Creating Curved Mudsills on a Straw Bale House – StrawBale.com
When building curved walls, some of the most difficult aspects to deal with are those that don’t naturally curve. For example, large windows in a curved wall will create an
When building curved walls, some of the most difficult aspects to deal with are those that don’t naturally curve. For example, large windows in a curved wall will create an
Several people have written to me asking how to find the 2×2 14 gauge welded wire mesh I use on my bale homes. It is hard to find, no doubt,
Straw Bale Wall Performance in Earthquakes Here’s a great article about the effectiveness of straw bale walls in earthquakes. This study shows how strong they really are by subjecting the
 What is the perfect bale to use in a straw bale house? I am asked this question a lot. Most times, the question refers to what type of straw is
There are so many options for anchor bolts for toe ups these days that it is hard to know what to use. I believe I have found the best option
Concrete stakes are essential to just about any foundation project. In fact, they are used on almost all concrete projects that a home owner is likely to encounter. If you
A justifiable concern is protecting your straw bale home from the weather. Water damage is the worst enemy of bale construction and is protected against it with the utmost attention.
Ever wonder how to get plywood to the roof when you are working by yourself? How about making sure your concrete stakes don’t become a permanent member of your concrete
Many people have mentioned an interest in building a straw bale greenhouse. Over the years, I have seen several different approaches to this idea. I have two different columns into
It must be something in the air. I have received a bunch of emails about building straw bale landscape walls in the last week. This after a long drought of
I received the following comment on my old blog. It got me thinking about building with bales in humid climates and rice straw. I noticed that many of the humid
Many people have asked me if spraying lime plaster is a good way to go. There are belief structures on either side of the coin. Some people believe that spraying
There are many details that must be managed in order to produce a quality plaster job. This is true for any type of plaster; however, there are some material specific
Throw away your weedwhacker on your straw bale build! For years now I have been using a weedwhacker to smooth the walls of every straw bale house I have built.
Bees wax may not be a standard tool in your tool box, but it really should be. If you have ever plastered a house or poured a concrete slab, you
Landscape pins are something I don’t use a lot of; however, they can be a good friend when you need to stick the mesh or blood lath to a bale
When building a straw bale house, the bales are likely delivered to the site in squeeze blocks: tall 8′ x 8′ blocks of straw bales. Here’s a simple solution for
One situation you are likely to find yourself in when building a straw bale house is the ends of bales sticking too far into a room or beyond the plumb
When building a load bearing straw bale wall, you need to support the wall from falling over into the house or out of the house. The direction in concern is
For years I used either welded wire mesh or (eeek) chicken wire to shape the space above windows and doors. The chicken wire was horrible, mostly because it never seems
Windows are one of the most risk prone and failure prone areas of a house, conventional or straw bale. In fact, any penetration in the exterior wall is at risk
A snake in the grass! I always remind people to clear the loose straw from their job sites for several reasons. The first reason is always fire protection. The second
I want to share some new research results that have been posted online. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) has just published a report authored by Colin MacDougall called
How many straw balers does it take to plaster a house? One. All he or she has to do is pick up the phone and call the plastering company! 😉
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