Using straw bales as a building material has been around as long as we humans have been building shelters. Straw has been utilized in many different ways from tying it into bundles to placing chopped up straw into mud.
With the invention of the steam powered baler in the late 1800’s, it became possible to compress hay and straw into rectangular bales that were then tied together with wire or string.
It was then that areas such as the Great Plains of North America began using bales as a building material and stacking them as you would bricks in place of using lumber. The sand Hills of Nebraska was where the first bale buildings were constructed.
Originally it was found easier to build with straw bales rather than sod and were more efficient. The first structures were looked at as being temporary, but as time went on the straw bales were preferred because the homes were more durable and the interior temperatures remained more consistent in the Nebraska climate. The oldest documented straw bale building was built in Nebraska around 1886.
Strawbales used in building
Their are numerous benefits to building with straw bales. One of the most important reasons is that straw is a waste product and it can be grown quickly, easily and sustainably. Their are also many environmental reasons to build with straw. Because it is a waste product large quantities of straw are burned every year. They have begun to outlaw this burning practice due to the large amount of pollution that it expels into the air.
Another wonderful benefit is that straw bales have a higher insulation factor than traditional building materials. When measuring insulation you look at the r-value the walls have which is the resistance to heat flow. In a traditional lumber and drywall home the r-value falls around r5 value and if you add in insulation you can beef that up to maybe and r16. But when you use straw bales it takes the r-value all the way up to r35 or more depending on the type of straw and bales that you use. This can make a huge difference in the comfort of your home.
Straw bale construction has gained in popularity for many reasons. A few of the less noted reasons is that the skill level to build using straw bale is much less than a traditional home and can be mush easier for a novice to take part in the construction of their own home and in addition people can come together to build a home creating community and bonding that does not normally occur in our society today.
Other positive factors of straw bale construction is the structural integrity of bales when reinforced with rebar or bamboo, the seismic resistance, the affordability and the fire safety factor.
There have been many books written of the subject of straw bale building and we have listed a few in our reference section and also the Straw Bale Journal which is a publication dedicated to building with straw.
Using straw as insulation