The plans are approved! We have a footer dug and the forms are up!! We are on our way!!! Again!! ;D
See a simple version of the plans on the blog http://strawbaleredux.blogspot.com/ We're planning an early March baleraising.
judy
Great news Judy! Have fun!
Great, Judy. Please keep us posted--and pictured. :)
Hi All,
I'm still around, just been very busy. We had our wallraising and it was a huge success-about 30 people acitively raising bales and many sight-seers! It's great when people see that you can create your own shelter.
(https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/jwvastine/civhouse3_6_06030.jpg)
That's my husband Rick and our friend Cheryl putting in the last bale!
Judy
More pictures
//www.strawbaleredux.blogspot.com
Looks like you have a great neighborhood! Amazing how fast things can go with all that help... :)
Enjoyed reading your blog-keep those pictures coming!
Looks good, Judy. It appears you are doing load bearing bales?
Yes, Glenn, it's loadbearing. That's the code in Pima Co but don't know that we'd do it differently if it weren't the code. Got the roofbearing assembly finished today and the trusses were delivered so the roof goes on next week.
Judy
Short update:
http://strawbaleredux.blogspot.com
Judy
Straw bale is so nice--I think.
I see why there are sticks emerging from the decking.
A shame that once walls and roof are on it goes slowly. At least the building I worked on (but then the forever nameless (not me!) person who was supposed to be our leader had a mid-life crisis in the middle and disappeard for a couple of weeks).
You're moving right along! Are you going to use earth plaster on the outside or regular stucco? Looking good!
Talking to the local engineer last night, I found out that we are allowed to have load bearing straw bale construction here also. He said out of about 6 he has engineered, 1 was load bearing. Has to do with the architect designing it he said. He seems to be a great guy and relatively cheap compared to valley engineer pricing. I reviewed his plans for a friends house, and they looked to be well done. He gave them several options on bracing to make it compatible with their desired design.
Wow! Taking shape. Beautiful!
It'll be cement stucco from the bottom to about 3 feet since that is the splash area. Even though it is very dry (11 inches/yr) when we have rain it tends to come in torrents and doesn't soak into the ground. We were just last night planning ways to keep most of the water that hits the postage stamp sized lot on the lot. Above the cement stucco and inside we will have earthen plasters. Refer to this picture http://www.buildingwithawareness.com/Picturetour1.html
Yeah Amanda, that's what I keep telling everyone who says how quickly it's going. Details, details, details but just like any other building project.
Things are coming along,
Judy
Add: Pima Co Code only speaks to load bearing. Go figure.
Some people on another list (Texas) got their cob house approved by codes not because it was a cob house but because it was a post-and-beam house with a lot of infill.
That might be true of straw bale in Pima County as well, that the straw-bale code doesn't apply, the building is covered under post and beam.
We could have built a post and beam but would have needed an engineers stamp ($$$) because if it isn't written in the code it doesn't exist and therefore needs to be "proven". In NM (and probably other places) the code is written FOR post and beam construction. We had done load bearing before, so not a big deal. Just a peculiarity in the code.
Judy
People at work keep asking me "Are you finished with your house yet? You've been working on it an awful long time, haven't you?" I have to again repeat that we are doing everything ourselves, in our spare time. It is also an "unusual" design... :o When people actually come to visit & look around at all that has been done so far, they are amazed... At times, I get anxious to get more done--but then have to sit back & look at what we have & realize I'm pretty blessed! :)
Blog Update Notice!!
Leave a comment, I'm feeling very lonely [smiley=sad.gif]
Judy
Looking good, Judy. To bad everyone is scattered across the US --and world --I'd really like to help on some of these projects.
I am always looking at strawbale. In fact I just learned that the area where I have my land has a owner builder clause that if it is under 1000 sq ft you do not need engineering. California has a strawbale code as a state but each county is different. I just have been thinking of selling here in the growth neighborhood and buying a RV to live in until I get the house built the way I want. Loadbearing Strawbale with some type of alternative foundation, mud floors, solar electric, grey water system, solar heating via floor tubes, I think the list goes on but I sure need to find someone that has the knowledge to tell me how to get along with the County people....
Hey Cali,
Try this group http://www.strawbuilding.org/. I hear good things about their work and assistance. There is also a yahoo group that is pretty active and is visited by the folks who srite the books. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SB-r-us/.
Were you going to try to go to Canelo? Did you make it?
Good Luck
Judy
I'm also posting info about a great indepth book on building with different alternative methods over in Referrals
Your roof looks great Judy.
You are an RN too ? You probably mentioned it before -- I'm just lost--- maybe you and Sassy should start a little cobbing nurses club. Something about nurses and mud that just makes building exciting. :-/ :)
QuoteYour roof looks great Judy.
You are an RN too ? You probably mentioned it before -- I'm just lost--- maybe you and Sassy should start a little cobbing nurses club. Something about nurses and mud that just makes building exciting. :-/ :)
Cobbing, thrift store shopping, healing the sick, lifting that barge, toting that bale...Sassy and I can do it all!
Judy
Looks great!
I read in one of my Farm and Ranch magazines about a family building a straw bale house somewhere in Nebraska.
Is this a more cost effective and energy efficent method of building?
QuoteLooks great!
I read in one of my Farm and Ranch magazines about a family building a straw bale house somewhere in Nebraska.
Is this a more cost effective and energy efficent method of building?
Personally, I don't think the alternative methods to construction are going to save any money. I've looked at cob, strawbale, adobe, tires filled with dirt... most everything. In the end I concluded that standard 2x6 walls where the best bang for the buck. I think the potential is there with strawbale to save a tiny bit, but when you consider having to build a larger roof to cover the 2 foot thick walls for a given interior space, I'm betting it negates those savings. Most of the alternative building methods are extremely labor intensive as well.
I'm not knocking the strawbale houses.. I think it's a great idea and some of the houses I've seen have looked great. I just don't think the owners really saved any money and I suspect most of them end up spending substantially more.
Regards,
Dan
Some do, some don't, save money by using various "alternative methods." You may just shift where you spend money--on a local architect instead of framing and trim crews, for instance.
If you're a thermal mass freak, then 2x6 over a crawl space is pretty much useless.
Glenn's house has been quite inexpensive, and it apparently works beautifully--and it's an "all the comforts of home" place. Mike Oehler's design strategy seems pretty wonderful.
Cob, foot mixed by two or three people, is slow beyond belief. But you'll never get that sculptural look with standard stick framing. People are using a tractor to mix their stuff--it goes a lot faster.
Straw bale was my introduction to alternative building--and I love it. unless you screw up your foundations you will have very good insulation there--better than the 2x6 stick built. John doesn't love it--the walls, until plastered, are pretty squishy, in-wall post and beam can get a bit complicated, and besides it sounds kind of redundant.
Earthshipstm tend to be expensive--but they come with water, power, and at least most of your waste water system.--you get to change out UV bulbs and clean filters in the incoming water system every so often, replace the first set of batteries quickly because everybody is reputed to ruin theirs, then only occasionally thereafter. People who love them say that there is lots of daylighting and no glare problems. I've never been in one. But people tend to build theirs big.
Rammed tire ships can be quite inexpensive. The systems are what you've put in. You collect the tires, etc.
I don't really have the location, but AGS/PAHS won't be inexpensive to build, but the chances are pretty good that you really will end up with no heating and cooling bills--except maybe for the 90+ degrees we had for most of a week in April or an early cold snap in September, and those might not be too unpleasant to weather without added cooling or heat.
Your scrounging abilities, and even more how well you tolerate waiting for the perfect thing to come along, your ability to tolerate building either with friends or a workshop, or very slowly by yourself--all those will affect whether "a,,lternative building" makes sense for you.
QuoteQuote I just don't think the owners really saved any money and I suspect most of them end up spending substantially more.
Regards,
Dan
As with any building, the saving comes on the front end with how much you can do yourself. On the back end the saving comes in utilities. We will heat this house with a small wood burning stove that will be used mostly on the colder mornings. We will use salvaged wood. The previous house had a propane stove which we used minimally and stayed very comfortable. In the summer, we can cool down the mass at night and stay pretty comfortable. We will have a 12 SEER heat pump. (We hit triple digits here last week and have a couple more months of that to go.) The siting of the house is great. This is an aspect of building any house that I cannot stress enough. Respect the sun!
Then there are the intangibles, and I know it gets written about and talked about a lot but the "feel" of a strawbale house is just different. I can't explain it, so I won't try. The aesthetics of housing often get short shrift in modern building. Scale, proportion, color, light, sound are so important to how we feel in built environments. I think in those areas with strawbale or cob you get a lot of bang for your buck. Can you make a warm, inviting, cozy stickframe home? Sure, strawbale just takes it to a different level.
Judy
It's a Roof!
(https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/jwvastine/IM000239.jpg)
(https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/jwvastine/IM000241.jpg)
That's TallBoy applying the final trim to the gable end. How does he do that with his legs?!? He's been such an important part of this project and learning a lot. Mostly that swinging a hammer is not the way he wants to make his living, but it's a skill he will always have and an understanding of the building process that no one can take away. You never know what the future holds and the more skills you have, the better prepared you are for life.
Now on to window and doors!
Judy
Hooray! Congratulations!
The house is looking great! Really enjoyed looking through the links on earth plasters etc.
QuoteThe house is looking great! Really enjoyed looking through the links on earth plasters etc.
Sassy, did you look at the gallery photos at the Artesano site? Beautiful stuff! We did an adobe floor in our studio but it looked nothing like their adobe floor. But, it's like I tell the boys all the time, "Don't expect to be an expert the first time."
I have so many ideas now I can't wait to get started on the plastering. Remind me I said that later. :P
Judy
Roofs are nice ;)
Spoken from someone who knows--- looking really great, Judy and Daddymem too.
Artesano was the 1st site I looked at! Beautiful floors. I need to read more & see what they harden & seal the floors with. The best outcome we had was with the entryway floor in the "conversation pit" area. That was poured fairly wet & allowed to crack, then grout placed in the cracks & sealed with several coats of linseed oil. I love it - it's virtually indestructable & I can keep it shiney by applying a cement cure & seal coating over it periodically. I hope we can duplicate it in the main area of our cabin when we get to finishing that. It was made with clay, sand, straw (I think) & water. The floors we used a little bit of cement in aren't near as sturdy & are more upkeep, although still minimal. Keep the pictures coming! I enjoy looking at your blog. I've kinda come to a standstill as I don't have digital pictures of the property & when we 1st started building.
Sassy
Update-windows!!
Judy
(https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/jwvastine/IMG_0244.jpg)
It seems as if injuries are contagious after reading about ChatyCady! :'( Last Fri Rick went to the site and found that some lowlife (there is a special place in H**l for someone who steals tools!) stole the cement mixer and on the very day we had a small footer for a mechanical closet to pour. So then the Mister is pi**ed and has to go to ACE to pick up cement, falls hauling it to the truck (I'm OK, I'm OK!). Carries the bags, mixes and pours and then has to have the neighbors bring him home. Long story short, he fractured his kneecap (YOWZAA :o). Back to the ortho guy tomorrow to hopefully hear he doesn't have to have surgery. I've been attempting to take up the slack...
More later,
Judy
I'm sorry to hear about your husband's injury... gee, hope he doesn't need surgery - I never knew knee injuries were so painful! Sounds like you're picking up the slack... you are really moving along, though on the place - hadn't seen that last picture you posted of the windows - I'll take a look at the blog again.
I know the feeling Judy - some doper probably got $20 for my $600 welder stolen in Monterey a few weeks ago.
No surgery would be good.
(I've posted a link before to the book Pain Free to universal laughter--it won't make broken bones all better, but it might, if surgery is optional but recommended, make that not necessary. I feel better, but forget to do the exercises, probably need to check and do the set for my knees since I sprained one a few weeks ago)
Nice windows, by the way! You did put the whole window/door series in with "standard" framing, or am I seeing wrong.
I really like the window seat with bales up to the bottom of the windows, but with that long a run of window door window, not that much room between them, it may have been a lot more trouble than it was worth.
Anyone in Arizona wanting to get dirty?
When people asked how old she was, she would say 1009365, more or less, because she was so glad to be alive that she counted every day a birthday.
She had some disagreement from her knees about the actual figures though. . . Storypeople
I didn't get to go to Napa, or to Burning Man so to celebrate my 18250th day...
I'm having a Plaster Party!
Saturday 12/9
We will provide lunch
We'll be doing interior plaster so bring some "playtex' like gloves and wear grungy clothes, bring water and a folding chair if you have one.
Your options are:
Show up around 8am and get the low-down on earthen plaster application and start throwing mud or,
Stop by anytime during the day, say Happy Birthday and have some cake or,
Send an email "Sounds uhhhhh interesting, good luck with that and Happy Birthday!"
Thought I'd let you know what was going on-we've been working like crazy... after the knee injury of DH we've had to makeup time!
Judy
Thanks for the invitation :) but we'll have our hands full around here... have a lot of plastering to do myself - ya'll welcome to come to the underground cabin after you've been to Judy's strawbale house!
Looks really nice, Judy. Enjoyed looking through your blog, hadn't seen it for a couple months. The workshop you attended sounded fun & interesting.
OK it's not this Saturday so I don't have to choose between your place or a bale-raising up in Joelton TN.
Which I kind of doubt I'll make either.
But it sounds like a lot of fun.
The grass on my straw-clay wall has died, so the next time we don't have frost for a few days we may do some plastering down here.
'
I know I've been scarce around here but the finishing and moving took it all out of us. We just sat around for a couple of weeks and contemplated our bellybuttons. Now we've kicked back into gear to get the little (neverending) details finished and start on the wall and general landscape stuff.
Here's a pic of the cabinets. Remember, I said I wanted to paint them. Somehow, I ended up with hickory cabinets that will NEVER be painted! It's a long story, one of those marital compromises. They are beautiful. And the kitchen is very functional in such a small space. I love it. The countertops are poured concrete and the cutting board is fixed-great addition. All of the appliances (except fridge) are from eBay or Craigslist.
(https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/jwvastine/Civano%20SB/postmovein034.jpg)
And then there was the whole wall discussion-I think this is the winner! It will help use some of the rocks we have left on the lot.(https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/jwvastine/Civano%20SB/Calhoun_20070501_113972.jpg)
The way I look at it, we can gradually add those rocks once the "basket" is built.
Judy
There are more pictures at the blog of course.
Pretty uniform size rocks -- did you screen them or just lots of them similar size?
Very nice - I'm glad your husband won out on the kitchen cabinets - the wood grain is very pretty. I bet it is nice having the custom shelving - I am always losing stuff in the back of cupboards & in the high up cabinets. The shower looks beautiful! That's a clever idea for the fence - must have been time consuming! I love rocks :)
That's not our fence, just the idea we're borrowing.
What isn't time-consuming if you do it yourself? I have way more time (and rocks-and just not in my head!) than money. ::)
Judy
Got the wall finished Some of the rocks came from the lot but we did have to :P buy :P some (I wanted to haul some from the wash but I got that "Have you lost your &%#@*? mind?" look). We lifted about 4 tons of rock into buckets and then poured them into the baskets. Good way to increase upper body strength.
We also bought a used pop-up truck camper and have been escaping the extreme desert temps on occasion. But now it seems we need a bigger truck. :o
Anyway, life goes on.
Judy
(https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/jwvastine/Civano%20SB/7_20003.jpg)
(https://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d163/jwvastine/Civano%20SB/7_20005.jpg)
Looks good, Judy. My wife loves rocks-- the mind problem -- good question. :)