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| Straw Bale House |
No amount of huffing and puffing will blow these houses down.
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Helen and Per Bernard are Central Victorian architects and builders who specialise in straw bale buildings. A house made of straw may just be a fairytale to some people, but there is a renewed interest in the concept of straw as a building material. Our House takes a look at one such home designed and built by the Bernards, to find out exactly why they may be the "houses of the future".
Construction of the The Flying Pig Bed and Breakfast, in Daylesford, Victoria, took around 6 months to complete. The home (240 square metres), contains 2 guest bedrooms, each with its own balcony and ensuite bathroom (together with a spa bath). There is also a lounge and dining area for guests, with an open fireplace and a sunny terrace providing beautiful views to Wombat Hill, site of the Daylesford Botanical Gardens.
The owners' quarters contain an open-plan kitchen, living and dining area, 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and laundry. Per incorporated "truth windows" in the home's construction. This is a decorative "opening", framed like a picture, cut into an internal wall exposing the straw behind. Also in the home are wide "shelves" which have been made by carving the wall with a chainsaw.
The Construction Method
The modified post beam construction method enabled the roof to be put on before the straw bales were on site. The first step was to pour a conventional concrete slab, closely followed by the wall framing. The builders used plywood box beams, to match the thickness of the bales, around the door and window openings. 100mm thick timber posts were located at each corner to support a roof-pitching beam. They then constructed a frame from long span joists, conventional trusses forming the roof.
Once the roof was on, they had somewhere dry to store the bales. The bales of wheat straw were stacked to form 450mm thick, highly insulated walls, before being "sewn" into place with two layers of wire. No bale pinning was required because the straw infilled the post and beam frames.
After the bales were in place, a conventional line trimmer was used to trim the bales to a true and neat finish. The house was then hand rendered inside and out with two coats of cement render. The cement is waterproof but breathes to allow condensation vapour to escape from the straw bale wall.
Outside, the walls were finished with a cement colour coat while internally the walls were finished with serene lime plaster and coloured limewash. The process cost about the same as a conventional house.
Energy Efficiency Victoria awarded the house a Five Star energy rating, the highest possible. This is mainly due to the insulation qualities of the straw bale walls, and the thick layer of ceiling insulation.
As Per points out, 65 per cent of a house's heat loss is through the ceiling, so there's no point having straw bale walls with poor ceiling insulation. (The Flying Pig's ceiling insulation is cellulose-recycled pulped paper). Financially, Energy Victoria estimates the Flying Pig will save approx. $1200 per year in energy costs.
Advantages of building with straw bales
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Walls half a metre thick with deep window sills.
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Five times the insulation value of conventional timber or brick.
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Minimal heating bills and cool summer temperatures for life (25% energy reduction).
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Reduced noise.
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Built from sustainable, renewable resources requiring less energy than conventional materials.
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Sand-free render creates a smoother surface, allowing walls to have niches cut in them that can incorporate lights and decorative features. Walls can be "landscaped" to incorporate garden seats.
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Fire retardant (over 2 hours in test results). As good as, if not better than a conventional construction.
8
Only dry bales are used for construction. Once assembled with moisture barriers at top and bottom, the bales are rendered without moisture proof sealants. Testing for humidity in buildings in the high rainfall areas of Canada has proven that walls stay as dry as when they were built.
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More Info
Helen and Per Bernard offer architecture and building services, specialising in 5-star rated energy-efficient homes. You can also visit their home by appointment for $15 and see the latest straw bale technology. For more information contact:
Imagine Strawbale Constructions,
20 Bridport St,
Daylesford, VIC 3460.
Ph: (03) 5348 1298 Fax: (03) 5348 1098
Email: imagine@netconnect.com.au
Or visit their website:
http:// www.netconnect.com.au/~imagine/straw.htm
The Flying Pig Bed and Breakfast in Daylesford is open for accommodation, and house tours are available for $15. Bookings can be made by phoning Maureen Peterson, Ph: (03) 5348 1222.
Straw bale Companies operating in other states:
NSW: Huff 'n' Puff Constructions
John Glassford and Susan Wingate Pearse,
10 Moore St.,
Ganmain NSW 2702.
Ph: (02) 6927 6027.
Email: huffnpuff@shoal.net.au
WA: Straw Bale Building Trust
Gary Dorn and Lance Brandes
65 Auckland St,
North Perth 6066.
Ph: 0419 042 265
Email: garydorn@eepo.com.au
Susan Swain
Architectural Design Studio
Email: adsperth@wt.com.au
Rudy Stoffel
Bale Up Straw bale Construction,
Ph: (08) 9574 4113
SA: House of Bales,
Lance Kairl,
Building designer and builder,
Ph: (08) 9330 3746
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Disclaimer
All Fact Sheets and other material on the Our House website are provided as a general information service only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the advice of a properly qualified tradesman. Neither ninemsn nor its licensors (including the Nine Network) assume or accept any responsibility for, and will not be liable for the accuracy or appropriate application of any information whatsoever in any Fact Sheet or other material on the Our House web site. Your use of the Our House web site is governed by this disclaimer and the ninemsn's Terms of Use.
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