home :: Workshop :: Straw Bales

Ask Kevin: Cold climate & cost

15 Jan '07 from Kevin Contreras

KevinDear Kevin,

I enjoyed the straw bale show very much. I rarely watch TV so it was a fluke that I caught it, but it is a rainy, windy day in the Northeast.

I am interested in the feasibility of this method in the Northeast. If you ever want to do a show featuring the Northeast, I am in the middle of the Hudson Valley, 2 hours north of NYC and 10 minutes outside of Hudson, NY. This area is rich with “transplants” from Manhattan looking for alternate building methods.

I live on 45 acres, have great south eastern exposure, a pond, running water….a landscape rich in needing expert opinions.

Your show was really very good, but hearing that the building took place in Santa Barbara, CA made it all so unrealistic. The amount of money in that area is not reflective of most of the country, and neither is the perfect climate.

Good luck, and hope to see more thought provoking shows.

Take care,
Maggie

Maggie,
Your land sounds magnificent. If I’m in your area, I’ll get out to see you. Straw bale building can be very reasonable, and is perfect for a location like yours. You can do everything we did for a fraction of the cost, as labor is terribly expensive for us here in Santa Barbara. As for climate considerations, the R value of a straw bale is about 45, making it very insulating. I like to say it’s like living in a thermos. Our walls are 30 inches thick and so comforting. Something else you’d love is radiant floor heating.

Episode 4 is all about straw bales, so watch for it. Your local station, WMHT, lists their air dates for Building Green here. Our series will have loads of information, so keep watching.

Thanks for being interested.

Kevin


Bookmark/Search this post with:
  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • StumbleUpon
  • Magnoliacom
  • Newsvine
  • Furl
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Yahoo
  • Technorati

On March 19th, 2007 Jonah Vitale-Wolff (not verified) says:

i am an albany based natural builder that works building straw bale homes in the area. it is great to tour naturally built homes around the country and even world, and see this kind of building getting more publicity. what one will notice is how each system is adapted to the specific climate, region, bioregion, and down to the site. no two naturally built buildings are the same.

i would have to say that ive found straw bale buildings to be great systems for our climate here. there are important design details to take into account given our wet climate and variations in temperatre. folks have been doing it for over 30 years, including well known authors such as paul lacinski, based in western, ma. once you start looking there is a massive network of resources locally.

i also reguallarly teach workshops and specialize in natural finishes, clay and lime plasters and paints, earthen floors, ovens, etc. i love working with owner-builders. please feel you can use me as a resource for information, connecting with others and even help building a home. www.hvnb.net

thanks kevin for having this type of forum out there.


Thanks!

On April 5th, 2007 Kevin Contreras says:

Jonah,
THANKS! You hear that everyone in wet regions. We have found the man who can guide you. Check out this website and join him for a workshop.

Keep up the good work,
Kevin