It’s important to get straw, not hay, for a straw bale home. Hay contains leafy material that is delicious to a range of animals, while straw is not a food source. Tightly packed straw, combined with properly applied plaster, makes it hard for critters to get into straw bale walls. Even if they do, there’s nothing for them to eat. Conventional homes, with nooks and crannies behind the walls, are more attractive to rodents.
Using straw should also ease the concerns of hay fever and allergy sufferers. Unlike hay, straw does not contain pollens. Rather, it’s a natural, breathable material, one that proponents are quick to compare to modern building materials, which may contain formaldehyde and other chemicals. Lastly, hay also decomposes naturally, making the house likely to rot, while straw usually requires additional nitrates to decompose.
The image above is definitely misleading. I did a bit more research and apparently because of how densely the straw is packed it doesn’t burn well.
Information on being more or less prone to infestation is mixed.
As for mold, everything I found stresses cracks in the coating, which will happen in any construction as buildings shift and settle, need to be repaired immediately to prevent moisture from getting in. This seems to be the biggest drawback. For fiberglass insulation you’ll install a vapor barrier, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with straw construction.
Yeah you don’t want to use a vapor barrier in straw bale construction. If you get any moisture in the wall you want it to not get trapped. Adobe plaster breathes the best but needs the most upkeep with gypsum and concrete each progressively getting less breathable and needing less upkeep.
Though fundamentally it is a style that is only suited for arid regions. So good for New Mexico, bad for Florida.
I live in Northern Germany and a lot of old houses still have straw roofs. It isn’t uncommon to hear about a fire that destroyed the whole house because it spread to much before the firefighters can arrive…
I feel itchy just looking at this.
Also the spiders. Also the mold.
Have you seen ordinary insulation?
I have installed it. I have also loaded bails. I’ll take the insulation any day.
It’s also flame resistant. Straw is the opposite.
It gets covered in plaster and is more fire resistant than a wood house.
https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/construction/green/straw-bale-house.htm
Also:
The image above is definitely misleading. I did a bit more research and apparently because of how densely the straw is packed it doesn’t burn well.
Information on being more or less prone to infestation is mixed.
As for mold, everything I found stresses cracks in the coating, which will happen in any construction as buildings shift and settle, need to be repaired immediately to prevent moisture from getting in. This seems to be the biggest drawback. For fiberglass insulation you’ll install a vapor barrier, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with straw construction.
Yeah you don’t want to use a vapor barrier in straw bale construction. If you get any moisture in the wall you want it to not get trapped. Adobe plaster breathes the best but needs the most upkeep with gypsum and concrete each progressively getting less breathable and needing less upkeep.
Though fundamentally it is a style that is only suited for arid regions. So good for New Mexico, bad for Florida.
I live in Northern Germany and a lot of old houses still have straw roofs. It isn’t uncommon to hear about a fire that destroyed the whole house because it spread to much before the firefighters can arrive…