Product Description

Straw bale building is a radically different approach to the process of building. Its background is grassroots self-build; it is firmly based in the sustainable, "green building" culture that has brought to the construction industry many ideas about energy efficiency and responsibility towards the environment. As a building material, straw excels in the areas of cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency. If used to replace the more traditional wall-building system of brick and block, it can present savings of around #10,000 on a normal 3-bedroomed house, and a huge reduction in heating costs due to super-insulation of the walls. This practical guide has been written by the most experienced straw bale builder in the UK. It gives details of all the main construction methods, and covers bale specifications, plans, walls and foundations, doors and windows, plastering, building regulations and planning permission. The author also answers frequently-asked questions about straw bale building.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27556 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 125 pages

Synopsis
Straw bale building is a radically different approach to the process of building. Its background is grassroots self-build; it is firmly based in the sustainable, "green building" culture that has brought to the construction industry many ideas about energy efficiency and responsibility towards the environment. As a building material, straw excels in the areas of cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency. If used to replace the more traditional wall-building system of brick and block, it can present savings of around #10,000 on a normal 3-bedroomed house, and a huge reduction in heating costs due to super-insulation of the walls. This practical guide has been written by the most experienced straw bale builder in the UK. It gives details of all the main construction methods, and covers bale specifications, plans, walls and foundations, doors and windows, plastering, building regulations and planning permission. The author also answers frequently-asked questions about straw bale building.

Customer Reviews

Excellent and concise
Clear descriptive elements for all phases of building. A very good guide for DIY stawbale building. The book concerns construction in northern climes. Whilst it is pertinent to foundation & wall structures, a chapter exploring roof design & construction would have the icing on the cake.

Can't do without
This book is concise, spot on and a must for every straw house builder. All the fundamentals are covered and while other books may be ten times the size they rarely will give you really more information. What I would like to see is a bit more about statics e.g. how much can a wall, a frame, a truss or a piece of timber hold.

Great Introduction to SB Building
I used this book throughout my final year of university, and I still do as a design aid. It provides the perfect introduction to building with bales pointed really well towards self-builders. Crucially, it differs from other guides as being specific to the UK and Ireland and the authors expertise in building here means this is covered very well.
If you are looking for a book detailing the history and growth of SB building then this isn't it; check out the Steens excelent books perhaps. There are also books on the subject that go into more detail (Lacinski and Bergerons "Serious Straw Bale" for instance), however this book is concise and holds just the right amount of detail to get you started, especially if you are in the UK or Ireland.
Highly recomended!
Go and build it with bales!