We’ve heard it since our childhood. If you want a strong house (one that can’t be blown down!) you have to build with brick. There are plenty of folks that are proving that old tale wrong. The majority of these straw homes are being built in the west and southwest United States, Australia and New Zealand; places with a somewhat more dry and temperate climates. There is a registry of straw bale houses around the world—kind of interesting.
I have seen a straw home built in one of the harshest climates in the continental U.S.–Driggs, Idaho. Some years ago, I watched with great interest (and much skepticism) as this dwelling went up a mile or so from my parent’s home. Among the old farmers in the area, the house was the butt of more than a few jokes. Well, years later, it is still standing and functioning well and the farmers are getting used to the idea. Besides, it’s a new source to sell all that straw that the farmers’ grain fields generate.
Speaking of farmers, it was pioneer farmers who built straw and grass homes on the prairies of the Nebraska and Oklahoma over a century ago. No trees? No timber? No problem. Straw and grass were readily available, could be stacked like bricks, didn’t require elaborate tools, and could be constructed in a shorter period of time. The homes were well insulated, had great “breathability,” and believe it or not, were quite fire resistant. They created homes that were inexpensive, functional, and pleasant places to live in. Obviously, these are qualities that budget and environmentally conscious people are looking for today. History does need to repeat itself.
There is a plethora of websites, companies, and individuals who are eager to share their knowledge on the techniques of building a straw house. The science of straw house building and my attitude about the whole thing has come a long way since those days of me and the Idaho farmers standing around laughing and smirking at the neighbors. It is past time we all got serious about it.
