strawbale house with mustard plaster and custom entry gate.

“Living in a natural home is special and a bit hard to describe. Interior walls with clay plaster have a different feel from painted sheetrock.” shared the owner of this gorgeous straw bale home for sale in Colorado.

This feeling, along with what they learned at a sustainable building workshop, sold them on building their home using straw bale construction. From the insulation that gives year-round comfort to the quiet interior and the natural, sustainable elements that make Bale homes so special, it all added up to their decision to build.

While the home was professionally built, the owner did the original design. He nailed the ‘light, bright, warm and welcoming’ feel he aimed for as the build feels much bigger than the 1,836 sqft it actually measures. He pulled many ideas from The Not So Big House as he designed with this in mind.

Asthetics matter to them, they wanted the feel of the beautiful nature of the property to continue with a home to complement its surroundings. With touches like adobe floors, natural stone window sills, curved wall openings, the mosaic tile on the masonry stove, and soapstone sink and countertops in the kitchen, they brought natural elements inside to their living spaces. They even used reclaimed Douglas Fir and Redwood wine vat finish woodwork and custom plaster colors!

All those choices, plus intentional passive solar design with thermal mass, have added up to a space that feels very grounded and comfortable.

“Lots of daylighting so the light is good in the house with little need for artificial light. It’s very quiet, as I believe all bale houses are, but the land itself is very still and quiet.” the owner said.

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When it came time to take their workshop learnings and design concepts off paper and into action, they turned to a local contractor. Tread Lightly Construction completed the home construction for them.

They were so inspired by the incredible results of their home that when it was time to add the off-grid cabin, they tackled it themselves with the help of a carpenter friend. “It was a lot of work, but I enjoyed doing the plastering,” said the property owner.

Only a 30 min drive to Pagosa Springs with all the amenities of a bigger town, yet a a very private rural setting.

To learn more, visit the Home’s Full Real Estate Listing here or contact Lee with questions.

“We lived and did retreat on this land for almost 17 years. It’s really quite a special place and if we could take the house with us we would have. There’s nothing like a straw bale house when it comes to making a place home.”

— From the Owner & Designer

Custom Finish & Home Details:

1 Bedroom, 1 Bath with 2 bonus rooms – 1,836 sq ft custom home completed in 2007.

Post and beam construction with straw bale infill wall system. Bales were sourced in the San Luis Valley.
Built to code by a contractor and inspected by the County.
The interior surface of the bale walls is clay plaster. The exterior is lime plaster.
Custom details in every room with natural curves, 80% poured adobe floors, reclaimed doug fir and redwood wine vat finish woodwork throughout, stone window sills, and more.
Hat & Boots: Metal roof over scissor trusses with blown-in insulation. Insulated concrete form (ICF) foundation in excellent condition with metal skirting.
KITCHEN – Reclaimed Douglas Fir and Wine Vat Redwood cabinets, soapstone countertops, and masonry stove fireplace WITH pizza oven! Includes microwave, range, LG refrigerator, and Bosch dishwasher.
LAUNDRY – Includes an ASKO washer and dryer.

*Soapstone countertops with reclaimed Douglas Fir and Wine Vat Redwood cabinets.*

Additional Structures Include:

198 square foot OFF-GRID DRY CABIN (no electric or plumbing.)
- Straw bale walls on 3 sides with double wall framing on the South side and a trombe wall, or solar mass wall, in the middle.
- Passive solar with wood stove for supplemental heat.
- Roof rainwater collection system.
GREENHOUSE DOME
- 22-foot diameter.
- 2x 700-gallon Graf rainwater collection tanks.
PRIVATE RIVER ACCESS
- The property owners association grants access to 12-acres on the San Juan River for picnicking, fishing, and overnight camping.

*Strawbale cabin with rain water collection system.*

Property Features Include:

41.38 acres, zoned Farm Ag. Taxed only on buildings.

Cisterns and septic are in place. (TOT docs are available.) There is a 1,800-gallon “emergency” cistern with a high-pressure hydrant and fire hoses.
1.9 KW grid-tied solar electric panels, propane.
Solar hot water system installed.
Very private, with Elk, Mule Deer, and other wildlife migrating through. (Don’t worry! There’s a greenhouse for gardening!)
Pinon-Juniper-Sage ecosystem with year-round green and vast San Juan Mountain range views. (They designed the kitchen sink window to look directly at Pagosa Peak!)
The property backs up to Ute Land.