Straw Bale Buildings

The first straw bale houses were built in the Nebraska Sand Hills in the US in the 1880s.

The steam-powered baling machine had just been invented and, in a region devoid of timber and stone, most homes until this time were built of sod and turf.

Somebody saw the brick-shape straw bales and made the connection between bales and houses.

Since then building techniques have been refined and improved and today’s straw bale houses are highly efficient and structurally sound buildings.

The thick walls insulate the interior from the hot summers and cold winters that we experience here in WA.

A timber framework supports the roof and the walls are covered with two coats of cement render.

Surprisingly to many people, straw bale walls, built like this, are more fire resistant than conventional houses. The straw is tightly compressed into the bale shape so there’s little space for air, one of the three primary requirements for fire to develop, in the bale. Add to that the thick cement render coating and the result is a house more fire resistant than most homes you’ll find in Australia.

It took about two-and-a-half years to build this house and over 1600 bales make up its external and internal walls.