Building with Straw Bales: A Practical Guide for the UK and Ireland - Softcover

Jones, Barbara

Softcover

ISBN 10: 190032251X ISBN 13: 9781900322515

Publisher: Green Books, 2009

Synopsis

Straw bale building is a radically different approach to construction and this book explains, in straightforward and commonsense terms, the principles of straw bale building in the UK climate. Pioneered in the United States over a hundred years ago and established in the UK in the 1990s, the technique is now entering the mainstream. It is used by firms who see its value in terms of cost-effectiveness, ease of installation, and energy efficiency. Straw has great load-bearing qualities and provides superior insulation at an affordable price. Straw bale building is accessible to many people who are normally excluded from the construction process, and provides immense opportunity for creative fun, enabling them to design and build the sort of shape and space they would really like. The book covers design principles; different types of foundations; how to raise walls, stabilize them, and protect them from the weather; and how straw bale buildings can easily meet building regulation requirements. This book is for self-builders as well as for people working the construction industry and has been fully revised and expanded to include new sections on natural plasters, a detailed analysis of how straw performs with humidity, and an extensive resources section.

About this title

About the Author

Barbara Jones is the founder and director of amazonails, the leading UK company for straw bale design, consultancy, and training. She has pioneered techniques for use in the UK climate, including the use of traditional lime and clay plasters. Awards won by amazonails buildings include the 2008 Grand Designs Eco-home of the Year and the East of England Sustainability Award from the RICS in 2009.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Building with Straw Bales

A Practical Guide for the UK and Ireland

By Barbara Jones

Green Books Ltd

Copyright © 2009 Barbara Jones
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-900322-51-5

Contents

Chapter 1 WHY BUILD WITH STRAW BALES?, 
Chapter 2 AFFORDABLE HOUSES WITH LOWENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, 
Chapter 3 STRAWBALE BUILDING TECHNIQUES EXPLAINED, 
Chapter 4 BALES TO BUILD WITH, 
Chapter 5 BALE PLANS, 
Chapter 6 SAFETY AND TOOLS, 
Chapter 7 CEMENT-FREE FOUNDATIONS, 
Chapter 8 ROOF AND FITTINGS, 
Chapter 9 WALL RAISING, 
Chapter 10 WINDOWS AND DOORS, 
Chapter 11 PLASTERS AND RENDERS – LIME, 
Chapter 12 PLASTERS AND RENDERS – CLAY, 
Chapter 13 PLANNING PERMISSION, 
Chapter 14 BUILDING REGULATIONS, 
Appendix 1 Humidity in strawbale walls, 
Appendix 2 Frequently asked questions, 
Appendix 3 Resources and research, 
Appendix 4 Construction drawings, 
Index, 

CHAPTER 1

WHY BUILD WITH STRAW BALES?

Strawbale building makes sense. It offers us a radical way to solve many of the issues facing construction with respect to thermal efficiency, carbon footprint and cost. It's far more than just a wall-building technique; it's a completely different approach to the process of building itself. Like all innovative ideas, it has been pioneered by the passionate and practised experimentally by those with the vision to see its potential. Its background is grassroots self-build: it is firmly based in that sustainable, 'green building' culture that has brought to the construction industry many new and useful ideas about energy efficiency and environmental responsibility.

A typical plastered straw wall has a U-value of 0.13, more than twice the insulation that Building Regulations require.

This method of building is now entering mainstream construction, used by firms who see its value in terms of cost-effectiveness, sustainability, ease of installation and energy efficiency. The building method itself is based on a block system, making the designs very easy to adapt from one project to another, and giving great flexibility in its use.

Working with straw is unlike working with any other material. It is simple, flexible, imprecise and organic. It will challenge your preconceptions about the nature of building and the correct way of doing things – and not everyone will be able to meet this challenge. The simplicity of straw can be disarming, or alarming. If you need complexity for security, then this may not be for you. Don't be put off by nursery tales about the big bad wolf – we should be wise enough to realise that the wolf probably worked for the cement manufacturers! And there are plenty of examples of professionally finished, durable strawbale buildings, as illustrated in the colour pages in this book – so read on, and make up your own mind.

Straw as a building material excels in the areas of ease of installation, affordability and energy efficiency. Council houses of almost PassivHaus standard are currently being built for £110,000 for a three-bed semi. Of interest to the homeowner is the huge savings in heating costs, owing to the buildings' super-insulation. Potential savings are up to 75 per cent compared with a conventional modern house. A typical plastered straw wall has a U-value (see page 120) of 0.13, more than twice the insulation that Building Regulations require. Furthermore, strawbale buildings appear to store latent heat – they perform in a similar way to heavyweight materials, even though they are not masonry.

The accessi

Edition details

• Publisher: Green Books
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 190032251X
• ISBN 13: 9781900322515
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 184