was certainly not the plan-they created an architectural phenomenon: This inexpensive, environmentally sound, easily constructed, and downright beautiful form of building has, for good reason, caught the public's imagination. Here, Red Feather provides a step-by-step, easy-to-follow manual for would-be strawbale builders-indeed, they supply everything you'll need but time, energy, and lots and lots of straw. Informative sections on safety, design, tools, and materials, and case studies picked from over thirty-five Red Feather projects give a comprehensive overview to straw-bale building. But this book is much more than a construction manual.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Small Strawbale: Natural Homes, Projects & Designs by Athena Steen, Bill Steen, Wayne Bingham, 2005. This practical guide is filled with rich photos of homes, greenhouses, studios, sheds, open-air structures and more, each pulsating with unique yet subtle creativity. Both a pragmatic construction manual and a philosophical, artistic guidebook, Small Strawbale is an inspirational starting point for a strawbale dreamer, and a great source of information for those who are ready to get bailing. 1. INTRODUCTION 2. GARDEN WALLS & FENCES 3. OPEN-AIR STRUCTURES 4. GREENHOUSES 5. CANELO PROJECT OUTBUILDINGS 6. TINY STUDIOS & MEDITATION SPACES 7. THE SHED ROOF 8. THE GABLE ROOF 9. SMALL HOUSES 10. CLUSTERED COMPOUND
| |
|
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
The Good House Book : A Common-Sense Guide to Alternative Homebuilding by Clarke Snell, 2004. With this exquisitely illustrated guide, packed with 400 photos and illustrations, anyone can put environmentally friendly ideas into beautiful practice. Here’s an intelligent look at how a home is supposed to function and a variety of different building approaches. What’s important is finding the right solution to fit your individual needs, local climate, and natural resources. The broad range of topics covered include choosing a site; selecting materials; building with straw bale, cob, adobe, or rammed earth; and plugging into alternative home power systems. Interviews with six homeowners, and photos of the dream homes they built, provide invaluable insight. Clarke Snell is a builder with experience using a wide variety of materials and techniques, both conventional and alternative. The construction project closest to his heart is his own partially bermed, passive solar house, which he built in the mountains of western North Carolina.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Straw Bale Details: A Manual for Designers and Builders by Chris Magwood, Chris Walker, 2003. Straw Bale Details is the perfect companion for those who are serious about building with straw. It focuses entirely on the specific design theories and practices that result in well-built, long-lasting bale structures. It extends the range of books like Straw Bale Building through large, easy-to-read architectural drawings rendered for a wide variety of building options, including load-bearing and post-and-beam designs. A range of foundation, wall, door and window, and roof-plate scenarios is presented, along with notes and possible modifications. Also included are the most recent testing data to help base designer and builder decisions on sound science. Chris Magwood is coauthor of Straw Bale Building and editor of The Last Straw Journal. Chris Walker is a Toronto architect specializing in sustainable design.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
The New Strawbale Home by Catherine Wanek, 2003. Although strawbale construction is beginning to enter the mainstream, many people continue to wonder what a straw bale house looks like. The New Strawbale Home answers definitively, "Anything you want!" Innovative architects and builders are reinventing this century-old technology to create thick-walled modern houses of unsurpassed natural beauty. The New Strawbale Home compiles floor plans and images from forty cutting-edge homes across North America, from California to Quebec, New Mexico to New England, showcasing a spectrum of regional styles and personal aesthetic choices. This practical guide discusses varying climate considerations and essential design details for problem-free construction and low maintenance, and also points out the ecologically friendly, energy-saving aspects of straw bale construction. The New Strawbale Home beautifully illustrates how building with straw bales allows for maximum personal creativity-whether the finished product is an urban home, a country hideaway, or anything in between. Author and photographer Catherine Wanek organized the building of a straw bale greenhouse in 1992 and has been an advocate for straw bale construction every since.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
A House of Straw: A Natural Building Odyssey by Carolyn Roberts, 2002. The author tells about her building a straw bale house on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. In building her house she had to confront fears and a lack of construction skills. Her personal growth through the construction process is as much a focus of this work as the house itself. This is a great book of building dreams and manifesting your own destiny. Carolyn Roberts is truly a warrior of life and creates a reality we can all live with. Keeping life simple allows one to focus on realizing one's dreams. And Carolyn's dream is one of giving. Giving back to Mother Earth and giving us a good example of how simple, healthy, loving life can be. If you are interested in building a house, especially one of straw, this is a must read. It prepares you for the pitfalls and the joys of accomplishing challenges you never thought you could.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes by Athena Swentzell Steen, Bill Steen, 2001. The Beauty of Straw Bale Homes is an extremely beautiful, well-written, and informative book. The photographs are elegant and awe inspiring. If you've been thinking about building a straw bale home, this book is a great place to look for creative design ideas. The Steens have also provide valuable information on earthen plasters, wall finishes, moisture, and ways to retrofit a home with straw bales in this delightful gem of a book.
| |
|
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Straw Bale Building: How to plan, design and build with straw by Chris Maqgwood and Peter Mack, 2000. Straw bale buildings speak to a part of us that insists that we should be able to build our own homes with our own hands. We look at pictures of a bale wall being raised and immediately think: I could do that! In Straw Bale Building, professional bale builders Peter Mack and Chris Magwood lead the potential builder through the entire process of building a bale structure, tackling all the practical issues; from how to find and choose bales; developing sound building plans; costs; roofing; electrical, plumbing, and heating systems; building code compliance and working with building inspectors; and special concerns for builders in northern climates. For those who do not see their lives and their values reflected in "standard" homes, Straw Bale Building offers a wide variety of aesthetic and building options, from multi-storey luxury to elegant simplicity. Over 100 professionally illustrated drawings, plus b&w photos and building plans provide an abundance of creative and practical ideas for novice and experienced builders alike.
| |
 |
|
| |
Click on image to buy from Amazon.com |
|
Serious Straw Bale: A Home Construction Guide for All Climates by Paul Lacinski and Michel Begeron, 2000. This book looks at building design issues from the perspective of straw bale builders and considers the particular needs of the medium. Several different techniques are discussed, focusing much information on the needs of those building in wet and/or cold environments. Many illustrations and several project profiles demonstrate the theories discussed.
|
The How-To Guide to Building With Straw Bales -- Load Bearing
TirolessaUSA Stucco Sprayer
(available from Amazon.com). This stucco sprayer is a great tool to speed up your building process and save labor! Use with a minimum 7 cfm at 90 psi compressor (not included). For the larger jets, use at least a 12 cfm at 90 psi or larger compressor. This stucco spraying tool can be used to spray mortar, plaster, stucco, small scale shotcrete, papercrete, earthen mixes and more. It can be used for traditional plastering and many alternative building methods. It can apply plaster on strawbale, earthbags, insulated panels and thin shell ferrocement, shotcrete, and structural concrete insulated panels. This stucco sprayer is for heavy applications of 1/4" to 1" thickness. Typically it is used for brown coat, scratch coat, base coat, and slip coat applications. 
